Sinful Pleasure (Sinful #1)

CHAPTER 21

C HAPTER 21

ALLYN

“You what?”

I winced, holding the phone away from my ear. Tamara’s voice could probably shatter glass right now.

“You kissed him?”

I sighed, setting the phone down on speaker mode while I rummaged through my wardrobe for something to wear today.

“We’re back in Scarlet Vale, by the way,” I muttered, trying to change the subject. But Tamara wasn’t having it.

“Don’t you dare dodge this conversation. You kissed Angelo?”

“He kissed me,” I corrected, pulling a blouse off a hanger. My voice was calm, but inside, my stomach twisted into knots at the memory. “Not the other way around.”

“Oh, sure, technicalities,” she teased, and I could practically hear her rolling her eyes through the phone. “So… did you like it?”

I paused, blouse in hand. The question lingered in the air, heavier than I wanted it to be.

Did I like it?

The kiss wasn’t bad— maybe even… sweet. But it was also weird.

Angelo had never been the type to initiate anything between us.

Hell, we were barely playing the part of a functional couple. His kiss caught me completely off guard, and I couldn’t shake the thought of how misplaced it felt.

“I don’t know,” I said finally, hating how uncertain I sounded.

“Oh, come on, Allyn,” Tamara groaned. “A man like Angelo kisses you, and you don’t know?”

“It was… unexpected,” I said slowly.

“Unexpected, huh?” she said, her voice laced with suspicion. “You’re avoiding the question. What’s really going on?”

I stared at my reflection in the mirror.

What’s really going on?

I slept with Maddox, and it was the best sex of my life; then I kissed his brother. That’s the full, messy truth that I can’t bring myself to admit—not even to Tamara.

Saying it out loud would mean accepting what I did. It would mean facing the fact that I’d crossed a line I could never uncross.

“I don’t know,” I said at last, collapsing onto my bed.

The sheets were a tangled mess—just like my life. I stared at the ceiling, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on me.

“It’s… complicated.”

“Complicated how?”

I hesitated, chewing on my lip. Marriage on paper doesn’t involve unexpected kisses when no one’s watching.

So why did Angelo kiss me?

“He’s going to be your husband soon, Allyn,” Tamara reminded me as if that solved everything. “Who knows? You might even fall in love with him.”

I let out a dry laugh, shaking my head.

“I highly doubt that.”

“Why not?” she asked, her tone softer now, almost as if she knew there was more to the story.

My mind is a battlefield. And the person who occupies it most is the one I shouldn’t even be thinking about. The one with those pitch-black eyes that seem to drag death along with them like it’s an afterthought.

Maddox King. His presence lingers in the corners of my mind like a shadow I can’t escape. I’ve seen those eyes too many times, and I’ll keep seeing them every single day when I marry Angelo.

I swallowed hard, forcing the lump in my throat down.

“It’s just not in the cards for me.”

There was a pause, then a sigh.

“If there’s one thing I know about you, it’s that you never back down from a fight. If there’s something eating at you, you’ll figure it out. You always do.”

I nodded, though she couldn’t see me.

“Thanks, Tam.”

“Anytime,” she said. Then, with a teasing lilt, she added, “But if you suddenly fall head over heels for Angelo, I better be the first to know.”

I forced a laugh, though my chest felt heavy.

“Sure.”

*****

MADDOX

Lately, it seems people are hell-bent on testing the limits of my already non-existent kindness.

One of those people is sitting right in front of me—my dear brother. Angelo’s calm, detached demeanor is a stark contrast to the storm brewing inside me.

He’s sitting there—behind his desk, flipping through documents like nothing happened, and it’s infuriating.

Without a second thought, I slammed the folder he was reviewing shut, the sound echoing sharply in the room. His head snapped up, finally meeting my glare.

“What the hell did you do in Italy to screw up so bad that everyone turned against us?”

He calmly pushed my hand off the desk, shooting me a warning glare of his own.

“Nothing,” he said flatly.

“Try again,” I snarled, leaning closer across the desk, my fists pressing into the wood. “And this time, think twice before lying to me.”

He held my gaze, trying to play it cool, but I could see the slight flicker of unease in his eyes.

“We’ve spent years building our reputation,” I continued, my voice low and menacing, every word laced with venom.

“Years, Angelo. We earned our place by spilling rivers of blood. I spilled rivers of blood for this family.” I slammed my fist onto the desk. “And you—you—managed to screw it all up in a single night.”

My sanity hung by a thread. All I wanted at that moment was to smash his head against the desk—again and again—just to see if the useless excuse of a brain he’s hiding in there would spill out.

I warned our father. I told him Angelo wasn’t the right person to send to that meeting. But he didn’t listen. He sent him anyway.

These aren’t ordinary men. These are the worst of the worst.

I know them. I’ve met them. I’ve seen the look in their eyes—the kind that tells you they wouldn’t hesitate to slit your throat and laugh while you bled out.

And yet—if it comes down to it, I’ll show them why you don’t mess with us. I’ll teach them a lesson they’ll never forget.

If it’s blood they want, I’ll give it to them.

With fucking pleasure.

“They threatened us,” Angelo yelled, slamming his hands onto the desk, his voice filled with frustration and guilt. “They said they’d go after Allyn if we didn’t back off. I couldn’t fucking risk it.”

For a brief moment, his words froze me in place. I clenched my fists, my nails biting into my palms as I felt a surge of violent intent flood my veins.

“That’s why I did what I did.” He watched my every move like he was bracing for the explosion he knew was coming. “We can’t take any risks right now.”

I grabbed the whiskey bottle from the corner of his desk and poured myself a glass. My hand trembled slightly, but not from fear—never that. It was the sheer force of holding back the urge to destroy something.

“Why is she so important to them?” I demanded, my patience wearing thin as I downed the drink in one gulp. Angelo sighed, running a hand through his hair. He looked exhausted, defeated.

“I have no fucking idea,” he admitted. “But they knew her name, Maddox. They knew where she lived, her parents’ names—everything. We need to back off, at least for now. Until we figure out why they’re targeting her.”

Blackmail. Cowardly threats.

“We’ll play it your way for now,” I said through gritted teeth, my voice barely more than a growl. “But hear me, Angelo—when the time comes, I’ll make them regret. I’ll make their deaths an example, a lesson carved in blood that no one will forget.”

“You need to keep a clear head, Maddox,” Angelo said, standing up from his chair and walking toward me. His cautious tone only fueled my irritation.

I shot him a cold glare, one that should’ve been enough to stop him in his tracks, but he pressed on. Placing a hand on my shoulder, he tried to steady me, his face laced with misplaced concern.

“I know what can help you right now,” he said, almost smiling as if he had the solution to my rage. “I’ll send you one of my girls, yeah? She’ll take the pressure off you.”

I laughed, but there was nothing humorous in it—only sharp, mocking venom. It was the kind of laugh that made people uneasy. With a swift motion, I yanked his hand off my shoulder, my grip tightening just enough to make my point clear.

“You think offering me some whore is the solution?”

Why am I not surprised by his offer?

A quick fuck might be enough to take the edge off for Angelo, but me? No. I need more than that.

“Fuck off, brother.”

Without waiting for a response, I downed the rest of my whiskey in one breath, the burn barely registering in the chaos of my thoughts. I slammed the empty glass down onto his desk and turned to leave.

My fists clenched at my sides as I walked out of his office, the urge to destroy everything in my path nearly overwhelming.

Right now, there’s only one thing that will put me at ease—breaking the necks of those motherfuckers who think they can threaten my family.

And when I finally get my hands on them, they’ll wish they’d never even heard the name Maddox King.