Page 41 of 7 Nights of Sin

It was still early, but I was restless, and I knew there was no way in hell I was going to fall asleep in his bed, or wake up in the morning still there and have to talk about what we'd done.

Because of course once the adrenaline and pleasure started to fade, all that was left was the lingering regret.

I gathered my clothes and tiptoed out of the room, throwing the bundled up clothes in a pile on the floor once I got down the hall to my own room.

I'd already showered once that evening, but suddenly I felt the need to be clean.

I could still feel Kevin's touch all over me, and it was disturbing. Mostly because I didn't mind it. It had just been so nice, to be touched and kissed and brought to screaming orgasms. It had been nice to be with another person. And if that person had been someone other than Kevin Porter, then maybe there wouldn't be such a pit in my stomach.

It was a mess. I'd come here to fix his issues, not gather new ones for myself. It had already been hard enough to be around him before, but the addition of sex wasn't going to make things easier. It never did.

And what did he want from me? Was it just a good time? Was he so tired of behaving himself for the public eye (for some loose definition of the word 'behaving', of course) that he just needed some relief? Was I just a convenient body for him? Someone he knew had a vested interest in keeping things quiet?

It would make sense for that to be the case. More sense than him wanting...anything else from me.

I could be angry about that. About being used for his good time. But then I remembered the way he looked at me, the way he'd called me beautiful and waited until I told him I wanted him to do anything.

Against all odds, I knew Kevin. I knew he wasn't the kind of person who used people. He'd work himself to the bone before he made anyone else suffer for his goals.

So what was the point of it, then?

I shook my head, letting the hot water rush over me. It was soothing, and I tipped my head back, breathing out a sigh.

Ultimately, it didn't matter what Kevin wanted. It couldn't happen again.

He was a client, and more than that, he'd already had his chance. He hadn't wanted to be with me six years ago, and I didn't know what could have changed.

I'd changed, at any rate, and I wasn't interested. I could have other people if I wanted them. I didn't need to put myself and my feelings on the line for something that hadn't worked back then.

We just had to get through the rest of the week and then I could finish the job, and we could go our separate ways. That was for the best.

The next day,I was up with the sun practically, putting my laptop in my bag and leaving the beach house quietly. I told myself it wasn't sneaking because Kevin was still asleep. I was just being quiet to be polite.

I spent the whole day out working and doing a little sightseeing once I'd done all I could with talking to media outlets and all. I bought some things for friends and family back home, and a few things for myself as well.

I watched the surfers on the beach chase waves and then come back to shore, salt water glistening on their skin and in their hair, and I tried to imagine myself going up to one of them and making small talk. Or, god forbid, trying to flirt.

It wasn't an easy thing to picture. I didn't have a lot of practice.

Well, whatever. I was fine. I didn't need to go out looking for someone just for the hell of it.

I picked up food on the way home at a local poke place that I'd heard rave reviews about, and it was well after dark when I finally came back to the house.

Hopefully Kevin would have already eaten and would be off doing something by himself and not waiting around for me. I'd been gone all day, and I still had no idea what to say to him.

I managed to get all the way to my room with no sign of him, and I breathed a sigh of relief. So far so good.

The next night, I was not so lucky. I heard music when I got back to the house, and I should have done the smart thing and kept going to my room to hide out and keep pretending Kevin didn't exist in the same space as I did, but instead, I followed the sound of the soft, crooning music and found myself on the back deck where the hot tub was.

And there was Kevin, shirtless again, his skin practically glowing in the light from the hot tub in the steam.

He caught sight of me before I could leave, and I sighed, waiting for whatever it was he had to say.

"There you are. I was beginning to wonder if you were ever coming back."

I shrugged. "I didn't know I had to run it by you before I went somewhere," I replied, voice strained. As much as I didn't want to look at him, I couldn't tear my eyes away. The water lapped at the skin just under his chest, drawing attention to his well-shaped chest and torso.

He was just so fucking handsome, and still as charming as ever, and it was a struggle not to just give in to all the things I wanted.