Page 27 of Sinners’ Appetite

“How much longer?” I ask, flipping through my ebook library for the third time, trying to find something novella length to read.

“We’re about an hour away,” Malachi replies, reaching across the console to run his fingers along my thigh.

“I’m so fucking hungry,” I complain, reaching into my bag for another package of gummies.

“Dean said not to fill ourselves with fast food. He prepared a whole meal for when we get there.”

The last thing I ate was a salad three hours ago and a shit ton of gummy bears.

“So, what’s Dean like?” I ask.

Malachi lightly chuckles and squeezes my thigh. “He’s…a little cocky.”

“Oh, great. That’s fun.” I roll my eyes and return to my kindle, finally finding something that’s under two hundred pages to read.

“He’ll be busy most of the time we’re there, baby girl. Don’t worry.”

“He’s single, hey?”

“Very much so. Most women don’t appreciate the fact that he lives off grid and doesn’t really talk much.”

“What does he look like?”

“He’s taller than I am. Around six-foot-seven I believe. Last time I saw him, he had a thick beard and wore nothing but plaid.”

“Sounds like the lumberjack guy I just read about in a book,” I smirk.

Malachi laughs, glancing down at the map displayed on his phone. “I think I have to turn right up ahead.”

“The trees are beautiful around here,” I comment, staring out the window at the mountain of trees as we pass by.

“I forgot to mention—there’s a waterfall on the property. It’s a little difficult to get to, but if you’re up to it, we can take a hike through the woods to find it.”

“Really? I’ve never seen a waterfall before!”

Sammi pipes up from the back seat. “Does Dean own the beach?” .

“He does. It’s all private land but he hauled in sand to make it more appealing. He rents the cabins out sometimes in the summer.”

“Are you sure he doesn’t mind us taking up space?” I ask.

“He’s not renting them out this year. Two of the cabins are under renovations at the moment.”

“Can we have campfires on the beach?” Sammi asks.

“Fuck yeah. The last time I was there, he had hammocks set up and a fully stocked bar down there. We’ll probably have to find our own wood though.”

“It might not be fully stocked once we’re done with it,” Sammi laughs.

Malachi then pulls off onto a narrow road and double checks his phone to make sure we’re headed in the right direction. It says we’re under an hour away from the property, so I put my kindle away and keep my eyes focused out the window, spotting a group of deer in the middle of the field beside us.

“Oh my god! They’re so darn cute!” I shriek, grabbing my phone to snap a picture of them.

“There’s a ton of deer on the property. Dean has an apple orchard not far from the main cabin and he cant seem to keep them out of it.”

“Does he hunt?”

“Not a whole lot. He’s always busy building random shit.”

As we get closer, Malachi reaches down for his phone and calls Dean through the Bluetooth.

“Hey,” Dean answers. I’m taken back by his deep voice, since it’s even deeper than Malachi’s.

“We’re getting closer. Maybe a half-hour away.”

“Sounds good. I think I made too much food. I hope you guys are hungry.”

“What did you make?”

“Stuffed salmon, baked potatoes and some fresh asparagus from the garden.”

“Fuck yeah. I haven’t had salmon since the last time I was in this neck of the woods.”

Dean chuckles. “Well, there’s a lot of it.”

“We’ll be there soon. Where do you want me to park the car?”

“The driveway is paved now, so you can park where ever.”

Malachi ends the call and flashes me a friendly smile. “You look a little nervous, baby girl.”

“I am now.” I frown. “I don’t like salmon.”

“I think you’ll like this salmon. It’s fresh.”

I shake my head. “I don’t know. I haven’t been able to eat fish since I was sixteen.”

“Why?”

“A restaurant I went to under-cooked mine and I got food poisoning. It kinda ruined fish for me.”

“Oh—shit.”

“Maybe I’ll just try it.”

“No pressure, baby girl. I’m sure he’ll understand.”

“That was like, thirteen years ago, Nikki,” Sammi points out.

“That’s true. Stuffed salmon does sound pretty damn good.”

In seemingly no time, Malachi slows before approaching a long paved driveway in the middle of thick trees and what looks to be raspberry bushes. I love how private it is out here with not a single house in sight since we pulled onto this particular road.

A minute later, we enter a clearing with a very large cabin in the center.

“We’re here!” Malachi excitedly points out, parking the car not far from the cabin.

A wave of anxiety hits me and I hesitate to get out, while everybody else exits the car.

Malachi makes his way around to my door and opens it for me, holding his hand out to me. “Come on, baby girl.”

Reluctantly, I grab hold of his hand and step out, looking all around me as Malachi leads us toward the cabin.

From here, I can see the beach and the rooftops of the cabins. It’s honestly so damn beautiful. Nothing like the beaches I’ve ever been to.

“Fuck, no wonder he sticks to himself.” Jeremy grins.

As soon as we get to the door, Malachi knocks and opens it, revealing a spacious entryway with cathedral style ceilings.

“Hello?” He calls out as we all slip through the door and take our shoes off.

Just then, Dean walks around the corner and flashes us all a friendly smile. I can’t help but notice how insanely tall he is—and he’s fucking gorgeous.

“You took your beard off!” Malachi exclaims as he walks up to him and embraces him in a hug.

Dean slaps Malachi’s back, his dark brown eyes held on me the entire time. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me slightly nervous.

“It’s itchy during the summer months,” Dean says as he steps back away from Malachi. He then directs his attention to me, with a smile lingering on his face. “So, you must be Nikki.”

“Yep,” I manage to breathe out as he slowly scans my body from head to toe.

“And this is Sammi and Jeremy,” Malachi says.

“Nice to meet you. I hope you’re all hungry,” Dean says as he leads us further into the cabin.

As soon as we enter the kitchen, Dean points to the table in the corner. “Make yourself comfortable.”

We all take a seat and Malachi reaches for the bottle of wine in the center, pouring all of us a good amount in our glasses. Moments later, Dean walks over with a large salmon on a wooden tray.

“That looks amazing,” Sammi chirps as she takes a sip of her wine.

Once Dean brings the rest of the food to the table, we all start to dish out our own. I stare down at the salmon and then decide to take a small portion, just in case I can’t stomach it.

Surprisingly, when I take a bite, my mouth starts to water and I can’t help but reach over and grab a larger piece.

When I glance up from my plate, Dean is staring at me with a look in his eyes that makes me anxious.

We finish eating and thank Dean for the food. I’m beyond tired, so Malachi offers to take us down to the cabins after grabbing our bags from the back of the car. Dean follows us down and asks us if there’s anything else we might need.

“I think we’re good,” Malachi says, tossing our bags off to the side. “You’ve done a ton of work to these cabins, hey?”

“I spent all of last summer renovating them. The other two cabins have to be done too, but I’m waiting until next summer.”

“Wanna come check out our cabin?” Sammi asks me.

“Fuck yeah,” I reply, following her and Jeremy outside. Once we get out there, Sammi grabs my arm, pulling me close to her with a mischievous grin on her face.

“I think Dean has a little crush on his best friends girl.” She chuckles.

“I don’t think so.”

“I’m pretty sure he does.”

I veer away from the subject as we step into the porch. “Your cabin is bigger than ours.”

Moments later, I hear Malachi call out for me.

“Be right back,” I say, heading back out through the door.

“There you are.” Malachi smiles with Dean standing right behind him. “Dean gathered some wood for us, so we’re heading down there now to start the fire. Wanna come with?”

“Sure. I’ll let Sammi know,” I reply, trying to ignore the fact that Dean is staring right through me again.

He’s intimidating.