Sins and Scarlet Lace

chapter FIFTEEN

Sophia had never been in a place were true darkness existed. Even out on her small piece of property without neighbors for miles around, she could still see the yellow glow of city lights in the distance.

But not here. In Surrender there was nothing in the distance but stars and a sliver of moon that looked as if it were close enough to touch.

They’d left the MacKenzie house with a bag of food and a lot of hugs. It was an odd feeling, and even when her parents had been alive, that much physical contact was rare. Declan drove them down a rutted one-way road that was more trail than road, and she bounced along in the Hummer next to him, holding onto the handle on the ceiling.

“There will be rain in the next few hours.” He pointed off to the northwest. “See how the clouds are rolling in? It looks like they’re eating the stars.”

“I’m not a fan of storms.”

“I remember. This will be a short one. Just a summer shower that will give everything a good soak, though we might be isolated tomorrow if the roads flood. This is the only one that leads to my property, and you can see it’s nothing but dirt.” He turned on the high beams so she could see farther out in front of them.

This area was different than the land surrounding the MacKenzie homestead, and the headlights shone on nothing but flat land and tree stumps.

“We cleared the trees out here because I wanted to be able to see incomers from all directions. The perimeter wall surrounds twenty-five acres of the property. If you’ll notice, we’ve been going uphill for the last fifteen minutes, and the altitude is a bit higher. The back of the perimeter wall backs up to a deep gorge that goes down about seventy-five feet and is nothing but rocks. I left the trees inside the perimeter because I wanted it to seem like a home, and you can’t ever see the walls from where I’ve positioned my house. There’s a small lake not too far inside the walls and there’s a large cabin that sleeps several whenever I get stuck with uncle duty and the kids come hang out.”

“Don’t you feel imprisoned behind the walls?”

“I told you, you can see them from the house, but it’s nice to know they’re there. It makes me feel like I could keep my family safe. Anyone who tried to climb those walls would be in for a rude awakening.”

The headlights hit the walls in questions and she leaned forward so she could see better. A heavy gate blocked the way inside and Dec hit a button on his watch and she watched as the gate slid open. They were barely through when it closed behind them.

It didn’t take long for the trees to cocoon them as Dec drove along a curved road that was much smoother than the one leading in. Sophia gasped at the sight as outdoor lights came on the moment Dec stopped the car. The stone house rose up out of the ground and seemed to meld with the landscape perfectly.

“It’s got two full stories above ground and another full story below,” Dec said. “The command center is about a hundred feet behind the house, but I built it with the same materials, so it looks more like a guest house than secret spy headquarters.”

She could hear the smile in his voice. “It’s beautiful here. I could just sit and look at the scenery for hours.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet.”

Sophia opened the back door of the Hummer and frowned as she saw her things were no longer there. “What the hell?” she said.

“Oh, that’s why Shane was late to dinner. He went ahead and brought all of your things to the house and put them in your room.”

“My room?” she asked. “Or your room?”

“Whose room do you want to be in, Soph? Because I’ve got to tell you, all I’ve been able to think about since I tasted you down by the lake was sliding deep inside of you until we’re both begging for mercy. So my vote is for my room.”

He grabbed his backpack and she waited while he disarmed security before following him into the house. Cool air met her flesh and sent shivers across her skin. He didn’t turn any of the lights on, but he let his backpack fall to the ground and pushed her back against the door.

Her breath caught as he caged her in and pressed his body intimately against hers. His erection was hard against her pubic bone, and when she raised up on her toes just the smallest amount the pressure to her * had her moaning.

“You keep forgetting about my self-preservation plan.” His lips traced along her jaw and then he nipped at the sensitive skin on her neck. “I don’t think sharing a bedroom is a step in the right direction.”

“This stubbornness of yours is inconvenient.” He suckled at her neck and then trailed up and bit gently on her earlobe. “What if you wake up in the middle of the night and your p-ssy is soaked and needy? All I’d need to do is roll over and slide inside.”

Her fingers massaged the back of his neck and she brought her leg up so it wrapped around his hip. “That does sound more convenient,” she moaned as he pushed against her.

“But I wouldn’t want to interfere with your ability to make a logical decision based on your self-preservation theory.” He pulled away and she tightened her leg around him to keep him close, but he untangled himself from her grasp easily and then bent down to grab his backpack. “You probably want to unpack some of your things and get a shower after the long couple of days we’ve had.”

“Really?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips and narrowing her eyes. “We could be rolling around on the floor screaming right now, but you’re going to show me to my room?”

“It’s all part of my master plan.”

He started up the stairs and she had no choice but to follow. The upstairs was wide and open—a large den area that split off into what she assumed were different bedrooms. If she’d been less frustrated, she would’ve taken the time to look around, but as it was she was having a difficult time not jumping on his back and taking him to the ground.

“A master plan of no sex? That doesn’t sound like you.”

“No,” he said, his lips twitching. She swore if he laughed then he deserved a punch right to the nose for leaving her in such an aroused condition. “I figure if you end up coming to me then you can’t blame me when you decide to forget about your self-preservation idea. So you’ll have to move your things to my room if you want that middle of the night satisfaction. The master suite is in the basement by the way.”

“You son of a bitch,” she growled.

“That’s not very nice,” he said. “My mother is a lovely woman. As long as you’re on her good side. Otherwise, bad things happen. That woman knows how to deliver a swat that stings.”

He opened the first door on the left and ushered her in. “Here are all your things. I’m going to go grab my own shower and answer some email. If you need to find me I’ll be up on the roof. Just take the stairs through that door there,” he said, pointing to what looked like a closet door. “Make yourself at home, Soph.”

He closed the door in her surprised face and before she could think twice her shoe hit the door after him. She liked to think she’d only imagined his laughter as he left her alone.