Page 52 of Sinful as They Come (Sinful Trilogy #1)

SAWYER

It had been exactly five days since Holly agreed to be mine.

Five days of pure, total, out of my mind bliss.

We had kissed eighteen times since that night under the moon.

Yes, I was keeping track, because every kiss felt like absolute heaven.

How did I get lucky enough to have her? To have her be mine?

No one knew she was mine. Not her parents, not people at school.

She was my secret, and I was hers. But I wanted everyone to know.

Well, Summer and Caleb knew. We had bumped into them outside when they were playing, and Summer almost passed out when she saw how long Holly’s hair was.

Summer practically dragged Holly back to her place, all giddy and excited.

She did Holly’s hair while her brother punched me softly in the stomach, but the braids ended up falling out, so Holly just worked her magic on Summer’s red locks until she created something called a fishtail braid.

Lindsey showed up not long later, grinning at me from ear to ear before she insisted I take Holly back to my place.

Now Holly sat across from me in the trailer at the kitchen table, right next to the window.

The soft glow of the slow setting sun washed over her.

I just stared at her. I was always staring at Holly these days.

At her round cheeks and pouty lips – at her little tongue that poked out every now and then; she was so fucking cute.

Not to mention her deep, brown eyes that were casted down, and those long lashes that fluttered against her skin whenever she blinked.

“Okay, are you ready for your next question?” She finally looked back up at me, the small card grasped in her hand. “I’ll warn you now. This is a hard one.”

I chuckled at her. She was having fun with this little game of trivia.

It was a new way to spend my Friday nights.

Brodie – who was thankfully at the skatepark – had brought that box of trivia cards with him from Wichita.

We had only played it once since it wasn’t really my thing.

But with Holly? With Holly I enjoyed it.

I enjoyed how I got to eye her carefully as she sat there under the old lights of my trailer.

She was just… there. With me. In my presence. That was enough for her.

“Bring it on, sweetheart,” I said with a grin. “You’ve said that about the last three and I’ve got ‘em all right.”

“Okay, brainiac,” she said, her voice playful. “Who invented the…” She paused for dramatic effect. “Light bulb. Was it Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Eddison or… Albert Einstein? Really ? That’s the option they give? This is an easy one.”

“It was Einstein. Obviously.”

“He also invented the telephone.”

“And the toaster oven.”

“And the air conditioner.”

“Dude was busy.” I shrugged, playing along with her little game as I stared at that beautiful smile. And those flushed cheeks. And those big eyes. The sun had caught her just right, her skin glowing right before me. “You look like a fucking angel right now.”

“Stop.” She blushed, covering her face in her hands. “Don’t look at me like that while we talk about Einstein.”

“No, seriously. Let me see. I love looking at you, sweetheart.” The pet name rolled off my tongue so easily.

Along with countless other ones I had been calling Holly.

Baby, honey, sweetheart. Princess was still my favorite, though.

I reached across the table and grabbed at her hands, pulling them away from her face.

She was still blushing, her smile bright and far too addictive.

And that was when the idea hit me.

I needed to remember the moment forever. And a photo wasn’t enough. Neither was just a memory.

“Let me paint you,” I told her.

Her eyes widened. “No.”

“Please. You just look so gorgeous tonight. You do every night. But you’re killin’ me over here.” I gave her a quick grin. “You can’t say no to a man that you’re literally killing."

“Literally, huh?”

“I’m in physical pain.”

“No one’s ever painted me before. What do I even do?”

“Just sit there and look pretty. Should be easy for you.” I winked at her. “Lemme get my stuff. Don’t move.”

I moved into my bedroom, grabbing a few art supplies.

A fresh canvas, my paint set, a few brushes.

It wasn’t going to be some polished piece, but then again, none of my work was really like that.

It was gonna be a little rushed, but that was only because I wanted to capture the way Holly looked so badly.

“Couldn’t you just paint a vase or something?” she asked with her chin in her hands.

“That’s so cliché. A beautiful girl, however? No one’s ever painted that.”

“You’re so silly.” She giggled.

I smiled at the noise, getting my canvas set up.

My eyes went back to Holly, who was still sitting there, her chin resting in the palms of her hands.

Her fingers reached up, cupping her cheeks.

Those pretty Bambi eyes stared right back at me.

I could have spent the entire night staring at them.

At her. She was a masterpiece. I somehow got lucky enough to stare at her in the flesh, up close, without anything or anyone to get in the way. She was magic.

“Don’t move,” I instructed her, my voice lowering suddenly. That meant I was concentrating. “Not even an inch.”

“Can I blink?”

“No.”

She decided to blink repeatedly, a little grin on her face.

“I should punish you for that. ”

“Are you gonna make me look ugly in your painting or something?”

I shook my head once, beginning to form the dark lines of her hair. “Not possible.”

She rolled her eyes playfully at me before sitting there in silence. I was quiet too. When I was painting, I usually didn’t have much to say. It was typically pretty easy for me to get lost in my work. In the gentle strokes, the colors, the lines forming.

I licked at my lips, dipping my brush into some clean water before getting another color.

Holly’s eyes. Those goddamn doe eyes that drove me crazier than I would have cared to admit.

I started with the size. They were so big.

So full of light. How was I going to capture that in a painting, I didn’t know, but I was gonna try.

I then started on her lashes. Those thick, long lashes that seemed to grow the more she blinked at me.

Her lips were next, so pouty and perfect.

So damn kissable. I needed to kiss my girl again, but instead I stared at them, taking in every curve.

They formed a little heart shape, her cupid’s bow prominent.

Then I got to work on the sun casting in through the window. It hit Holly at just the right angle. She was glowing before me, her tanned skin looking as gorgeous as ever. Her locks looked a little red under the beaming light beside her, making her all the more interesting to look at.

Finally, I finished the painting off by adding a slight blush to her cheeks. I turned them a gentle pink color.

I was done. Again, it was a little rushed. Not my best work. But my most beautiful. I set the brush down in the water, staring at the painted version of Holly. She looked pretty. Not nearly as good as the real thing, but still, so fucking pretty.

“Can I see?” she asked me shyly.

I turned the canvas around, watching Holly carefully. A smile quickly formed on her face and she blushed that little bit more. She scanned the painting, her eyes darting left and right and up and down, like she didn’t know which part to take in first. That was how I was with her.

“Does it make me conceited to say that it looks really beautiful?” she said, voice so soft.

“Nah, sweetheart. Just means I captured you perfectly then.”

It happened so quickly. Holly was suddenly out of her chair, kissing at me.

Her hands ran through my hair, giving the dark strands a delicious pull.

I groaned against her lips, letting the canvas hit the table.

I had the real thing in front of me. Right there.

My hands grabbed at her round ass, my fingers digging into her.

Her peachy ass fit in my hands perfectly.

Pulling her into my lap, I felt my cock twitch when she whimpered into my mouth.

I loved that noise. And I needed more of it.

I kept my hands on Holly’s ass, holding her in place on my lap as we kissed at each other hard and fast. Our tongues were dancing together, her sweet smell in the air.

She kept pulling at my hair and I was getting lost in the feeling, getting lost in her.

I could feel her tits pressed up against me, the only thing in the way nothing but the thin layer of her dress.

My cock was growing harder the more we kissed. Was she ready to feel that? To feel me pressed up against her? I knew she was a virgin and I didn’t want to scare her off. Didn’t want her to feel like she had to do anything with me that she didn’t want to.

“Mm, Sawyer,” she whined, pulling away from me. Her lips were so swollen as they formed a little pout. “Sawyer.”

“Yeah, baby? You okay?”

“I love kissing you so much,” she said, blinking at me slowly.

“Mm, sweetheart. Love kissing you too. Love these pretty lips.” With my thumb I traced her top lip, then her bottom one, and I literally felt my cock twitch when she licked at it. Jesus fucking Christ. “They drive me fuckin’ crazy.”

“Is it… Is it okay if… If we just… just kiss?” She blushed wildly. “I’m just not ready… For that … I’m not… I promise I will be…”

Did she think she had to explain that to me? I wasn’t Carter. I wasn’t her asshole ex. If she wanted to wait, then I was ready to wait for her. She was worth it. I wasn’t going to push her. Not just because Carter had done that to her. No. I just wasn’t an asshole who treated girls like that.

“Hey, it’s okay,” I whispered, giving her a small smile. “I get it. I don’t mind waiting, honey. I respect that. I promise I’m not gonna push you or anything. If you wanna kiss, then trust me, I’m more than happy to kiss you.”

“You’re a gentleman, Sawyer Westbrook.” She beamed down at me.

“No one’s ever called me that before,” I replied with a grin.

“Well, it’s true. Very true. And at school on Monday, I want everyone to know that I’m yours. I don’t wanna sneak around in between classes just so I can see you. I wanna do this with you every chance I get.”

She closed the gap again, her tongue pushing back into my mouth.

I hummed at the feeling of her. At the sensation of her lips and her tongue and her hands pulling at my hair.

She seemed to like doing that. My hands stayed firm on her ass, squeezing at her as we kissed.

Soon she went back to making those sweet, perfect noises.

Each and every one seemed to go right to my cock.

I thought about what she said. How at school I’d get to kiss her, how everyone would know that she was mine. That just made me hold her that much tighter.

With our lips attached and Holly’s hands running through my hair, I couldn’t help but repeat that word over and over again in my head. Gentleman . Huh. I could get used to that.