The Club Sin Series 4-Book Bundle (25 page)

Cora drove along the Vegas Strip in her red Mini Cooper cabriolet with the top down. The warmth of the sunlight penetrated through her chest, offering up giant doses of vitamin D. The gorgeous, perfect day with white fluffy clouds moved her through the streets. Born and raised in Sin City, she doubted she'd ever leave.

Vegas had been, and always would be, home.

The retail therapy with Presley and her morning with the kids had made her day. She felt more like herself. She was in control. She was happy, and that was a welcomed relief. Intense moments in the dungeon could take her a day or so to recover from. Now last night's debacle was free from her mind and she looked forward to tonight with Aidan.

No talking about feelings. All action. That was her motto.

Once she reached the end of the Strip, she turned left and headed onto the back roads. The warm, dry breeze swept through her car and fluttered her hair. She tapped her finger against the steering wheel, far too aware that he'd wonder over her actions last night.

He'd want an explanation.

Maybe that's what made him such a good Dom.

Cora had mulled it over all morning and she had yet to come up with a solid excuse to backpedal out of the hot seat. What could she possibly tell him? She liked to play. She had nothing to talking about.

Things were fine.

Of course, she could tell him the truth, but where would that get them? Force Aidan to face his pain? Make him feel horrible things from his past? Take away the one thing that she knew made him happy—her playing with him? She'd seen Aidan when she first joined Club Sin—three years after Lily died—he had been so sad then. Now he seemed happy—or as happy as he could be.

He needed more time to recover.

She'd give him that, no matter the cost to herself—it was that simple. Cora was strong, always had been. Now she was being strong for both of them. Sure, she wanted more from him,
but she knew better than anyone that people needed time to heal.

The process couldn't be rushed.

It didn't matter that five years had passed since Lily's death—he wasn't ready. Cora knew that because he wasn't facing his pain; he was hiding from it. She'd seen in her job the effects that had on a person if they were forced to deal with things they weren't ready to face.

She didn't want Aidan to hit rock bottom. She wanted to support him.

As she took another hard left into the East Silverado Ranch Boulevard, Cora sang along to the soft rock music blaring through her speakers. No one needed to tell her that her voice was not
American Idol
quality—she knew her pitch wasn't perfect and she didn't give one flying flip.

She spotted her redbrick bungalow on the suburban street. The music dulled in her ears and her mouth clamped shut. Her insides quivered as she squinted at her driveway. The closer she got, the more the
thing
came into focus.

“Fuck,” she muttered.

The problem wasn't the sleek black sports motorcycle in the center of the driveway. Her concern lay with the sex packaged in a pair of blue jeans. More so, the powerful man staring at her as if daring her not to stop. While she was tempted to drive by with a little wave, she needed to clear up this misunderstanding.

She parked at the curb and heat rose in her body. With shaky hands, she exited the car, blowing out a slow breath. Of course Aidan would show up at her house. Why had she expected otherwise?

With a fake smile forming on her lips, tingles like jelly beans were dancing in her belly. He pushed off his bike and his warm expression caught her breath. Her gaze roamed over him, stirring places that shouldn't stir at the moment. Lord, he was
hot
in his leather jacket.

His mouth held a slight curve as he met her halfway down the driveway with a steady gait. She inhaled deeply through her nose, forcing her fluttering stomach and puckering nipples to chill out.

“Hi.” She cleared her throat, placing her keys into her purse with trembling fingers. He'd never come to her house…
ever
. In fact, she'd never seen him outside of Club Sin. A cold sweat washed over her. Her throat tightened. “What brings you by?”

His head tilted from side to side as he regarded her, and then his gaze cut to the shopping bag in her hand. “What's that?”

With a nibble to her bottom lip, she stared into his chiseled face, trying to get a read on him, which was unsuccessful. His emotions were very much in check. “Something for tonight.”

He crossed his arms, observing her with a flat expression. “You do plan on coming to the dungeon tonight?”

Cora gulped at the muscles bulging along his forearms. Her limbs shook, and she slid her arm through the handle of her purse and then stuffed her hands in the pockets of her skinny jeans. Somehow seeing Aidan out in public made him more real.

Her loins burned.

Yet her mind raced.

If only she knew his
looks
outside of Club Sin, maybe she could get a grip on herself. His intent was not clear. Though they had played together for two years, Aidan stuck to a D/s relationship in the dungeon, not out of it. She didn't know his expressions outside of the club. He'd always been gentle or in full Dom mode. His half-lidded eyelids showed neither side right now.

She pondered his question, and then her blood ran cold. Did he plan to ban her from Club Sin until she talked to him?
No, he couldn't. He wouldn't dare
. “Am I not allowed to go?”

“Of course, you're welcome.” He smiled politely, not genuinely. “I wasn't sure if you would. If you felt up to it.”

Terrific
.

Cora rolled her eyes. She didn't want to have this
talk
, because as far as she was concerned there was nothing worth discussing. He wasn't ready to go there, and neither was she. Hadn't she made that perfectly clear last night? “I told you, Aidan, nothing's wrong. I plan on coming to the dungeon and playing with you.” Good grief, first Presley, now Aidan. “Why can't everyone listen to what I'm saying?” She yanked her hands from her pockets and gripped her purse. “I. Am. Fine!”

I. Do. Not. Want. To. Talk. About. It
.

Believe. Me. Neither. Do. You
.

He made a
Hmmm
noise in his throat. “I heard what you told me last night.” His expression became pensive with the arch of his brow. “I also heard what you didn't say.”

Cora threw her hands up in an “I give up” gesture, nearly smacking herself in the face with her purse. Before she could snap out her reply, her neighbors strolled by with their German
shepherd. They regarded Aidan with a keen eye and bright smiles.
Wonderful
. She ground her teeth at the looming conversation in which she explained to them that he wasn't her boyfriend.

Her stomach hardened as she waved at them. The tension increased as she turned to Aidan. He'd taken a step closer, removing the distance. “Can we go inside? I'd like to talk to you.”

Fuck-fuckity-fuck-fuck-fuck!

What could she say—no? It'd only increase his belief that something was wrong and she was hiding from him. Which of course she was, but for his own good. And nothing was freaking wrong. She was okay with their relationship. She'd accepted it. And she was happy—'
nuff said
. “Come on.”

On her way to her cherry-red front door, her insides quivered. While part of her knew this conversation was coming, she sure as shit hadn't expected it right now. Her hands trembled as she unlocked the door and entered her house, and her shoulders dropped as she glanced at the wide-screen television. She had planned to watch a chick flick before getting ready for tonight, not deal with Aidan and his
questions
.

She strode through the living room and approached the kitchen. The eerie silence had her tugging on her black chiffon blouse. Even if Presley hadn't been her roommate for long, Cora had gotten used to the company. Her house lacked the warmth it once had.

When she reached the kitchen, Aidan was hot on her heels. Turning to him, she set her bag of lingerie on the countertop. Her knees buckled as he leaned against her counter with his arms folded, oozing authority. As he always did, he dominated the space, and butterflies fluttered in her belly.

Him, in her house, all alone…a naked Aidan taking her against the countertop flashed like a wicked fantasy in her mind.

Stop!

He regarded her with a long look, and to her dismay, no heat rested in his shadowy eyes, only softness. “Talk to me.”

Her mouth was dry as she moved to the stainless-steel fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. “What do you want to talk about? Sports? The weather?”

His warm hand grasped hers and she melted into his hold. God, his touch…it curled her toes. She looked to him and his stern voice matched the severity of his features. “Talk now.”

Cora glanced to her water bottle in desperation to add moisture to her mouth. She restrained a moan as the heat from his body engulfed her in a seductive burn. “I don't know how many ways I can possibly tell you that nothing's wrong.”

Aidan captured her gaze with a finger under her chin. His eyes flared with power as he pressed his body into hers, trapping her between himself and the countertop. “Last night, I saw sadness…” He brushed his finger under her eye with a gentle sweep. “Right here, Cora. Don't lie to me.”

Lost in his stare, her mind stuttered. To have him this close made her ache. To have
Aidan
in her home on a Saturday afternoon had been what she used to wish for. All the same, her blood went frigid. She did this to protect him and to keep what they had together. She wasn't the problem. His avoidance to move on from Lily was. “I'm fine,” she said through clenched teeth.

“Cora,” he said, low and slow.

She heaved a sigh, swallowing under the assault of his closeness. “Really, it's all A-okay.” He locked his elbows as she attempted to shift out of his hold. A hot shiver raced into her loins.

Trapped in his alert gaze, she spun into a whirlwind of desire. She craved his hot kisses, his burning touch. He examined her furtively. “Did something in our scene last night upset you?”

“Of course not.” The space between them got a helluva lot smaller, and she pushed against his arm. The hard muscle didn't move. As a submissive, she relished that power and removal of choices. Now it made her feel like a little woman in the presence of an incredibly commanding man.

The bigger problem?

Her soaked panties.

She needed that damn water…and she needed it
now
!

Shifting against the counter to retreat, her back ached at the hard marble pressing into her skin.
Think, Cora
. He needed a reason why she had left so abruptly. She'd never panicked like that before. Yet he'd never questioned her like that, either. And quite possibly the conversation with Presley had opened old wounds.

Cora squirmed to draw away from him, which only rubbed her against his hard cock. She cursed his damn jeans and hers for the barrier. Aidan touched her only in scenes, but her body didn't know the difference. He awakened her

Aidan leaned in, erasing the distance. “Did Presley upset you?”

Her fingers twitched to reach out and explore his face. Achy and
hot
, she craved to fulfill that earlier fantasy. His large pupils indicated he wouldn't be unwilling. “No,” she said both to his question and to her body's desire.

He drew his bottom lip in between his teeth and he leaned closer, nose-to-nose. “Let me get this straight—you want me to believe you're perfectly fine, and that nothing is bothering you?”

Under his fierce stare, she shut her eyes to avoid him. His velvety soft voice struck her as if a vibrator was tormenting her clit. His closeness, that perfect mouth that kissed her passionately, and the waves of heat coming off him all made it impossible to think.

With a soul-deep shove, she forced her eyes open. Now wasn't the time to lose sight of what she wanted. In Club Sin, Doms held control. Out of it, she lived on her terms. She'd chosen her path with Aidan. She'd made difficult choices but had accepted them.

While she understood Aidan's intent came from concern, she had run out of ideas. How many times could she say
I'm fine
before she even annoyed herself? “I don't know what to say.”

One sleek eyebrow arched. “You tell the truth, Cora.”

Annoyed to her bones, she gripped her water bottle tight and forcibly shoved his arm. This time he allowed it. Her heart hammered and her loins pulsated as she hurried into her living room.

His absence cooled her jets, and she exhaled in relief. She crumbled onto the couch, taking a sip of her water and welcoming the moisture into her dry throat. It came of no surprise that a second later his woodsy scent invaded the air.

A wrinkle marred his forehead. “Talk.”

She'd had about enough of his digging and was a step away from kicking his ass out, no matter that she also wanted to jump his bones. In her line of work, she knew one way to get out of this. Turn the tables on him. “Do you talk to me about your personal life?”

He planted his feet in a wide stance, thrusting his chest out. “I would if you asked me a direct question.”

Liar
.

Not that she'd call him that. Pissing off a Dom she'd see in the dungeon later wasn't on her to-do list. Aidan shared nothing of himself. Everything she'd learned about him had come
from others. His past, and even about the death of Lily, had never come from his mouth.

That was exactly why her desire for more had to stay a secret—until he opened up to her, she couldn't push. She had tried in the first year they played together to go deeper and build a relationship, but he'd shut her down every time. Then she would see darkness spread across his features.