Sinful Pleasure (Sinful #1)

CHAPTER 54

C HAPTER 54

ALLYN

What would you do if the devil himself stood before you in all his glory, cracking a stone-cold smile and telling you to run for your life?

You run for your life.

And that’s exactly what I did.

My heart pounded in my chest as I sprinted toward the entrance of the mansion, the air filled with the chilling screams of terror slicing through the night. People were running in every direction, their faces twisted with fear.

I glanced back, my eyes searching for that damned tree.

Maddox was gone, like a shadow swallowed by the dark.

The only evidence that he’d been there was the lingering sensation of his presence— and his seed still deep inside me. I turned back to the chaos ahead, pushing my way inside the mansion.

People shoved past me, screaming and fleeing, but I was too stunned to move. The weight of it all pinned me to the spot until a guard dressed in black grabbed my arm, pulling me through the chaos.

My legs followed instinctively, though my mind was still reeling.

Before I knew it, I was in a secured room with Mikael, Garrett, Theo Stone, and about twenty guards stationed around us.

Mikael’s eyes locked on me the second I entered. Relief flooded his face as he crossed the room in quick strides, pulling me into his arms in a desperate, bone-crushing hug.

“Thank God,” he breathed. “For a second, I thought I lost you.”

“I’m here,” I murmured against his chest, my voice soft and uncertain.

He pulled back, his sharp eyes scanning me up and down as if searching for injuries.

“I’m fine, Mikael. Really.” I offered a weak smile. The damage wasn’t something he could see.

He nodded, though his jaw remained tight, before pressing a kiss to my forehead. Behind him, Garrett and Theo watched in silence.

Mikael turned toward Garrett, his face darkening into a menacing glare.

“You’d better have a good fucking explanation for this,” he snarled, his voice low and dangerous. “Or I swear, I’ll have your head for this shit.”

“I don’t know how this happened,” Garrett stammered, choking on his words. “The mansion was fully secured with the best men in the business. I don’t know how they sneaked in.”

“You put my daughter in danger, you fucking idiot!” Mikael hissed, cutting him off. Garrett fell silent, his head lowered in shame. “I’ll fucking kill you for this.”

Mikael’s fury was palpable, veins bulging on his neck, his hands clenched into fists. He took a few steps forward like a predator closing in on its prey.

But I stopped him, grabbing his arm.

“Stop,” I nearly choked on my words.

“It’s not his fault.”

Mikael clenched his jaw.

“I’ll find out who’s behind this,” Mikael promised, his voice laced with deadly intent. “And I will tear them apart. Slowly. Painfully.”

The words were on the tip of my tongue. I knew who was behind it. I knew his name all too well. And not just his name.

But still, I couldn’t say it. Why couldn’t I speak it? Why were the words stuck in my throat, refusing to leave?

“And you,” Mikael hissed, pointing a finger at Garrett’s chest, “put my daughter in danger one more time, and I’ll forget about our agreement. I’ll kill you and leave your lifeless body lying next to Martin King once I’m done with him. You hear me?”

“It won’t happen again, Mikael” Garrett said. “You have my word.’’

*****

A few hours later, the ugly night finally came to an end.

I stayed while the ambulances came to the rescue, then we got back to our house. I was more than relieved to remove that tainted dress from my body as soon as I got back to my room.

The first thing I did was to take a long, hot shower, scrubbing my body with force trying to wipe away his touch from me, but it was impossible.

My body was defiled by him, my mind too, and no matter how much I tried to erase him, to fight against my need for him - it just doesn’t go away. He was everywhere, even if he was not here.

I walked out of the bathroom, clutching the towel to my body. The chill air filtered in through the open window of my room.

Wait —I didn’t leave the window open.

But my body froze the instant I looked to the side.

The temperature in the room dropped another ten degrees as my eyes locked on the dark figure lurking in the shadows, casually leaning against the window. The terror from earlier flooded back when he stepped into the moonlight, his form illuminated. I could see his deadly, pitch-black eyes clearly now.

My heart stopped for a moment as they bored into me, unwavering.

How the hell did he get in here? Our mansion is guarded by hundreds of men, especially after tonight. How did he do this again?

This time, his face wasn’t hidden behind a mask, and I saw it—clear as day. Fresh scars marred his features, making him even more frightening than before.

His black hair was messy, as though he’d run his hands through it over and over, and his dark suit had been replaced by simple clothing, making him even easier to recognize.

How the hell did no one see him sneaking into my room?

“Did you like my little surprise?” he said, his voice dripping with cocky pride, his grin widening. He sounded like he thought what he’d done was some kind of holy act. This man was truly deranged.

“I’ll call the guards.”

I pressed the towel tighter against my chest, trying to shield myself from his gaze, which felt like it was violating my very soul. I suddenly felt naked in front of him.

He shook his head, pushing himself away from the window. Instinctively, I took a step back.

“I’ll finish you off before you even have the chance to scream.”

“You won’t do it,” I said, my voice hard, though my heart raced.

“Try me,” he challenged, taking a step closer.

“Stop this madness, Maddox,” I growled, anger surging in my chest as he circled me like a lion eyeing its prey. “You’ve done enough.”

He stopped behind me. I heard his wicked laugh. Low and sinister— reverberating in the room, sending a chill down my spine.

“Oh, baby, I’m just getting started,” he whispered into my ear, his chest brushing against my bare back.

“Your people missed.” I tried to keep my voice strong, deep. “My father is alive and well.” His breath spilled over my shoulder, sending shivers through my body.

“I never miss, princess.”

His voice was husky against my ear as I kept my eyes fixed on the wall in front of me, my breath ragged.

“If I wanted him dead, he’d be lying on the fucking floor with his skull shattered. He’s alive because I want him to be.”

“You’re a coward, just like your father,” I muttered, turning my head slightly, catching only a glimpse of him.

“Hiding in the shadows, torturing people for your own amusement. But you, too, will end up dead, just like him.”

“Is that a promise, princess?” His voice was laced with amusement, his hand grazing my waist through the towel, burning my skin.

“I hate empty words.”

“So do I,” I hissed, shooting back at him. His touch froze, allowing me to spin around and face him. His gaze locked onto mine.

We were so close now, I could smell his cologne, could almost taste his lips as he breathed against me. His expression was unreadable—no reaction, nothing.

“Don’t talk to me about empty promises,” I bit out, my voice low but firm. “You gave me your word to take revenge for Lara’s murder. Yet the moment you found out your father was behind it all, you decided to just forget it and move on, didn’t you?”

I wasn’t going to let him walk all over me again.

Not after everything he’d done. Yes, I wasn’t a saint, but he is worse.

His brows furrowed in confusion, almost convincing me. He was good at that—too good.

“Family comes first, right?” I laughed bitterly, mocking their pathetic family motto. With one hand, I pushed his body away from mine, holding the towel tightly around my body with the other.

Rage surged through me the moment I mentioned Lara.

I had countless reasons to want Martin King dead, but his role in killing my friend was the most personal.

“I see things haven’t changed much. Only lies spill from your fucking mouth,” he muttered, his eyes darkening with anger. “Maybe I should shut you up and put that mouth to better use.”

“When hell freezes over, then I’ll let you have me again, Maddox,” I hissed, my body trembling with rage. “I’ll get my revenge, even if it means going through you first.”

“My father has nothing to do with Lara’s death.”

I laughed, shaking my head in disbelief.

Of course, Martin would lie to his own family. It was second nature to him.

“Of course, your daddy didn’t tell you the truth. You’re just another stupid pawn in his hands,” I sneered. “Pathetic.”

For a split second, my body was slammed against the nearby wall, my breath caught in my throat as Maddox’s hand wrapped around it, tightening, choking me.

His black irises bored into mine, cold and merciless.

“Just like I was a pawn in your games, yeah, princess?” he growled, his grip tightening further. “You have no right to talk about honesty.”

“Just kill me,” I gasped, struggling for air, my throat burning with each breath I fought for. His eyes softened, just for a moment, as something flickered behind them. But he fought it, pushing it down, hiding it.

“No,” he said coldly, his voice like ice. “You won’t get the easy way out.”

“Or maybe you just don’t have the balls to do it.”

I was clearly out of my mind, challenging this ruthless man when his hand was around my throat, able to snap my neck with a single move.

But I didn’t care. It was the only thing I could do—push him, taunt him, because what else was left?

“Admit it, Maddox, you can’t kill me,” I whispered.

His grip around my neck loosened as my lips almost brushed his. His gaze dropped to my lips. They burned with a fire that mirrored my own.

What good comes from playing with fire? Nothing. Just an explosion. Maybe that’s what we are. Destruction.

But I silence the voice screaming in my head, inching closer to him.

“Tell me, Maddox,” I drawled, tilting my head forward, but I was stopped when his hand closed around my throat, pushing me back against the wall. I cracked a smug smile.

“Will you let me kiss you right now?”

He clenched his jaw, struggling with his demons and self-control, but his eyes betrayed him again.

That’s why I stole the kiss, locking our lips together and Maddox didn’t push me away. The moment our lips touched, all bets were off, and he groaned loudly into the kiss.

His grip around my neck vanished, his hands finding their way to my ass, cupping it.

He lifted me as if I weighed nothing, my legs instinctively wrapping around his waist as his body pressed mine into the wall. His bulge rubbed against my center. I was drenched beneath the towel— it’s almost a shame.

And just when I had him exactly where I wanted him, vulnerable before me, a knock at the door brought us back to square one.

“Allyn?”

Theo Stone’s voice echoed from the other side of the door—while Maddox trailed his kisses down my neck, unfazed by his presence.

“I just wanted to check on you, see if you needed anything.”

I wanted to reply, but the moment Maddox’s hand cupped my pussy, applying pressure to my clit -I forgot about everything but him.

Holy shit, his fingers were working wonders.

I muffled my moans, holding on to him for dear life, my legs tightening around his waist as his hand played with my clit, spreading my wetness everywhere.

“Get on your knees for me, princess, and I’ll fuck you so good you’ll forget all about your fiancée waiting on the other side of this door.”

He growled against my neck, his thumb circling my clit, sending me spiraling into another dimension.

“Get on your knees, and I’ll spare his life.”

“Allyn?”

Theo Stone spoke again, this time with more concern, just as Maddox slowly slid a finger inside me, stretching my walls around him. I bit my lip.

“What’s it going to be, baby?” he muttered, his fingers moving in a slow yet rough rhythm as his thumb worked my clit. I was close, clenching around him. “Will this pathetic excuse of a man live or not?”

“I will not kneel to you, Maddox King.”

“I’m giving you one last chance,” he growled, his eyes locking with mine. “Get on your knees, and I’ll spare his life. Refuse, and he dies.”

I almost laughed.

Maddox couldn’t be crazy enough to kill Theo Stone in a mansion full of guards who would tear him apart the second they heard a gunshot.

I shook my head, rejecting his command. I had the upper hand this time.

But just when that victorious grin spread across my face, it vanished just like the warmth of his body.

Everything happened so fast. My feet hit the floor the moment Maddox pulled out his gun. He moved toward the door, opening it, and before Theo Stone could utter a word, Maddox pulled the trigger, the bullet hitting him square in the head.

There was no gunshot, not a single sound—only the thud of Theo’s lifeless body crashing to the ground, sending a chill through me.

He had a fucking silencer on.

Blood. So much blood.

And just like that, as I stared into Theo Stone’s wide, lifeless eyes, everything went black.