Page 42 of Sins of the Father

He swings the door open farther. “Have at it.” He leads me out of the room. The waitress has a tray of shots, and he pulls two off. We clink glasses and down them. He tugs me onto the dance floor, and we spend the rest of the night drinking, pressing our bodies against each other on the dance floor, and hanging out with our friends.

At the end of the night, everyone gets into the cars waiting for them. He pulls me into his, and as soon as the door shuts, he takes me back into the world of Steven Sinclair.

When the car stops, we get out, and he keeps kissing me, guiding me into the building while I walk backward. He holds my thumb on a security screen, never removing his lips from mine. We get in the elevator, and when it opens, we’re in Jamison and Quinn’s place. “What are we doing here?”

“I’m dropping you off.”

My heart drops. “Why?”

“Because I’m drunk, and you might be drunk, and this is where you’re staying.”

I grasp the top of his pants and pull. “Come in, then.”

“Harper, is that—”

The elevator doors shut, and he hits the stop button. He moves me against the wall, and his lips take another tour of my neck, jaw, and lips. “You drive me crazy, Harper.”

“Then why are we here?”

“Shh.” He consumes my mouth again, burning up my loins.

He hits the button and pulls back. When the doors open, Cathy is standing in front of it with her arms crossed and eyebrows raised.

“Have a good night, ladies.” As soon as I step out, Steven presses the button and vanishes for the night. But the scent of him and the feel of his lips haunt me.

6

Steven

Tearingmyself away from Harper’s lips is like putting a dripping ice cream cone in front of me while on a starvation diet and asking me not to lick it.

I’m feeling pretty good when I leave Quinn and Jamison’s place. I’ve drank more than usual. I’m not a big partier and don’t usually consume so much alcohol in one weekend, but since it’s Quinn’s wedding, I let it slide.

And Harper no longer hates me. She wasn’t too happy I dropped her off, but she will be tomorrow when she wakes up. I was tempted to take her to my place, but she was tipsier than I was, so I didn’t want to take advantage of her state.

I’m pretty sure I have a perma-grin on my face when I walk into my condo. I don’t turn on the lights and go straight to the window, staring out at the skyline.

“It’s about time you got here.”

My gut drops. I spin and angrily bark, “How did you get into my house?”

Maximillion Evinrude rises and walks toward me. He’s close to the same height as me and keeps in shape, but he’s not as built as I am. “You got into a fight at your sister’s wedding.”

I step closer. “That’s not your business.”

“It is when the police call me.”

The blood drains from my face. “Why would they call you?”

He haughtily snorts. “I’m the governor. I keep tabs on whoever I want but especially those on my payroll.”

“I am not working for you now or ever.”

He points his finger in my face. “You will.”

“Get your finger out of my face before I break it.”

“You have a temper, I see. You’re going to need to control it. At least until my campaign is over.”

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