Page 5 of Born Sinner
It’s a fucking joint.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I count to five before opening them, only to collide with a familiar tattooed hand lifting the joint to a familiar mouth as familiar lips wrap around the end.
Sam.
As if I spoke his name out loud, he turns toward me. This time, he doesn’t look right through me. He levels that icy glare like an earthquake, and I shiver under its weight. He’s less than twenty feet away, but he might as well have me pressed against the wall with both hands wrapped around my neck.
My pulse races…
I can’t breathe…
It’s only when he pins me with that lethal stare again that I see it…
Darkness.
He’s not just a rich bad boy with a chip on his shoulder—he’s a jagged reef lying beneath a calm sea. And this place isn’t just an apartment—it’s a diamond-encrusted snake pit.
The realization is too much. The weight is too heavy. Both tangle in a knotted haze, dragging me down the wall. Just before I hit the floor, an arm hooks around my waist, pulling me to my feet. My brain barely stops spinning when a pair of lips press against my ear.
“What do you say we go someplace more private?”
I nod slowly, the words sounding thick and muddled in my head. Then I’m floating. Fingers dig into my arm, guiding me up, up, up…
So far up, I wonder if we’ll ever reach the top.
I wonder what would happen if he let me go. I wonder how long it would take to hit the water. To sink beneath the surface and onto the reef... To stain clear blue water murky red…
My head lolls back. “Sam?”
A dark laugh rumbles beside me. “I’ll be whoever you want me to be, baby.”
“I don’t feel so good, Sam.”
“Don’t worry…” he assures me. “Now that I’ve got that attitude dialed down, I’ll make you feel better.Trust me.”
Chapter Three
Sam
I sensethe brunette while she’s still circling, but I’m not quick enough to dodge the swoop.
“Hey,” she chirps, crinkling her eyes at me. “Cool party, huh? Love the apartment. Your folks must be loaded.”
Yeah, with piles of dirty money.
“Thanks,” I say dryly, looking right through her. The roofie Troy slipped Lola must be out-of-this-world phenomenal. She’s already swaying in her heels.
“Wanna give me a guided tour?”
Oh, Jesus…She’s cute,but there’s only one woman here who makes my dick hard.
“Maybe later,” I lie.
Troy has Lola by the arm and he’s guiding her toward the open glass staircase. By the time they reach the second floor, she’s all over the place—her long, dark hair messing up her face as her head flops sideways onto his shoulder; her dress riding up to expose more tan skin.
“Okay, well, make sure you come find me…” Brunette trails off as I push past her like the devil himself is hot on the heels of my Amiri check sneakers. Meanwhile, Lola’s friends are waving her off with catcalls from below, looking as dickmatized by Troy Davis as she appears to be.
“Have fun, María!”
