Page 15 of Sinner
Seven
Mary sensedFlint’s panic rise and rushed to his side, placing hands on his shoulders. In his eyes, she searched for understanding, but found only fear.
“Flint…” She took a deep breath, unsure how to proceed without scaring him off. She was about to tell him everything and prayed to the Virgin Mary that he could take it. Mary glanced at Gloria. “Could you please give us a few minutes, Gloria?”
Gloria placed her hand on her stomach and nodded. “I will go to the bathroom. When I get back, Flint, I need an answer. We are almost out of time.”
Something hardened in Gloria’s eyes before she left. Her insinuation was clear. Mary would have to deal with Flint if he said no, and she didn’t want to do that.
Hehadto say yes. He wouldn’t have been in her recent vision if he said no… would he?
“You’re more than just a guy, Flint,” Mary said, sliding her hands down his arms, tracking the movement with her eyes.Sweet Mother.She knew she shouldn’t be touching him, but she loved those arms. Her fingers ran back up to his shoulders. “Flint, you’re much more than that to me. You’re loyal, determined, clever… exactly the person we need to help get us out of this. I’veseenit.”
He gave her a pained look. “Sister…”
“I’m not a nun,” she blurted, dropping her hands from him.
He blinked, spluttered. “What?”
“I…” Mary surveyed the room on instinct, making sure no one watched. It was an old habit when you lied about your identity. One that stayed even though she knew they were alone. “I’m not a nun. The others in there are, but I’m… a Sinner. I’m part of a secret faction in the Hildegard Sisterhood that even the Vatican doesn’t know about.”
“Tell me about them.”
“The Sisterhood?”
“The secret faction.”
She took a deep breath. “They have a history reaching back to medieval times when the original Sister Hildegard struggled against a male dominated clergy. Now the world knows Hildegard as the founder of scientific history in Germany, but back then, her opinions were completely disregarded until she claimed to have visions from God himself. Belittling herself as a woman in order to be heard was only the beginning of the humiliation the woman faced.
“So she started her own abbey filled with women. That same abbey exists today and is a place where women can be celebrated and their education encouraged—minus the male influence. Records at the Sisterhood archives reveal they had a hand in the rise to power of many women over history from Joan of Arc to Indira Ghandi. From Catherine the Great to Margaret Thatcher. But, under the surface of the auspicious abbey is their secret mission that no woman should ever suffer the same struggle as Hildegard had.”
“So you hate men?”
“No! Maybe some of them do, but I can’t. Not with someone like you in my life.”
Flint ran his hands through his hair. “There’s more you’re not telling me. What is this sinner business? How does their mission to put women in power relate to this project?”
“They want women to influence the children, and… well, there are things holy women can’t do, and that’s what I’m for. I’m allowed to sin. In fact, I'm the designated sinner—their necessary evil. My line of work isn’t exactly innocent, so I’m not ordained and my vows are different to allow me the freedom to work. I guess I’m more like a CIA operative, if you like. I’m sorry I lied to you. It’s cut me up inside for months, but I couldn’t jeopardize my purpose for being here. The fewer who know, the better.”
She turned her gaze to the two-way mirror and held her breath, waiting for a reaction from Flint. Something. Anything.
Silence.
And then he moved, cutting into her personal space.
No man in the world intimidated Mary. None. Yet, she found herself back against the wall with Flint dominating the area before her. His body heat hit her in the face, stealing her air, making it hard to breathe. She closed her eyes to steady her beating heart. One. Two. She opened them.
“Are you fucking shitting me?” he bit out. The crease between his brows deepened, the two slashes of brown almost one. His lashes lowered as he took in her face, coming to terms with her confession. “So I was right. You’re not a goddamned nun.”
She licked her lips and, on instinct, lifted her finger to smooth the wrinkle still between his brow. She hated knowing she put that there. There was a small smudge of grease on the bridge of his nose, and Mary rubbed it away. His eyes fluttered closed, and he leaned in to her touch. When they opened, some revelation flashed in his eyes. It was deep, dark, carnal and desperate. He cupped her face between his hands and lowered his lips to press against hers reverently.
His salty taste hit Mary’s senses and desire sparked an inferno inside. Everything she’d held back over the years came rushing to the surface. She speared her fingers into his hair, pulled him close, and returned the flames. Everything she’d denied, she pushed into that kiss. She had to let him know how she felt, how she truly felt. No more teasing. No more flirting. She needed him with every ounce of her being. She pushed her tongue into his, bit his lip, sucked, licked, kissed. He got it all.
Breathing hard, Flint pushed his hard body against hers, flattening her against the wall, trapping her.Sweet Mother,this was what she wanted. Needed. This was exactly what she’d imagined. His taste, heat, passion… all funneled in her direction, as though she were the only thing in his life worth having. His tongue delved inside her mouth, claiming and taking. She released a small moan of appreciation. He swallowed it with another kiss. Yes. More. Together.
He pulled back suddenly and the cold air rushed in. His hair stood up, mussed from her fingers, looking every bit disheveled as she felt. All that heat, all that fire, gone in an instant and she was left bereft and trembling.
“Flint?” she asked, voice as shaky as her legs.
