Sinful Pleasure (Sinful #1)

CHAPTER 50

C HAPTER 50

ALLYN

I paced through the halls of the mansion, my mind in chaos.

Garrett Stone— the devil dressed in an expensive suit. He walked into our territory well-prepared and played his cards right.

And the moment I saw Mikael’s eyes lock onto mine, his expression blank, I knew it was a losing game for me.

As Garrett made it crystal clear, it was not my decision to make.

My freedom wasn’t mine once again. My father decides for me, and he decided to give my hand to Theo Stone. He saved me from The Kings, only to throw me into yet another arranged marriage.

He’s a traitor, just like my old family.

Mikael tried to justify his decision, trying to sell me the bullshit that he was doing it for my own good—that it would benefit us.

He even had the audacity to bring my biological mother into this.

He claimed their marriage was arranged. He didn’t love her, and neither did she.

Do I know anything about my biological mother? No, she’s dead.

Every time I dared to ask about her, Mikael shut me down, denying me any answers. He didn’t even offer me her name. I don’t know when, how, or why she died. He doesn’t want to talk about her, and maybe the less I know, the better.

But still, Garrett Stone was a coward, hiding behind my family and using his son as a shield. He knew we are one of the most powerful families out there, and he’s the only one walking out of this deal as a winner. Even now, knowing where Martin King was hiding doesn’t feel like a victory anymore.

Not when the price was me.

I can almost taste Martin King’s downfall, and it doesn’t bring me any joy anymore. It comes with bitterness, because if I don’t think fast, Maddox’s fall is coming too.

Nothing could convince my father to spare his life—not even his love for me is strong enough to do that. He hates The Kings so deeply that, he wanted to wipe them from the face of the Earth.

And I knew Maddox was trouble the moment I laid eyes on him. I knew he was an uncontrollable fire, and playing his games meant I’d get burned eventually.

But still, I crossed that line. And now I’ve been burned— harder than I ever imagined.

He and I, were something and nothing at the same time.

We were something every time his lips claimed mine, his body inter- twining with mine behind closed doors. He spoke to me as if I was his and he was mine, even though I was promised to his brother. We were something in those stolen moments.

He gave me peace in a life full of war, taking my pain away with each kiss.

But most of the time, we were nothing.

Just strangers who knew each other’s bodies a little too well. He was my bodyguard, my fiancé’s brother—nothing more.

Almost. That’s what we were. Never nothing, but almost something.

My heels clicked in front of the painfully familiar door— guarded by three men. I walked past them and into the room, closing the door behind me. I forced myself to look up, only to find Maddox in the same position I left him in the day before.

Not that he has many options, being handcuffed to the bed.

The room felt cold— despite the warm weather outside.

I was freezing in his presence. He didn’t look up yet, though he could sense me. He knew I was here— he just chose to ignore me.

We sat in complete silence, him still ignoring me, making the minutes we had left together feel even more excruciating.

I took a few steps toward the bed, and as soon as he heard my heels approaching, he raised his head sharply, locking his black eyes onto mine. His gaze made me shiver, full of rage—crazy, angry, and callous—piercing through me as if I didn’t deserve to be in his presence.

“Don’t come any closer,” he demanded, his voice hoarse and full of malice. I froze at his command.

He fell silent again—as if waiting impatiently for me to leave.

That wasn’t the Maddox I kissed yesterday. The dynamic between us had shifted in an instant.

He wasn’t the Maddox who told me he wasn’t capable of hating me, because, in this damn moment, it sure felt like he hated me. He wanted me away—far away from him.

“We found out where your father is hiding.”

My voice echoed in the room, but it still wasn’t enough to keep Maddox’s attention on me. He shook his head, his lips pressed into a tight line as he looked away, clenching his jaw.

“Good for you,” he muttered. “Finally, you’ll get the revenge you’ve been craving.”

My revenge. The reason he was in this fucked-up situation—beaten, tortured, and handcuffed.

“You don’t understand,” I said, shaking my head. I took a step toward him, but he shot me a warning look, signaling for me to stay in place. So, I did.

“Mikael will kill you.”

“Was that supposed to scare me?”

I wanted to slap myself for caring so damn much about someone like him. It was supposed to be just sex—nothing personal—and, oh Lord, it became too damn personal.

I took a deep breath. I’d made the decision a long time ago, and I would probably regret it—but fuck it.

“I’ll help you escape.”

These words caught his attention, giving me his undivided focus. He leaned back against the bed frame, his head relaxed, his Adam’s apple moving with each swallow, and his firm chest rising with each breath.

I forced myself to look away from his body and back to his dark, unreadable face.

His gaze wandered down my body a few times, studying me, but this time, I didn’t feel the usual desire in his eyes. Quite the opposite—I felt unwanted.

“No,” he said flatly. “I don’t need your fucking help.” “I won’t let you die.”

“You put me in this situation in the first place,” he reminded me, his voice cold. “And now you act like you care whether I live or die?” He laughed bitterly. “Funny, isn’t it?”

“I won’t let you die.”

He met my gaze again, his expression blank, as if the last thing he wanted was to look at me.

“Trust me, Allyn. It will be better for you if I die.”

“You won’t die, not here, not like this.”

I refused to listen, shaking my head.

His face didn’t flinch, nothing. It was as if someone had turned off every emotion he was capable of feeling.

“I need to know something,” his voice was tired.

I wanted nothing more than to hear the word “princess” slip from his lips, but it never came.

“And I want you to be fucking honest with me— for once in your life.”

Confusion spread across my face, but I let him speak.

“Is it true?”

“Is what true?”

“That you’re going to marry Theo Stone.” His gaze grew colder, crueler, as he waited impatiently for my response. I couldn’t read his face, but I knew whatever was written there wasn’t good.

His eyes pierced me, burning like fire. It felt like ages passed before I finally managed to speak the word that had been stuck in my throat for so long.

“Yes.”

A simple word. Meaning nothing, and yet so freaking much.

Maddox’s reaction was confusing. He laughed, shaking his head. The laugh was bitter.

“You can leave now.”

“I didn’t have a choice, Maddox.” My voice barely broke through. “You know that.”

“We all have choices,” he snapped, narrowing his eyes. “You just want to pretend you don’t.”

“No, I don’t have a fucking choice, Maddox,” I yelled, my voice raw with anger, my eyes stinging with tears. He remained unfazed. “I never fucking did, not once in my life.”

“Are you looking for sympathy right now?” He raised a brow with a sneer. “Because you won’t find it here.”

Of course, he didn’t get it. No one did.

No one understood what it was like to live a life written for you without your consent.

“I was fucking wrong to think so highly of you.” he spat.

“You don’t have the right to talk to me like that,” I managed to say, my voice trembling, betraying how deeply his words cut, like a knife.

“Can’t I?” He sneered. “Get out, Allyn.”

Tears streamed down my face now, and I wasn’t even trying to be strong. I couldn’t, not when he was speaking to me like this. Like I was nobody.

“You want to make me feel bad for something I never asked for?” My voice rose in anger as I walked closer to him, not caring anymore. “Fine, do it. I don’t care.”

But I lied. I did care.

“Good. Now leave.” He nodded toward the door. “I don’t want to look at your fucking face.”

Ouch.

“I’m not interested in listening to anything coming out of your lying fucking mouth,” he spat, tilting his head to the side. “But if you want to suck my cock, then I might consider forgiveness.”

His lips stretched into a smirk, looking at me like I was the cheapest slut in the world.

“I’m sure your fiancée won’t mind sharing you.”

I slapped him. Hard.

His head jerked to the side, my hand imprinted on his cheek. Maddox inhaled sharply, his fists clenched.

“You want to know the truth?” I said through my tears, backing away from him as he still refused to look at me.

“Me and you. It was more than just sex for me. So much more.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore, does it?” he mumbled, his voice flat and tired. “Save your sweet words for your fiancée.”

I nodded, letting his words settle in my mind, sealing them there.

I allowed myself to look at him one last time.The man who hated me. Who ruined me for everyone else, and I never even had the chance to call him mine.

Because he wasn’t mine. He never was. And he never will be.

I left the room, slamming the door behind me, not caring that everyone could see me crying.

It wasn’t a breakup—we were never a thing.

But it sure as hell hurt like one.