All Chapters of Tempted By The Sweetest Sin: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

ERIC’S POVThe flight home felt longer than it really was. Everyone was tired, a little sunburned, and already back to pretending they weren’t part of the same trip. But my eyes kept drifting toward her—the quiet girl sitting by the window, earbuds in, staring out at the clouds like she was somewhere far, far away.Sabrina.She hadn’t said a single word. Even when Tina and her group started whispering and giggling two rows ahead, she stayed silent. I wanted to say something—anything—but there was this wall around her that warned me not to try.When the plane finally touched down, everyone rushed out like they couldn’t wait to leave. I followed behind her, my backpack slung over my shoulder. Outside the airport, the evening air was cool, the sky fading into shades of gray and orange.That’s when I saw it—Tina and her friends dragging Frank toward the parking lot. Sabrina’s eyes followed them, the light in them dimming a little.Frank didn’t even look back.Again.He didn’t see the way

ERIC’S POVThe moment Frank opened his mouth, I already knew the conversation was going to be bullshit.He stood too close. Close enough that I didn’t even have to look up to feel the irritation rolling off him. His shoulders were stiff, jaw tight, eyes full of that cheap sense of superiority he wore like a second skin. I didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. I just waited, staring at him with the same lazy annoyance I saved for people who weren’t worth my time.“Eric,” he said again, like he was trying to warm up before singing something dramatic. “We need to talk.”I held his stare, let my smirk grow a little wider, a little more mocking.“I heard you the first time ?” I said, voice low, lazy, like I couldn’t be bothered to care.His jaw ticked.Good.I could already tell this wouldn’t go the way he wanted.He glanced around quickly, checking to see if Tina or the others were watching. They weren’t. They were laughing, playing some stupid drinking game, too caught up in their perfect bubble t

SABRINA’S POVThe pile of bills on my table looked like a mountain I was never going to climb. Rent. Electricity. Internet. And the one that always made my chest tighten—the student loan.I stared at it until the numbers started to blur. My fingers trembled slightly as I reached for my cup of coffee—cold, bitter, forgotten hours ago.I wanted to cry. God, I really did.But tears didn’t fix anything. They never had.Instead, I sat there in silence, the cheap clock ticking on the wall like it was mocking me for running out of time.I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. The plaster had started to crack, forming little spiderweb lines above me. Kind of like my life—falling apart slowly, but steadily.Maybe I could pick up another shift at the bookstore. Or ask for a night cleaning job at the diner across the street. Anything.Anything to keep going.A loud knock jolted me out of my thoughts.Crap.I quickly gathered all the bills, shoved them into a drawer, and closed it with

"What the fuck, Sabrina—what are you doing here?” The words cracked through the bathroom like a slap. My heart jumped so violently I almost slipped on the tiles. I spun around—too fast, too panicked—and instantly wished I hadn’t. Eric stood just outside the shower, water dripping down every inch of his body. His hair was wet, his skin glistening, steam curling off him like he’d just stepped out of fire instead of water. A towel hung low on his hips—dangerously low. My brain short-circuited. “I— I should be asking you that,” I blurted out, voice embarrassingly high. “W-What are you doing here?” One of his eyebrows arched slowly. “What am I doing in my own shower…?” He tilted his head, lips curling in amusement. “Interesting question.” Air. I needed air. My lungs were collapsing. “I—uh—technically you’re in the bathroom. I mean—I’M in your bathroom—” I stopped, squeezing my eyes shut for half a second. “Oh my God, this is coming out wrong.” He took a step forward. A whole step

My feet felt heavy as I walked toward her. Every step felt like walking into a trap I knew was waiting for me, but I couldn’t stop moving. Everyone had turned to look at me. Every pair of eyes. Every whisper. Every judgment. I could feel their stares sliding down my body like they were measuring me, weighing me, comparing me to Tina without even trying to pretend otherwise. Tina kept her bright birthday-girl smile plastered on her face. That smile alone made my stomach twist. She looked excited, sweet, welcoming—but I knew better. I knew that smile the way a mouse knows the shadow of a cat. “Sabrinaaaa,” she sang again, waving me over like we were best friends. “Come on, don’t be shy!” I wanted to die. I wanted to sprint back upstairs, lock the door, and never come out. But Frank was watching from the couch, eyebrows raised in that gentle, encouraging way that always made me feel like I was letting him down if I didn’t at least try. So I walked. I walked quietly, head down, wish