Envy: A Second Chance Romance (Deadly Sin Series Book 2) Read online

  Chills whipped down my spine as the faint recollection of his eyes staring into mine while warm kisses caressed my lips seeped into me. I could literally feel his touch—my body tingling with every connection. His fingers massaged their way up my thighs, towards the warmth between my legs.

  Liam.

  I moved my hand closer to my thighs, trying to recreate his exact touch—my body responding with a slight wetness in my panties.

  "Do you want to be touched again?" a sleepy voice arose beside me.

  Unable to place the voice, my body tensed as I brought the covers up to my chest.

  "You had a lot to drink at the bar earlier. I tried to stop you, but you said to let you be. You wanted to forget."

  There was a bit of silence as my eyes trailed up his muscular nakedness just lying there—waiting for me.

  "Can you help me forget, again?"

  He was right. I did need this. His large hand slid up my legs, slowly moving my hand away to make room for his. Sliding his finger up and down the wetness between my thighs caused me to let out a small gasp.

  He leaned in and kissed me hard, my body arching in submission. The mysterious man slowly kissed his way down my neck, taking my nipple between his lips. The sensation roared through my body like a hurricane, but before I could settle in the tantalizing pleasure he moved on.

  He removed his finger from inside me, licking the wetness off as I prepared myself for his mouth—but he waited. My body cracked with yearning and anticipation.

  "Close your eyes," he ordered.

  I complied. He pushed my knees apart, exposing me to the world. His warm tongue touched my clit, massaging in a circular motion as he held my legs apart. My head tilted back, enjoying his skillful taunting. He slid his hands from my thighs to my ass, slowly massaging the flesh as his tongue started to move faster—my body intuitively moving to his rhythm.

  Wrapping my legs around his broad shoulders, I grasped onto a fistful of his soft brown hair as the heat from my pussy rose up.

  "I'm about to come."

  The moment my words hit the cold air hovering above me, he stopped—my heart dropped.

  What on earth is he doing?

  He pushed himself up on his knees and wrapped his fingers under my knees. "Don't you remember? You said you wanted me to turn you on, but not to let you come."

  What the fuck was I thinking?

  "Fuck that. Give me everything. Forget what I said."

  "I dunno, you were pretty adamant about your instructions," he taunted.

  "I need this," I whispered. "I need this to forget."

  "Are you sure."

  I peered up at him. The moonlight reflected off of his dark brown eyes and chiseled body, urging me to scream yes. I pulled him closer as his manhood throbbed against me. Curiosity moved my hand to touch it—massage it.

  Without warning, the animal in me took over and I—well—I let it. I shoved him back with all my might, causing him to fall back onto the bed as I leaned in and rolled my tongue up and down his long, thick shaft. He groaned when I slipped the head in my mouth, rolling my tongue in circles as I moved my mouth down the shaft. Under my tongue I felt his dick harden, turning me on even more.

  I took him in deeper—faster—gaining momentum. But my body ached to feel him inside me—so I stopped. His eyes, intense, were fixed on me as I climbed over him, letting the tip of his manhood graze against my clit.

  I leaned in, whispering in his ear, "I want you to fuck me as hard as you can."

  He grabbed a silver colored square packet from the nightstand and ripped it open, pulling out a condom before slipping it over his length. His lips parted, but before he could say anything I slid myself onto him, letting out a deep moan of satisfaction.

  "That's it," he praised.

  I sat there for a moment, allowing my body to adjust to his before slowly riding him. After the fourth pass, he let out a long growl, and instantly, his demeanor changed. With one arm, he threw me onto the bed—my back bouncing on the plush comforter as he settled on top of me.

  "You've been pretty naughty, throwing around orders. Let me teach you how I treat naughty girls."

  I smiled. "Show me."

  He slid himself in with such ease, it was as though we'd done this a million times before. Moving deep in my body, his left palm pressed against my breast as he began to hammer into me. My legs wrapped around his waist, holding tightly against his tempo. My lungs burned, trying to catch a breath in my efforts to keep up with him.

  Lifting his left hand in the air, he brought down his palm hard on the soft flesh of my ass, sending chills through every cell in my body. I hadn't realized I liked the roughness of a man in the bedroom. I'd always thought sweet was the way to go, but the unbridled power of the gorgeous, muscle-bound stranger set me straight. He drove into me harder and faster—the friction sending waves of warmth and quivering lust over me. Clenching down on his rigid cock, his reaction was swift—his fingers wrapping around my neck as he added a little pressure.

  His deep thrusts sent me over the edge as sweat began to bead on his brow—his chest heaving against mine. He slammed between my legs a few more times, then slowed to a hard thrust, allowing a low growl to escape. His body dropped beside me as he tried to catch his breath.

  I peered over and quietly whispered, "Can you go again?"

  I shot up in bed so fast my hair whipped around to my face, sticking to the anxious sweat streaming down my forehead. I hated the memories that would haunt me in my dreams—the vile things I engaged in, in an effort to forget Liam. Drinking, sleeping around with strange men—reckless abandon couldn't fully encapsulate the activities I engaged in.

  Pressing my palm to my forehead, I wiped away the cold moisture and slid out of bed to head for the bathroom. I hadn't gotten one foot through the doorway when I slammed straight into a hard wall of muscle and flesh.

  "What the—" I cursed, stepping back.

  My eyes widened as I took in the Adonis that stood before me.

  "What are you doing here?"

  "I live here."

  "I mean here." I pointed to the small area of the floor I was standing on.

  "I was headed to the bathroom."

  "Half-naked?"

  "You noticed?" He smirked.

  "Kinda hard not to notice when it smacks you right in the nose."

  His lips parted, but before another sound could spill from them the doorbell rang. We both peered over to the end of the hallway.

  I crossed my arms. "It must be Kerris."

  "Fuck, he has no shame. It's still early."

  "Stop it. He's just doing his job."

  Shaking his head, he said, "There's doing your job, and there's being an asshole."

  I shoved his arm. "He's not an asshole, he's a kind old man."

  "That's your opinion."

  Turning to head down the hall, I felt a slight tug at my wrist. I glanced over my shoulder and glared at him. "What are you doing?"

  He leaned in slightly. "Don't you wanna get dressed first? Cover up, maybe?"

  I broke away from his grip. "Don't tell me what to do."

  "For me, you're dressed just fine, but for another man—"

  I interrupted before he could finish, "You lost that right a long time ago."

  His lips tightened as he straightened his posture, and without another word he turned and marched into the bathroom, slamming the door hard behind him.

  "Fucking, men," I muttered under my breath, shaking my head at the door.

  The doorbell rang again, plucking me from the cloud of hate brewing around me in the tight confines of the hall. I took a step back then turned, shuffling my feet over the cold floor. Another ring from the bell chimed through the house before I reached the door.

  "I'm coming, I'm coming." I pulled the door open, and my jaw dropped. "Jesse, what are you doing here?"

  He ran his fingers through his dark brown hair, flexing his bicep through the sleeve of his V-neck tee. "You know what I'm
doing here."

  I crossed my arms and leaned my shoulder against the doorframe. "No, I don't know. How'd you even know where I was?"

  "Zales told me."

  I shook my head in disbelief. "She wouldn't tell you, liar."

  "Well, I had to beg and promise I would change."

  "Change?"

  "You know—stop cheating." He held out his arms. "I'm home for sure this time, baby. No more cheating."

  My eyes narrowed. "Baby?"

  He took a step toward me with the same sneaky smile he had whenever he was lying about where he'd been. I rammed my palm against his hard chest, opposing his advance.

  "Stay right there. You can't come in here."

  "But Zales said this was your house, so I can come in here," he said confidently.

  My lips tightened and my harsh voice transformed into a whisper, hoping Liam wouldn't hear me and come out of the room. "You need to leave."

  He peered down at my hand, then back up at me. "Take your hand off me, Kells."

  "She asked you to leave," Liam's voice roared from behind me.

  Jesse tilted his head to the right to see passed me. "Who the fuck are you?"

  "No, who the fuck are you?" Liam shot back.

  I stepped in the way of Jesse's view. "Just leave, Jesse, just leave."

  "Yeah. Leave, Jesse," Liam echoed.

  Jesse's eyes burned red, slapping my hand off his chest as he tried to step around me. "Say that to my face, you son of a bitch."

  I mirrored his movement and blocked his path to Liam. "Stop, stop, stop."

  Without a second thought, Jesse shoved me out of the way, causing me to fall back onto the hardwood floor. Liam glanced down at me with clenched fists and furrowed brow—the heat from his rising anger billowing around him like a cloud. Instantly, he took a step toward Jesse, his muscles flexing in the glow of the sunrise as his blurred fist landed a punch across Jesse's jaw.

  Jesse fell to his knees on the rickety wooden porch, and just as Liam was about to step out and finish him off, Kerris' voice carried through the doorway.

  "Looks like you didn't make it, Liam."

  Liam held his foot midair—his toes only inches from touching the porch. Quickly, he pulled his foot back and planted it on the living room floor. My heart fell into my stomach at the thought we'd just lost the house.

  "My foot never touched the porch, Kerris, so I haven't broken the silly rules," Liam growled.

  Kerris stepped past Jesse and walked through the door as if he wasn't even there. Keeping my eye on Jesse, I stood up from the ground, lodging my hair behind my ears. I was ashamed by the chaos caused by my ex and felt slightly unworthy to be in the presence of two clean-cut, professional men, having slept with the scum doubled over only a couple feet in front of them.

  "Funny, you're so concerned with me breaking the rules, but you don't seem to care about the asshole I just had to punch."

  Kerris chuckled. "You don't seem like the kinda guy who would need my help in that department, Liam. Do you need me to call the police? I am completely capable of that task."

  "No," I blurted out. "Jesse was just leaving."

  Liam shook his head at me. Probably wondering why I was trying to protect a dead-beat like Jesse.

  "I'll be back, though," Jesse threatened, spitting blood onto the porch. "I'll be back for you, Kells." He pointed his finger at me, curling in his thumb to form the shape of a gun. He winked and pretended to shoot me before turning to walk away.

  "What the fuck does that mean, asshole?" Liam growled.

  I pressed my palms against his heaving chest and pushed him away from the door. "Just leave it alone, Liam."

  "Yeah, just leave it alone, Liam," Jesse yelled, flipping us off as he walked backward toward the street.

  Liam pushed against me like an animal with his eyes set on its prey. It took Kerris to step in and seize Liam's arms before he finally settled down.

  "If I see that piece of shit again, I promise you I'm gonna beat the shit outta him. Let that fucker push you again, and he's gonna be pulling teeth outta the back of his throat for a month," Liam threatened.

  "I get it," I whispered, staring hard into his eyes which seemed to calm as the moments passed by.

  "Well, now that the manly display is all over, it looks like you made it passed your curfew. You're free to leave. Make sure you two are back on time because I'll be waiting." Kerris unclasped his fingers from around Liam's arm and adjusted his blazer.

  I nodded shifting my gaze back to Liam. "We'll be here, right, Liam?"

  He looked down at me, wrapping his right hand around my wrist. "We'll be here."

  "Looks like you two have made up." Kerris grinned before proceeding out the door.

  I turned, yanking my wrist from Liam's grasp. "It's not like that," I said, slamming the door behind him.

  Standing there with my hand on the door, and my head bowed, Liam asked, "Why does he call you Kells? That's my name for you."

  I shook my head, and whispered, "That was your name for me. Don't you get it? You left."

  "I did leave—I admit it. But I didn't leave our past. I didn't leave the fact that you were my first love—my first everything. He doesn't get to have that."

  Defeated, my hand dropped to my side as I straightened my posture and turned to him. "Then what does he get to have?"

  "Excuse me?"

  "If he can't have my past, and he can't have my future—what can he have? What can I have?"

  "I didn't say—"

  "No, you didn't did you? You'd love to have the last word wouldn't you?"

  "I didn't mean—I was trying to be—"

  "Trying to be what—sweet? Or were you trying to keep me in my box for another ten odd years?"

  LIAM

  I backed away. "You know what? Fuck this! I don't need this shit. I have a perfectly good apartment to go home to and a perfectly good job. I'm sorry you couldn't move forward and get those things for yourself, but that's not my fault."

  The moment the words left my mouth I knew I'd fucked up. Why the fuck would I say that to her? I knew I played a major role in her current situation. She'd upheld her part of the bargain and waited like I'd asked—waited for nothing.

  She looked at me with clenched teeth and hurt filling her eyes.

  "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that."

  She held up her hand, motioning for me to stop. "No. You did. And you're right. I'm leaving."

  "Leaving?"

  "I don't need you or your uncle's handouts."

  I tempered my tone. "It's not a handout. Seems to me like we have to work for it, and it hasn't been an easy job for either of us."

  "Well, let me make it easier," she said, brushing by me.

  I grabbed her wrist, twirling her around to face me. She struggled a bit, but I held on tightly, wrapping my arms around her like I used to when we were young.

  "Don't leave me, yet."

  Tears began to stream down her cheeks. "Why not? You did it to me," she said, burying her face in my chest.

  The moisture from her tears wet my chest, searing through me like hot lava, making my heart hurt. It was a pain I hadn't felt in over a year—a feeling I'd hoped to never have again, but here it was just as debilitating as before. I ran my fingers up her spine, resting my palm on the nape of her neck. "I know, Kells, I know."

  The gesture seemed to make her cry even more—so I stood there, consoling her like I should've done hours before. Shit, like I should've done years before. I tightened my arm around her, wanting her to be as close as possible.

  "Do you remember when I used to hug you like this when you were cold and forgot your sweater?"

  She nodded.

  "Do you mind that I'm holding you like this now?"

  She shook her head.

  "Will you stay with me—here?"

  She nodded. "I'll stay, but not for you. I'm gonna stay for me. I'm finally gonna stay for me."

  "I get it." I loosened my grip and stepped back t
o look at her. "I'm gonna head into town and grab a few things for the kitchen. Do you wanna go?"

  The look on her face showed her hesitation to spend time with me. "I just—"

  I rubbed my thumb against the side of her neck. "It's just the store. I promise I'll be a good boy—if you want, that is?"

  The corner of her mouth turned up, letting out a soft laugh. "Just to the store."

  Quickly, she whipped around and headed down the hall—hips swaying, and all.

  Fuck, me.

  KELLEY

  I made it to my room and shut the door behind me. Leaning my back against the wooden partition I pressed my palm to my warm forehead, wiping away the anxious moisture which had begun to accumulate.

  That man made me feel things I didn't think possible—things that I thought were gone and buried. I surely didn't want to go and spend time with him, doing the things that couples did–or did I?

  No, no, no. Business, strictly business.

  I was resolute in the fact this wasn't going to get personal—no matter how much I wanted it to be otherwise. I pushed myself up and grabbed a few things to wear before peeking out the door, not wanting a repeat of the morning run-in we'd just had.

  The hall was clear, so I made a mad dash to the bathroom and closed the door behind me. Slowly, I undressed then flipped on the water, standing around while I waited for it to warm up. The old plumbing system was as slow as molasses when it came to heat, and I knew it would need to be updated in order for the house to sell.

  The numbers began to add up in my mind, calculating to a figure I could only hope to make in a lifetime working at The Lounge. I was a little embarrassed knowing I would have to make another deal with Liam—something like—front me now and I'll pay you when the house sells.

  I hated having to depend on him, but I didn't have a choice. I would need to suck up all my pride and eat a few tins of humble pie in order to make it through the next couple weeks.

  The steam began to rise from the bottom of the peach-colored tub, pulling me from my thoughts. I stepped in and pulled the curtain shut as the water cascaded over my head and down my tight shoulders. I stood there weighing out the things that could be fixed with a little elbow grease versus cold hard cash, of which I had none. For sure, staging and cleaning were on the list of things I could do for free.