Chapter Fifteen #2
I stand beside Sin, his presence grounding me, his arm a solid weight around my waist. My dress flutters slightly in the cold breeze, and I shiver—not entirely from the temperature.
The hum of anticipation grows louder as the crowd shifts, jostling for the best view.
The fireworks stand ready in neat rows, their pointed tips aimed at the heavens.
Each time a spark hisses into the sky, the crowd erupts in cheers, the sound reverberating in my chest.
“One minute to go!” someone yells, and the announcement sends a ripple of excitement through the gathering.
The voices grow louder, people clapping and whooping, some already beginning the countdown even though it’s far too early.
Glasses clink as drinks are raised, and the music, though distant now, pumps from the clubhouse speakers, fueling the party.
Sin leans in close, his voice a low murmur against my ear. “Cold?”
I shake my head, but the truth is, I don’t feel the cold—not with him beside me. Not with the heat of his body seeping into mine, his arm pulling me closer as though he’s afraid I might drift away. “I’m okay,” I reply softly, though my heart pounds louder with every second that ticks by.
The countdown begins at sixty, voices chanting together, an exhilarating roar that swells with each number.
Fireworks begin shooting into the air in quick succession, loud booms echoing like thunder as they explode into cascading streams of color.
The sky is alive with bursts of crimson, sapphire, and gold, their brilliance painting the darkness with fleeting moments of light.
Each explosion vibrates through my chest, matching the rhythm of my racing heart.
“Thirty seconds,” someone shouts, and the energy spikes.
People are hugging, laughing, and toasting the year that’s about to end.
I glance at Sin.
He’s not looking at the fireworks.
He’s looking at me.
His eyes are molten, reflecting the bursts of light overhead.
It’s like the world around us doesn’t exist for him, like I’m the only thing he sees.
The intensity of his gaze makes my breath hitch, my throat tightening as I try to steady myself.
The cheering, chanting, and fireworks all fade into obscurity under the weight of those eyes.
Those amazingly different-colored eyes that make me completely weak inside.
“Fifteen!” The crowd’s voices swell, their enthusiasm a roaring wave.
Sin’s hand tightens on my waist, pulling me even closer. The heat of his touch burns through the layers of fabric between us. My head feels light. My pulse is erratic. The countdown is a blur, the numbers tumbling together as the world narrows to this moment.
To him.
“Ten!” The voices rise to a fever pitch, overlapping, frantic.
“Elizabeth,” Sin growls, his voice cutting through the noise like a blade. I look up at him, my chest tight, my lips parting to respond, but the words are lost as he cups my face, his thumb brushing over my cheek.
“Five!” The crowd is deafening now, the fireworks launching in rapid succession, their explosions painting the sky in bursts of fiery brilliance.
“Four!”
His eyes hold mine, unrelenting, filled with something raw, something that makes me ache in places I never knew I could.
“Three!”
His breath against my lips, warm, steady, anchors me even as my knees threaten to buckle.
“Two!”
My heart pounds, my hands trembling as they reach for him, gripping his leather cut like he’s the only thing tethering me to this world and keeping me upright.
“One!”
The world erupts in an explosion of sound and light as fireworks burst in a dazzling finale, and the crowd roars their cheers into the night.
But for me, the noise fades, the colors blur, and all that remains is Sin.
He doesn’t hesitate, slamming his lips forward, claiming mine in a kiss that’s passionate, deep, and utterly consuming.
It’s as if the fireworks aren’t in the sky—they’re in me, lighting up every nerve, every inch of my skin.
His fingers clench tightly in my hair, more aggressive this time.
I gasp, but not out of fear, out of carnal desire as I completely melt into him, the chaos around us forgotten. When he finally pulls back, his forehead rests against me, his breath mingling with mine in the cold night air.
“Happy New Year, wildcat,” he whispers, his voice rough and raw, full of something unspoken but undeniably real.
And just like that, I’m a lost cause.
In him, in this moment, in the way his presence makes everything else disappear.
The world is celebrating, fireworks lighting the sky, cheers ringing out into the night.
But all I can feel is him.
The fire raging between us.
Before I can think, before I can stop myself, I lean in.
Our lips meet again in a rush, deep and hungry.
The world blurs, and the only thing grounding me is him—his arms, his lips, the way he holds me like I’m something precious.
My fingers pull him closer, needing him like I’ve never needed anything before.
When we finally break apart, I’m breathless, my heart pounding so hard it physically hurts.
His eyes search mine, dark and filled with something I don’t dare name.
“We shouldn’t…” I whisper, my voice shaky, trying so damn hard to stop this from escalating, even though every single damn part of me doesn’t want it to stop.
“Just tonight, Elizabeth,” he murmurs, his lips brushing against mine. “Let’s have tonight. We can deal with the consequences next year.”
His words soften every wall I’ve built.
I nod, unable to say no, unable to resist. “It’s already past midnight… did you miss the countdown?” I whisper, knowing I’m surrendering more than just tonight.
He grins mischievously, taking my hand and leading me away from the crowd to a storage shed.
He unlocks it, leading me in, then closes the door behind us, the darkness of the room making it feel even more illicit.
“Then I guess we have another year to figure this out, then.” He wraps me in his arms, his forehead resting against mine, and for a moment, everything feels right.
But I know it’s an illusion.
A fragile dream that will shatter with the morning light.
Exhaling, I stare into those eyes I adore so much. “You scare me, Sin,” I admit, my voice trembling. “You make me want things I most definitely shouldn’t want.”
His jaw tightens, and he tilts up my face, his eyes locking onto mine. “You think I don’t feel the same?” he replies honestly, his voice rough with emotion. “You’re in my head, Elizabeth. You’re under my skin. And no matter how hard I try, I can’t get you the fuck out.”
Tears sting my eyes, but I blink them back.
I’m in too deep.
I don’t know how to climb out.
So, for now, for this one moment, I simply don’t.
I let him pull me closer, let his lips claim mine again, let myself believe, just for tonight, that we’re not standing on opposite sides of an impossible war.
That I’m not about to burn him and his entire club to ashes.
But deep down, I know the truth.
Tonight is a stolen moment, and when the sun rises, the lies and secrets will still be there, waiting to tear us apart. For now, though, I cling to him, to the illusion of us, and hope it’s enough to hold back the inevitable.
For just a little longer.
“In that case, Sin, I need you to fuck me. Right here, right now. Because I swear to God if I go another second without you inside me, I’m going to explode.”
A low chuckle rumbles from deep in his chest. “I thought you’d never ask, wildcat.”
He flicks on a bare bulb hanging overhead. The light is harsh, catching on the jagged edges of stacked crates and glinting off something that looks like—gold. My breath catches as his big hands grip my hips and lift me onto the heavy bench, wood creaking under the weight.
My elbow bumps a stack beside me, and I glance down, freezing. Gold nuggets, raw and gleaming, piled like captured sunlight. My mouth goes dry, awe and disbelief tangling with the hot, hard need between my thighs.
“Sin…” I whisper, voice thin. “This is literal gold.” The investigator in me stirs, sharp and relentless, clawing through the haze of lust. “What the hell?” Millie told me about it, but I am absolutely flabbergasted as to why he is showing it to me.
His expression flickers, mischief behind the mask, before curving into a slow, wicked grin. “Gold’s heavy, wildcat. Better question is… why are you worrying about the weight of it when I’m right here, willing to make your body weightless with pleasure?”
Heat curls low in my belly. Before I can shoot back, his mouth is on mine, urgent and wild, like he can’t stand the distance between us another second. His kiss steals the air from my lungs, burning away the questions on my tongue until there’s nothing left but heat and hunger.
I melt into him, suspicion blurring with desire.
His hands slide up my thighs, fingers digging into the soft flesh like he’s staking a claim.
My mind fights between the clearly illegal shit I’m sitting on and the way he’s taking control of my body.
With one swift movement, he tears my panties away, the sound of fabric ripping making me whimper.
I’m done for.
He reaches for his mask, fingers hooking the edge, but my hand snaps up, grabbing his wrist. “Leave it on,” I rasp, guilt twisting through me like barbed wire.
If I can’t see his whole face, maybe I’m not betraying my brother by fucking the man who might have killed him.
Sin’s grin turns downright sinful. “Role-play, huh? Never pegged you for it. But just so you know, wildcat, I might be wearing this mask, but you’re still going to be moaning my name.”
A shudder rips through me.
I should stop this.
I should.
But there’s no willpower left.
Seeing him like this—powerful, yet submitting to my request—drives me insane.