Page 21

Chapter

Nineteen

MERRI

“ O kay, so tell me more about this hottie who may or may not have knocked you up,” Andi said, her voice coming from my phone’s speaker as I continued putting away the outfit options I’d discarded.

My cheeks burned as I thought of Sin and the way he’d touched me.

“He’s a musician,” I finally said.

“Yu-um,” she said. “Tell me he’s covered in tattoos.”

“He is,” I admitted, though I hadn’t really gotten a chance to study any of them in detail. I’d been sort of preoccupied the last time he was naked. “They’re just hidden most of the time.”

“And what kind of music does he play?”

“Well, he plays guitar, but he’s mostly the frontman.”

“OMG, is he in a band? One I might know?” Her excitement sent her voice up to a register I was pretty sure only dogs could hear.

“No,” I said with a nervous chuckle. “He’s retired, and now he’s part of that security firm. Which is why he’s one of my bodyguards.”

“Oh.” There was no missing her disappointment. “Wait, does that mean he’s a silver fox? Does he call you his good girl? Ohmygawd.”

I thought of Grim and had to fan my face.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“You know, I think this is good for you. You’ve been so hesitant to let anyone in. He might not be the one, but he’s sure showing you there are worse things than giving your heart to someone. Maybe now you’ll find the guy you’re really made for.”

I scoffed. “How do you know he’s not the one ?”

“You said he’s a musician. Definitely not known for their staying power.”

I made a soft sound that wasn’t really an agreement or dismissal.

“You know what they are good for, though? Sex. And making babies. Speaking of, did you take that pregnancy test yet?”

“No, because I’m not pregnant.”

“Silly goose, you take the test to find out whether you’re pregnant. Not once you already know.”

“Exactly. Which is why I’m not wasting the money on buying one.”

“You’re being stupid. For the record.”

“Your grievance is noted.”

“I’m just saying, putting your head in the sand is not going to suddenly make you un-knocked up.”

“I’m not knocked up!” I shouted with exasperation just as Sin popped his head into my room.

“Phew, that’s a relief. Not that I wouldn’t love to see you with a mini-me, but I’d like it if I knew about it before whoever that is on the phone.”

God, the man’s voice sent a shiver down my spine that had nothing to do with fear.

“Oh, is that him? Please tell me it’s him.” Andi’s hushed whisper was still audible across the room.

“Andi, you’re on speaker.”

Sin smirked and sauntered farther inside. “Yes. It’s him. As long as being him is a good thing. Otherwise, my name is Mal.”

I bit back my smile and shook my head. “What are you doing in here, Sinclair?”

He leaned against the bed frame, hands tucked into his pockets. He looked entirely too edible. “I came by with a business proposition for you and your site.”

“Oh?” I said, curiosity piqued.

“I was going to offer my services.”

“What services?”

He pointed at himself. “I’m a household name. I figured if we teamed up, we’d get a metric fuck ton of followers. You know”—he eyed the phone on my bed—“rake in those big bucks.”

“Is he saying what I think he’s saying?” Andi interjected.

“He is,” Sin answered. “You and me, Merri. Live, on camera, for a price.”

The thought of how well the two of us could feed made my stomach growl audibly, and I reflexively licked my lips.

“Do it. Do it. Do it,” Andi chanted. “It will be absolutely huge for your following. Any time you can cross promote is always a good thing. Also... how household is household? Are we talking a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer or something?”

“Pretty much,” I rasped, unable to come up with anything else that might be helpful. I was still too stuck on the idea of letting Sin fuck me for an audience. I swallowed to try and get some moisture back in my mouth. “You don’t think it will piss some of my regulars off? Seeing me with someone else?”

“I think they will be too busy fantasizing that they are the ones doing it to you to care. And if you lose a couple, think of how many more you will gain. So it’s a net positive, really. I would just make sure that the cum shot is perfect, though. They want it big and messy. On your tits or face. These people don’t want a creampie.”

Sin frowned a little, but I was already nodding my agreement. Before I could wonder what that was about, his signature smirk was back in place. “So what do you say?”

I shrugged. It was a good idea, and I wouldn’t be taking advantage of Sin. He had something to gain from this too. Also, that amount of people watching, plus the boost he’d give me, potentially meant I’d be full far longer than usual. Maybe even longer than I had after dreamwalking.

“I guess I say I’m in, partner.”

Twenty-four hours later, I still couldn’t believe I’d agreed to this. Or how seriously Sin was taking it. True to his word, he’d posted on all his socials, sending his fans behind a paywall of a certain site to get a tease about what was coming. Namely him. Currently, he was chatting with Malice about the cameras set up in my room and something about ensuring everyone watching would be redirected to my site for full potency.

Apparently, Sin and I were way more alike than I initially thought.

“So the feed will be direct from Merri’s site, but there’s a link on yours that will send your followers straight to it as well.”

“Right. We don’t need their money. We need their sexual energy. They’ve already paid me plenty.” Sin flopped onto the bed and spread his arms and legs wide. “Come on, Merri. Hop on so we can make sure the angles are good.”

I sighed, feeling a bit like one of those characters in Love Actually . This was the fourth time we’d done this.

“Fine, but if you ask me to be tits out for the lighting again, I’m going to throat punch you.”

He snickered. “I can’t believe you fell for that the first time. You’re adorable.”

“You’re an ass.”

“Can confirm,” Malice muttered, playing with the settings on one of the cameras.

“I’m waiting, Merri-go-round.”

The way Sin was so unfazed by all of this could have come off as uncaring. Instead, it felt a lot like he was doing everything he could to make sure the two of us had what we needed in a way that served us both. He cared about whether I fed and how I did it. He knew intimacy freaked me out, so he was approaching it in a way that made it seem like it was just another day at the office. And it was working.

Mostly.

I’d only had two minor freakouts so far.

I think part of the difference between when Chaos approached me versus Sin was that Sin had been trying to get in my pants since day one. This was nothing new for him. It didn’t feel out of character or like he had been unknowingly manipulated into it. With Chaos—or the others—I didn’t have that distinction.

Climbing onto the bed, I positioned myself so I was straddling Sin. He grinned at me and slid his palms over my hips.

“You look good up here. Very good.”

A thrill raced up my spine at the praise, but also the tone he used. Genuine desire.

“Yes, that’s great. We’ll get an excellent shot of the two of you as long as whatever position you use keeps you in the center of the bed.” Malice sounded bored out of his mind, but that wasn’t new for him. Knowing about his mental and emotional barriers, I wondered how much was a front for what was really going on inside there.

Curiously, I sent a little mental tendril his way, seeing if I might be able to deliver a sneak attack of my own as a bit of retaliation for our session the other day. Instantly, he went still, his eyes snapping to mine and a knowing smirk on his lips. He wagged a finger at me, and his voice filled my mind. “You’re going to have to do better than that, hellcat.”

“You gonna watch?” Sin teased.

Malice’s gaze slid to him. “I have to keep the feed going. You two are likely going to crash Merri’s site without my help.”

“Soooo, yes?”

He crossed his arms and gave Sin a deadpan look. “Who else is going to make sure the camera angles are changed at the appropriate time? Would you like me to have Chaos do it and likely ruin the whole thing before it begins?”

“I didn’t realize you were an erotic filmmaker in addition to being a hacker. You’re holding out on us, Mal.”

“Do you want this to be a success or not?” he snapped.

“Obviously.”

“Then shut the fuck up.”

I had to bite back a smile. Their bickering was one of my new favorite things. They were like an old married couple. The thought of them dressed up like Lucy and Desi Arnaz had me snickering.

Sin’s fingers flexed into my waist, making me squirm. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing.”

“Little liar.”

“I’ll tell you later.” I would not tell him later. He’d probably start busting into the room shouting Desi’s signature line. Although Malice was clearly the Desi in this fake relationship. Sin was classic Lucy—always up to something.

I giggled again, picturing Sin stuffing his mouth full of chocolates or squishing grapes with his bare feet to make wine.

Malice walked past to check on one of the lights. As he did, his eyes caught mine and he muttered, “You’ve got some ’splaining to do.”

I. About. Died.

Also, dammit. I really thought I had my walls up that time.

“So we open with a bit of heavy petting,” Sin began.

“And you need to take off my outfit. You still want me in that red nightie?”

“Absolutely. And don’t forget the fishnets. The ones with the seams up the back.”

I nodded, and he continued talking through our plan.

“From there, we’ll get in some real good making out.”

“And then move to oral for you.”

“I thought we were gonna do you first?”

“You first, then me. Then . . .”

“No, no, no,” Malice interjected, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Yes, director Mal?” Sin teased.

“Merri first, then Sin, so she can be on top. After that, you switch to missionary, doggy, or anything that will give you the best opportunity to finish where you’re supposed to.”

Mal gave Sin a pointed look, at which the incubus nodded. It really irked me that I couldn’t get into his head to see what he was signaling.

Sin slapped me on the rear. “Okay, baby. We’ve got an hour to showtime. You’d better get your pretty little ass ready for a good ravishing.”

I got off him with a smirk. “If I’m riding you, you’re the one getting ravished, Sin.” I leaned over and gave his thigh a gentle pat. “Don’t worry, I’ll make it good for you.”

He clutched his heart and looked over at Malice as I moved away from the bed. “I think I just fell in love.”

Mal snorted. “Just?”

Laughter bubbled up as I flitted off to the bathroom, but deep down, a weird twist of excitement took hold. Whether it was because of what we were about to do or what he’d said, I wasn’t sure. But either way, I couldn’t wait to be with Sin again.