003: The Sin Part One

{~Cherry Reed~}

I didn’t notice Nathaniel had arrived until I heard the slamming of his car door. I looked up and immediately felt that rush that filled me each time I saw him.

My smile fades just as quickly as it appeared. The look on his face says he’s going to yell at me. What did I do this time? I got up, tugged down my skirt. I noticed his eyes glanced down, and I immediately looked away. Not wanting to see his judgment.

I’m different from the women in our home. My mom and sister are practically identical. They have the same hobbies, dress the same way. They don’t have tattoos under their breast or piercings in places that shouldn’t be mentioned.

They also don’t dress as I do.

I prefer my clothes short. There’s no other reason besides the fact that I like looking at myself. I know I’m hot, and I dress for it.

“Cherry. What the fuck are you wearing?”

I flinched, clutching the ends of my skirt. My boots dug into the sand beneath me.

“Um... I .....” I didn’t know how to explain it, so I opted for begging. I pouted and tried to give him sad eyes. I batted my lashes at him. “I’m cold, daddy,” I murmured.

I waited for the shake of his head, and for him to tease me back for calling him that word. I only ever use it when I want to get out of trouble. Which, let's be honest, is a monthly occurrence. I’m usually met with smiles, but this time, something is off. Nathaniel just stares at me. His eyes go dark, and my wolf shrinks. The pheromones he releases are stronger than any he’s ever let out.

I took a step back. What the fuck?

He blinked, noticing my reaction. I watched him frown and take off his long-sleeved shirt. There’s nothing underneath it, but he hands it towards me. I tried not to stare openly, but you have to understand. Nathaniel Cross might be forty-two, but this man is in peak physical condition. At 6’3, he has an athletic build. The kind with a lot of muscles but not enough to make him appear bulky. It gave him a rugged and imposing look. He’s always the first thing you look at in any room. His skin is fair but full of battle scars and tattoos, which I never allowed myself to look at for more than a few seconds.

His face is finely defined. Strong jawline and prominent cheekbones. He has a short dark brown beard outlining his jaw and upper lip.

His eyes were my favorite. Sure, his abs, his muscled back, and strong thighs are very close seconds, but they had nothing on his icy blue eyes that turned stormy blue when he’s angry.

“Cherry, didn’t you say you were cold?” His words snapped me out of my trance, and I realized I’d been staring like a creep.

I felt my face burn with embarrassment. I took the shirt and thanked him.

Behave, cherry, behave. I repeated over and over, and I pulled on the large navy blue shirt and was immediately hit with his scent. It covers my entire outfit, and I reminded myself not to sniff his shirt while he watched.

There would be no way to explain that.

“So what did this guy do?”

I exhaled. Remembering Jazzy. “That asshole wanted to fuck me,” I say without thinking. My eyes go wide, and I recall something else. I can’t control my tongue or actions when I’m drunk. I always feel like I’m sober, but then I end up saying shit I shouldn’t say.

Fuck. Just think before you say anything, and you’ll be fine.

“That’s it? He wanted to fuck? Was he bad at it?” There’s something in Nathaniel’s tone I can’t place.

I swayed my head from one side to the other, and tried not to fall on my ass. “I said no. We got into a fight... yeah, a fight, and he got angry. Drove me here, and told me to leave.”

Nathaniel hummed, and his pheromones grew stronger again. Overshadowing the one on his shirt. Filling my nose with amber and sage. His spicy scent always manages to wipe the thoughts from my head. “When will it end, cherry?”

I frowned. “What... end?” Yeah, that makes sense. What did Jazzy give me? I only had two shots of it. It feels like I’m getting drunker by the second. Did that bastard put something else in my drinks?

I’m going to kill him.

“When will this end? This nasty desire for boys who can’t treat you right.” his tone gets dangerously low, and then Nathaniel closes the gap between us. I stared up at him, reminding myself that this was my stepfather. My stepfather. Not someone I should be shivering for.

I can feel the desire, god I’m going to burn in the depths of damnation for the reaction my body has towards him. He reached a hand out, cupping my chin, and my lips parted. And I fought back the moan.

He’s being nice. He’s worried about me.

He shouldn’t be touching me. He shouldn’t be filling me with his scent while his chest is bare. This isn’t fair.

“I don’t choose this.” I tried to sound confident. “I choose guys who love me. Who want me.”

“Oh, please,” he scoffed. His eyes were turning the shade of blue that ignited something I tried so hard to bury. “You choose boys who can’t please you. Who gets angry when you say no? You know what you’re doing, cherry. You’re smart enough to pick out a bad egg, and that’s exactly what you do. You need a man, cherry, you need someone who won’t leave you stranded in the middle of this damn place.” He practically growled those words into my face.

I stared into his eyes, watching as they flickered across my face. Then my gaze drops to his mouth, and my brain starts to cross into the danger zone. What would happen if I kissed him?

Would it be like my dreams? How would his beard feel? Would he push me away or pull me in?

I swallowed.

A sober me would have shut down those dirty thoughts. The sober version of me would have reminded me of all the reasons why I shouldn’t be thinking like this. But my body was hot, his grip on my chin was making me horny, and reason no longer existed after 2 AM.

That’s just the rule.

He thinks I need someone better. A man. A real alpha who won’t call me a bitch for not wanting to bend over his car.

I thought about Nathaniel’s car. I wouldn’t mind bending over that.

Shit. Cherry don’t do this, I told myself. The thought was so loud and yet so ineffective as I rose to the tip of my toes. I planted my hands on his shoulder, pulling him down just enough for me to press my lips against his.