Page 9 of The Sinner’s Desire (The Sinner’s Touch #1)

I check my phone for the third time in under five minutes, wondering what the hell is taking her so long. The flight tracker app says the plane has landed.

I try to remind myself this whole responsibility is temporary—but I’m a control freak by nature, and anything that doesn’t go according to plan drives me fucking insane.

I’m anxious, and that pisses me off even more.

Finally, the screen lights up.

Fifteen minutes pass, and she still doesn’t come out. The restlessness returns. Standing still is not my thing.

While I wait, I try to piece together the image of the girl I met two years ago with the one Ethan described to me now.

Fashion school? For some reason, I’m surprised she’s even planning to finish college.

Yeah, go ahead and call me judgmental—but the little Miss Perfect I saw that Christmas seemed ready to follow in her mother’s footsteps, which basically meant becoming a trophy wife for some rich asshole.

Not that it’s any of my business . . . But I don’t like imagining her becoming another Nora. No woman deserves that fate.

My thoughts are cut short when the arrival doors open and my eyes start scanning the crowd of passengers impatiently .

The first thing I spot is her hair—that hair I couldn’t stop staring at on Christmas night. It’s just like I remember: loose waves falling messily over the front of her shirt. Long. White-blonde. Thick.

Her head is held high, and our eyes lock the moment the crowd clears.

And holy hell—she’s definitely not a teenager anymore.

Lilly was pretty two years ago . . . but now?

She’s fucking gorgeous.

Petite—not just compared to me, but to everyone around her. There’s something fragile about her build, and the pale tone of her skin gives her an almost ethereal glow.

A heart-shaped face, soft pink lips—full and tempting.

My pulse spikes. I know exactly why.

Just like the first time we met, my body reacts to hers.

Every part of her pulls at me. Her light is a magnet to my darkness.

I try to avoid her gaze at first, letting my eyes trail over the rest of her.

She’s wearing worn-out jeans, frayed at the hem and ripped across the thigh. A pale pink spaghetti-strap top clings to her torso, outlining her breasts in a way that’s both delicate and dangerous.

She’s small but sexy. And nothing about her now reminds me of the girl from before.

What the hell did I expect? She’s been living in Paris, studying fashion. Obviously being around people her age and out of a convent-style environment changed her. She’s not a girl anymore.

She’s a woman.

How experienced is she? Does she have a boyfriend? Does she party?

And why the fuck do you even care, you bastard?

She approaches slowly, and I get a better look at her eyes.

They’re even brighter than I remembered. A shade of icy blue so intense they look like colored contacts.

Her eyes mess with me.

Back then, it annoyed the shit out of me when she kept looking away. I wanted her to keep those eyes on me. To hold them there until I told her otherwise.

Would she obey?

I could teach her to obey.

Jesus Fucking Christ, I’m losing it.

These are completely inappropriate thoughts to have about my best friend’s little sister.

She’s not even looking at me directly now.

No—she’s checking me out. I can see the nervous energy rippling through her small frame. Her breathing’s uneven, and her gaze travels up my body.

Does she have any idea how transparent she is?

Lilly’s looking at me the way a woman looks at a man she’s attracted to—and it turns me the fuck on.

She’s Ethan’s little sister.

I try to hold on to that truth—but the beautiful blonde standing this close to me is making it impossible.

When she finally gets close enough that ignoring her would be ridiculous, she meets my eyes—and this time, she doesn’t look away, like she did at the Christmas party.

“Your eyes are incredible. Yellow, like a cat’s,” she says.

It’s really fucking hard to catch me off-guard—but for a moment, I’m thrown.

Then I snap back, “Is that how they taught you to greet people at the convent?”

She looks stunned. “I wasn’t at a convent. I was never a nun. And for the record, we already texted. You didn’t even say hi. I have a serious problem with holding back what I’m thinking, and your eyes are amazing, although—”

She stops. But I know there’s more. “Although what?”

“Nothing.”

“I thought you said you can’t hold back what you’re thinking.”

“I can’t. But I also don’t want to be rude.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’m not sensitive.”

“Still not risking it. If I say the wrong thing and you kick me out—or worse, don’t even let me go to the apartment—I’ll have nowhere to sleep tonight.”

This is nothing like the reunion I expected. I was sure I’d find the same shy girl from Christmas. But Lilly—while still a little timid—is speaking her mind.

And what’s even more surprising? She’s actually making me smile.

She talks with her hands and can barely stay still. There’s a subtle smirk on her lips, a trace of irony that clashes with her fairy-like appearance.

I’ve never been one to notice expressions or quirks in women. My interest has always been about what their bodies can give me. That’s as intimate as I get.

But now I get what Ethan meant when he called her a sweet, innocent baby. Those are perfect words for her.

Too bad I can’t see her as a baby. Not like he does.

Because despite the purity she radiates, little Lilly is very much a woman.

Beautiful. Curves in all the right places. And the energy pulsing off her is like crossing live wires.

Which is exactly why I need to figure out how to never be alone with her until Ethan’s back.

I’m not impulsive.

Losing my head isn’t in my nature. I plan. I calculate. I act only when it’s safe—and in my line of work, that means staying alive.

But right now? I’m all instinct. And that instinct is screaming at me to take what I want. To satisfy my need for her.

“I couldn’t stop you from staying at the apartment even if I wanted to,” I tell her. “I gave my word to your brother that I’d look after you.”

“You really said that?”

“What?”

“I made a deal with myself not to piss you off—and I’m still willing to stick to it by staying completely invisible. But if I don’t say this now, I’m going to explode.”

“I’m listening, Lillyana.”

“Please don’t call me Lillyana. I hate it.

Anyway, what I was trying to say is—I don’t want to fight.

I know it sucks for you to play babysitter to an adult, but even though I don’t talk much unless someone starts the conversation, I have a temper.

If you keep throwing insults like that, this isn’t going to work. ”

“I didn’t say anything but the truth, Lillyana . You’re not staying with us because I wanted it. You’re welcome because you’re Ethan’s sister. If it were up to me, you wouldn’t make it past the front door.”