Chapter 54
Chapter Fifty-Four
SINCLAIR
M y mother texted me throughout dinner, slinging insults at first and then turning it around, begging me to leave the Lancaster house. She offered to come back and pick me up. That the Lancasters are mean, awful people and I have no business being there. That August Lancaster will only bring me down.
I ignored all of her texts, not responding to a single one. There’s no point in arguing with her. She believes she’s right and she’ll die on that hill.
August eventually took my phone away from me and I enjoyed the rest of the night stress-free, pushing all thoughts of my mother out of my mind. I’m glad that everyone seemed to like my dad, which isn’t always the case. Maybe he’s changed. Maybe my mom has too. I don’t know what to think about them, especially her.
“You want me to give you my opinion?” Iris finally asks me after the dinner plates have been cleared and we’re waiting for dessert.
“Yes,” I say at the same time August says “No.”
Iris ignores her brother. “I think she’s jealous of you. Your mom. She sees you and how happy you are. How we’re all accepting you as part of our family, and it makes her feel left out. Maybe she’s unhappy with her life, I don’t know, but I get the sense that her behavior toward you is all driven by envy.”
Her words linger in my thoughts for the rest of the evening. If anyone would’ve told me my mom was jealous of my life, I would’ve laughed. She’s the one with the big house and all the money to spend. Why would she be jealous of anything I have? She has far more than me.
But I’m younger. I’m just starting my life while she’s fully settled in hers and I think she’s been dissatisfied for a while. Not that I’m excusing my father’s behavior, but maybe there’s a reason he’s cheating on her. Maybe it has something to do with her too, and not just him. I have a hard time forgiving him for his infidelity, but marriage is a two-way street. It’s hard work.
I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t want to be like her. Jealous and unhappy. Nagging everyone and asking inappropriate questions. If she’s truly unsatisfied, she needs to leave my father. But she won’t.
I know she won’t.
We return to the sitting room after dessert, but I’m so tired I can barely keep my eyes open and when August catches me yawning yet again, he finally has to say something to me.
“You should go to bed. You seem exhausted.”
I offer him a sleepy smile. “It was a rough night. I knew it would be.”
“You did.” He pats my shoulder, a chaste move on his part. “It’s late. Go get some sleep.”
I say my goodbyes to everyone and exit the room, walking slowly up the staircase, taking in the opulence that is the Lancaster house.
It’s nothing like my mom and dad’s house. Does Mom feel like she can’t measure up? No one can when compared to this family. She might be hard on me, but why is she also so hard on herself?
I don’t get it.
Parental trauma is real and I suffer from it. Maybe that’s what drew me to August in the first place? Oh God, that’s just too deep for me to contemplate at the moment.
By the time I’m in my room and taking off my clothes, there’s an urgent knock on my door, followed by the door handle rattling. I can’t help but smile. I’d know that knock anywhere.
Rushing to the door, I turn the lock and open it, August crowds me, pushing his way inside and shutting the door behind him, switching that lock back into place before he reaches for me. I go willingly, crashing into his arms, gasping when his hands land on my butt, slipping beneath my sheer panties and gripping my bare flesh. His mouth is on mine in an instant, his kiss almost frantic, lips moving and tongue searching like he’s trying to dig deep.
“Are you mad at me?” he murmurs against my mouth as he walks me backward, heading toward the bed.
“Why would I be mad at you?” I’m seriously confused. He’s done nothing but stand by my side all evening and he thinks I’m angry?
“I talked some shit to your mom, Sin. She might’ve made you mad, but I was mean to her and that’s your mother.” He lifts away from me, his lazy gaze meeting mine. “I’ll go down in flames defending my mother. I wouldn’t stand for anyone insulting her.”
“That’s because your mother is a wonderful person who believes in you. Unlike mine.” I hook my arms around his neck, sliding my fingers into his silky soft hair. “I don’t want to talk about her.”
“You sure about that?” His eyes fall to half-mast and I know he likes the way I’m stroking his hair .
“Positive.” My voice is firm, my thoughts settled. “Though I do have one thing to say.”
“What is it?”
Rising up on my tiptoes, I level my mouth at his ear and murmur, “Thank you. What you did for me tonight, what you said—it meant a lot.”
He turns, his mouth aligning with mine. “And I meant every word I said. She can’t treat you like that anymore, Sin. Not with me by your side.”
I melt against him, loving that he’s still fully clothed while I’m just in my panties. He grabs hold of the back of my thighs and lifts me up, and I wrap my legs around his hips, fusing my mouth with his as he carries me…not to the bed, where I thought he was going, but to the door, pressing me to it, pinning me there with his body.
“August—” I start to protest but he cuts me off with his lips and I moan when his tongue licks at mine. His hands are on my waist, and he’s grinding his erection against the throbbing spot between my thighs, and I know my panties must already be soaked.
“You don’t belong to them anymore,” he whispers against my neck after he ends our kiss. “You belong to me.”
He’s referring to my parents, and he’s right. I’m not theirs any longer—I’m August’s. And while I should be against the archaic thought of women being men’s property, I know August doesn’t fully mean that. He believes in me. Readily supports me, and I love that about him.
I love him.
“I thought about being nice and fucking you slow on the bed.” He lifts away from my neck, his dark gaze meeting mine as he unbuckles his belt and kicks off his shoes before he sheds his pants and boxer briefs. “But I decided I’d rather fuck you hard and fast against the door. Do you have a problem with that? ”
His words, the look on his face and the sound of his voice have my entire body turning to jelly. “No.” I slowly shake my head. “It’s what I want, August. I want you.”
He wastes zero time, impatient as always, tearing at my panties. Frustrated, he jerks them to the side and slides into my welcoming body, filling me to the hilt. I groan, thumping the back of my head against the door and he immediately slides his hand beneath my head, protecting me.
My heart soars. This man who tries to act like he doesn’t care about anyone else but himself cares about me with his whole heart. He’s protective and strong and my defender. He stands by my side and reassures me that everything is going to be all right as long as I’ve got him. He loves me.
And I love him too.
I cling to him as he fucks me steadily, his hips moving, his cock going deep until I swear it hits my soul. I am breathless, unable to think. All I can do is feel. Our bodies moving together, his hand cupping my breast, his cheek pressed to mine as he pants dirty things into my ear.
“This fucking cunt is mine and goddamn, Sin. You grip me so tight. I’m going to come. I’m going to fill that pussy with my cum and I’m going to wreck you just like you wrecked me.”
I go still at his words, resting my hand on his chest. He pauses, lifting his head from mine, so he can look into my eyes. “I wrecked you?”
August nods, removing his hand from my breast so he can cup the side of my face. “For the better. You came into my life and disrupted it completely but I needed that. I needed you.”
I smile, my chest tight, my eyes glassy with unshed tears. I see the faint panic on his face and I know he didn’t expect me to become emotional in a moment like this, but what we’re saying, what we’re doing, everything we’ve experienced today feels monumental.
Life-changing .
“I love you, August,” I whisper, shocked that I could be so overcome with emotion for someone else. This has to be love. What else could it be? “I appreciate what you did for me tonight. How you stood up for me.”
“I always stand up for what’s mine. And that’s what you are, Sinclair. All mine.” He goes still and ducks his head almost like he’s embarrassed. “I let you down before but I vow to never do that again.”
“You’ve never let me down. Not since we’ve been together like this.” He lifts his head, his gaze meeting mine and I cup my hand around the back of his head, tugging down. Our mouths meet in a soft, sweet kiss. “I forgive you, August.” For what, I’m not exactly sure but it feels like he needs this from me. “But you’ll have to make it up to me for the rest of your life.”
“I will.” He starts to move again, steadily thrusting inside me, ratcheting up that familiar feeling, my orgasm imminent. “I swear to God, Sin. I’ll do my best to make sure you’ll never want for anything.”
“All I want is you,” I say, gasping when the orgasm sweeps over my body.
“You’ve got me, baby,” he whispers against my cheek. “You’ve got me.”