Shadow of Sin (The Martin Family) (4 page)

BOOK: Shadow of Sin (The Martin Family)
5.14Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Chapter 4

Samantha bolted up in bed, her heart pounding. Her gaze roamed the room in panic, searching for something, anything, familiar. She put her face in her hands and took a deep breath as the memories of last night returned.

Daylight was muted beyond the tempered windows and sheer curtains and for that, she was grateful. She couldn’t deal with the sun in her eyes right now. She reached for her phone to check the time. She’d only been asleep for a couple of hours.

Samantha didn’t know why she’d woken so suddenly. It could’ve been the desert wasteland that was inside her mouth or … a noise pulled her gaze to the door. Or, it could have been
that
.

She froze, feeling the deep, guttural shout in the pit of her stomach. What the —? The back of her neck itched with uncertainty, but in the end, her curiosity and the need to check on Caleb won out.

She eased from the bed and slipped her panties on. She shivered as the silk hugged her pussy, reminding her of the incredible orgasm she’d had … as well as who she’d imagined giving her that release.

She really should get out of here. Being in this close proximity to Caleb, when she’d been so long without a man between her thighs, was not a good thing. Every time she’d looked at Caleb, she’d wanted to run her hands over the scruff on his cheeks, nibble on the muscles that corded his neck, and have his firm, delectable lips on hers.

Yeah, once she made sure he was okay, she was so out of here.

Samantha crept from the room and came to an abrupt halt. Shades had been drawn, shrouding the room with a dimness she hadn’t expected. Soft light emanated from a lamp next to the couch, allowing her to see enough not to stub her toes on the furniture.

She hadn’t taken much time to look around earlier, but she’d admit the place had a comfortable, homey feel. Her fingers trailed across the back of the couch, its leather cool and soft. Nothing like its owner. There was nothing cool or soft about Caleb Martin. He was all hot temper and hard edges. Tough and unbending.

A quick scan around and she spotted him in his room. Clad only in a pair of shorts, Caleb sat on the edge of his bed, his head cradled in his hands. Even from where she stood, she could see he was breathing hard. The wide expanse of his shoulders rose and fell with each inhalation.

As if drawn by an invisible string, she padded closer.

A sheen covered his tanned skin, giving him a glow in the warm light that streamed in from the windows. He had a bandage on his arm, reminding her that he’d not come out of their adventure unscathed any more than she had.

He dragged his fingers through his hair with a frustrated growl, making her heart hurt for him.

Had he had a nightmare? She’d heard most soldiers who’d seen combat suffered the affliction. She didn’t know the details of his service—she didn’t know the details of his life, period. What she did know about him wouldn’t fit in a paper cup. But, she’d seen the torment he tried so hard to hide.

Torment she’d yearned to help alleviate, if only for a little while.

Changing her course, Samantha went to the kitchen and retrieved a bottle of water from the fridge. She couldn’t walk away without doing something. He looked so lost. As alone as she’d felt earlier. No one should feel that alone.

He’d never accept comfort. Not from her. He’d more likely tell her to fuck off than to accept anything from her. Better she turn the tables, make him think
she
was the one who needed comfort. She could suck up her pride. It was a small price to pay to help someone she cared about. And like it or not, she did care about him. Too much for her own good.

“Caleb?”

His chest rumbled. “What do you want, Samantha? You should be sleeping.”

She approached him carefully, stopping to lean against the archway that served to separate his bedroom from the living room. The man really didn’t like to be closed in. She waved the water bottle at him. “So should you.”

He looked up and her heart seized. Pain unlike anything she’d ever seen flashed in his eyes before he blinked it away. “Go back to bed.”

She shrugged a shoulder. “Can’t sleep.” She plopped down next to him and offered him the water.

“Try.” He took the bottle and got up, giving her a fine view of his ass as he went to stare out the window.

“I never sleep well in new places.”

He snorted but offered no reply, so she tried again.

“Every time I closed my eyes, I’d hear those horrifying gun shots.”

Caleb head snapped around, disbelief evident in his expression. She shuddered, as if afraid, then blinked a few times for good measure. He obviously wasn’t buying her act.

Samantha wished they could stop playing this silly game. She wanted the freedom to go to him. Wrap her arms around his waist and hold him tight. Offer him some reassurance that he wasn’t alone. If he’d been anyone else, she wouldn’t have hesitated.

He didn’t care about her. Fine, she got that. But it didn’t mean they couldn’t be civil, did it? At least try to be friendly?

“Why are you still up? Can’t sleep either?”

Caleb opened the bottle she’d given him and took his time draining its contents. The muscles in his back bunched and flexed with the movement. He had the kind of build that came from hard work and diligence. The kind of build that made a woman sigh with pleasure.

His stern expression reflected in the window as he remained silent.

“Cat got your tongue?”

He turned to her. Heat pooled in her stomach as his gaze traveled slowly, deliberately, from her face. He seemed to take in every inch of her before stopping to linger over her bare legs. “I don’t sleep much. I’m sorry if I disturbed you.”

“You didn’t.” The devil in her insisted she cross her legs, exposing more of her thigh to his view. She enjoyed his eyes on her, as if he saw the woman she was instead of the pain in his ass he’d claimed her to be. She was tempting fate, knowing that any second he’d remember who she was and that look in his eye would change.

For now, she’d use any means to distract him from his pain. Her pain would come later, when she was alone again.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Talk about what?”

“Why you’re still up.”

He chucked a thumb at the windows. “Daytime.”

She clamped her mouth shut before she said something she’d regret. And he thought she was stubborn. She pulled in a slow, steady breath. “True, but barely. On a normal day, I wouldn’t be up yet.”

“Exactly. Go. Rest.” He closed his eyes as if to shut her out.

She could feel his irritation, but, this time, it wasn’t directed at her. It gave her hope as she pressed on.

“Are you hungry? I could make us some breakfast. If you don’t mind me searching through your fridge, I’m sure I could find something edible.” In fact, she’d been surprised at the amount of food she’d seen. She’d half expected him to only have beer and water and maybe a stray bottle of ketchup. Like Alec’s fridge.

“For the love of christ, what do you want? I don’t want to eat. I don’t want to talk.” He sighed, apparently resigned to her company a few minutes more. “What do you want, Samantha?”

Right now? To slap the shit out of you.

Hurt invaded her chest as she stared back at him. Gone was the pain she’d seen earlier, as well as the male interest. What remained was the Caleb she knew. Cold, hard, angry.

She shoved the hurt away and bit back the sharp retort he deserved. She softened her features, allowing herself to appear vulnerable. It wasn’t much of a stretch. “Can I stay with you?”

* * *

Caleb jerked, surprised by her request. “That’s not a good idea.”

Even as he said the words, his cock cam
e to life. It seemed the lower half of his body thought it was a very good idea. And seeing her in nothing but his T-shirt wasn’t helping. Jesus, he hoped she had panties on under there. A bigger, harder, part of him hoped that she didn’t.

Samantha shifted, exposing more of her delectable thighs. “It’s not like I’m asking you to get a root canal. You can wipe that horrified look off your face.”

Caleb checked his expression, doing his best to appear calm, bored even. She’d surprised the hell out of him, coming in his room like she had.

He was angry. Angry with himself and the past that wouldn’t free him. Angry at her for being here, for looking as if she belonged here. This was his space, damn it. How was he supposed to relax with her prancing around half naked, knowing she’d pleasured herself and called his name?

He wasn’t stupid. He suspected it was his fault she was awake, and now she was here—checking on him as if he was a child who needed coddling. He didn’t need coddling. His body demanded the satisfaction that would only come from pounding his aching flesh deep into her soft, wet pussy.

As tempting as that idea may be, he was still trying to wrap his head around how he felt about her.

“You’re tired. You don’t know what you’re asking.” And he couldn’t think straight. He was low on sleep and even lower on patience. He shoved his hands into his hair and blew out a breath. “You can’t be in here. Go back to bed.” Before he forgot all the reasons he shouldn’t fuck her silly.

“Why did I think… God, I’m such an —” She closed her mouth, her lips drawn into a thin, tight line. Her cheeks flushed as she advanced on him. “I’m sick of you judging me. Telling me what I should and shouldn’t do. If you hadn’t noticed, my night sucked. Hell, the last
year
has sucked. So, you can shove your overinflated male ego up your own ass. I’m not asking you to have sex with me for chrissake.” She stumbled back and planted her butt on the edge of the bed. “Just for once, Caleb, can’t you set aside your feelings? Forget your stupid sense of responsibility where I’m concerned and just
be
here for me like a normal person?”

What the fuck?

“My stupid sense of
what?

The laugh that escaped her lips made him uneasy.

“You heard me,
horseman.
” She eased back to her feet and sauntered toward him. “You think I don’t know how you feel about me? Let me see … troublemaker, instigator, bad influence.” She ticked off the words on her fingers. “Oh, and my personal favorite …
menace.
Really, Caleb. Menace? That’s a little strong don’t you think?” She fisted her hands on her hips, her eyes glittering with unshed tears. “I know you don’t like me. If it weren’t for Amanda and Alec, I wouldn’t be here and we both know it.” Her chest rose and fell in rapid succession as she glared at him. “And I’m sick of being your charity case.”

Caleb fought the urge to look away. She hadn’t lied about the words he’d uttered to describe her over the years, but to have them slung back at him just pissed him off.

“You want to know what
I’m
sick of, Samantha? I’m sick of you pushing my buttons. I’m sick of your stubborn-assed attitude when it comes to your own safety and I’m fucking sick and tired of you calling me
horseman
!” His shout rattled the windows, but he didn’t care. He was on a roll now, like a fucking train wreck, unable to stop.

Crossing his arms over his chest, he glared down at her. “If you and Amanda hadn’t decided the woods were the best place to partake in a little underage drinking, the boys and I wouldn’t have had to saddle up to go find your drunk asses before some wild animal made you a snack. Did you ever think of that, Samantha? During your little adventure with
my baby sister,
did you stop to consider the consequences? Do you
ever
?”

Samantha made a noise of disgust and stormed from the room. “This is what I get for trying to be nice,” she yelled.

Caleb went after her, following her into the spare room. “Nice? Nice?” The floodgates were open, his anger and frustration leaving any sense of self-preservation in the dust. “You think calling us the horsemen of the apocalypse is
nice
? Is that
fun
for you? Because all it does is remind
me
of being scared out of my ever-loving mind that something was going to … that Amanda …” No, he wasn’t going back there.

Not. Going. There.

“And as for my
stupid sense of responsibility
, I protect what’s mine, damn it!”

Samantha’s sharp intake of breath drifted through his angry haze and punched him in the gut. She sank back to the bed and wiped the tear that escaped the corner of her eye.

It was like ice water to his soul.

This woman tested his restraint. No other woman, save his sister, had ever pushed him so hard. It was infuriating and intoxicating at the same time. She left him off balance, out of control—two things that spelled disaster where he was concerned.

Caleb ran his hands through his hair, settling his palms on the back of his neck.

“Samantha.”

His heart skipped a beat as emotion played out on her face. Sadness, regret, and finally … resolve.

“Get out.” Her voice was soft. “God, what was I thinking? Just get out.”

He stood there, unable to move as he struggled to comprehend the vulnerability pouring out of her. His gaze traveled over the delicate features of her face, the line of her shoulders. The rise of her breasts, her slim waist, and long legs. Her feet were bare. Her toenails were painted a rich red that spoke of fire. Passion.

She shifted on the bed and winced, making him feel like a total ass. Again. Her night had sucked. With her tough-as-nails attitude, Caleb hadn’t considered she might actually need comforting.

He took a deep breath. “I’ll stay.”

Her eyes, blue and blazing, snapped up. “Of course you will. Because why in the hell would you listen to me?”

“You asked me to stay.”

“I asked you to leave.”

“As you so diligently pointed out earlier, I don’t listen.” And he still had things to say.

She rubbed her temples, as if their argument had given her a headache. “Fine. Whatever.”

“Samantha. Look at me.” When she didn’t move, he crouched in front of her. He tilted her chin until she looked at him. “I don’t dislike you. I need you to know that.”

BOOK: Shadow of Sin (The Martin Family)
5.14Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

The Pirates Own Book by Charles Ellms
Vegan Yum Yum by Lauren Ulm
Slices of Life by Georgia Beers
Sacred Is the Wind by Kerry Newcomb
Annie Was Warned by Jarrett J. Krosoczka