ASHTON

T HREE MONTHS LATER

Some secrets are meant to be kept; I truly believe that.

But, some things don’t have to be kept secret just because those around us might not respond well to the truth, either.

The fact that Sadie and I had a sexy rendezvous masked by darkness at Club Sin before actually realizing that our interest in each other ran deeper than just neighbors? Yeah, that’s one secret that I have no issues with keeping from our families. And the fact that Gunner met Lydia while frequenting Sin, too—well, I don’t know details, and I don’t want to, but I know that there’s no risk to him revealing the truth to his parents anytime soon.

If the way we met ever does come to light, I guess we’ll deal with it. But, for now, I don’t worry about it, and I’m doing my best to make sure Sadie doesn’t fret over it, either.

Besides, our parents couldn’t be more ecstatic. If the Butlers and Mitchells were inseparable before, they were practically one and the same now. There’d been so many tears shed when Sadie and I sat down at one of the family dinners held at her parents’ house and admitted we’d been seeing each other behind their backs, I honestly wondered if someone was going to drown in the wake of it.

Every one of those tears was shed with happiness, though. Anna Mitchell bawled like a baby, then broke out the champagne, and my mother hugged us both so tightly that I thought Sadie might break under the force of it. Then, Mom had thanked us—actually thanked us—for getting together...like we’d somehow done it for the sake of their friendship with the Mitchells or something. It was a little misguided, but whatever works. No one got angry, and no asked if we’d met each other at a sex club, so all things considered, I’d say it went over as well as it could.

Gunner and Lydia announced their impending engagement about a month later. It turns out they’d been seeing each other for close to seven months, a lot longer than anyone realized. I figure I probably should’ve been miffed that he didn’t feel he could tell me he was seeing someone, but seeing as I lied to his face about anything going on between me and Sadie, and never have formally admitted to him that I actually worked at Sin—and I know he knows; there’s no way Lydia wouldn’t tell him—I’m going to call it even and make a mental note never to lie to the man again.

Anyway, with an engagement party to plan, and then a wedding, I should probably thank Gunner and Lydia for getting our parents off Sadie and I’s backs. Both Anna and my mom adore Lydia, so they’ve got their claws into her, undoubtedly driving her insane with fabric swatches and cake samples and wine choices, even if it’s only Anna’s son getting married to the poor girl.

Good luck to Lydia and Gunner with that. They’re going to need it.

But, that’s left Sadie and I more time to figure each other out.

Alone.

Knowing each other our whole lives, and relearning who we are more intimately as adults...it’s different. Every day, there are things she says or does that catch my attention, tidbits of information I never knew, or true colors that shine through. Things she’s hidden from the world since she was a little girl.

Things that make me fall harder for her every single day.

Things I think about often, even when I don’t realize it.

“Why are you smiling?”

Sadie’s voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I laugh when I see her, her head turned awkwardly to the side as she stares at me, perplexed.

We’re sprawled out together on the couch, her back pressed solidly against my chest and my leg draped over her shins, holding her against me. One of the Fast & Furious movies plays on the TV, but neither of us is really paying much attention to it.

“I guess I’m just thinking,” I tell her, nuzzling my face into her hair. The vanilla scent of her shampoo ignites a spark of desire within me.

“I knew you couldn’t possibly be paying attention when they just drove that car off the bridge and you didn’t even bother to tell me how impossible that is.” She chuckles, and the infectious sound has me pulling her nearer to me, desperate to be as close as I can get.

“It’s hard to focus on car chases when I’ve got your sexy little body tucked up against me.” I rock my hips forward, and she lets out a little squeal. The woman knows exactly what I’m talking about.

“Tell me what you’re thinking about, and maybe it’ll help me get up to speed.”

She shifts her weight, turning to face me, and I slide an arm around her back, pulling her up onto me. “Oh, you’ve got it all wrong, Sadie. No speed. I’ll take my time.” I kiss her lips tenderly. “Pain...” Then her jaw. “...stakingly...” Then her neck. “...slow. You’ll be begging me for more, I guarantee it.”

Her eyes flutter in response to my lips on her neck. It’s one of the places I know makes her weak with desire instantly.

“Yeah?” she breathes. “Don’t you have to go into the firehall tonight?”

Night shift. Shit .

“Damn it, yes. And you have that wine tasting thing with Lydia and your mom.” All it takes is one taste or touch from Sadie, and I tend to forget everything else around us. Judging by the smirk tugging at the corner of her lips, I’d say she finds that fact a bit amusing.

“So, you’ll go to work, I’ll go to the wine tasting and get half lit, and we’ll meet back here to reconvene.”

I scoff dramatically. “Well, when you put it like that, it all just sounds so damn romantic.”

Sadie laughs, rolling her eyes. “I’m sorry...you know I still adore you.”

“Adore?” I arch a brow high on my forehead. “I think you meant love. You still love me.”

“Maybe I do,” she teases. “Maybe I love you a heck of a lot. What’ve you got to say about that?”

We’ve never formally said those three little words to each other, not yet. But, I must admit, that sounds pretty much like the real thing to me.

“I think I would have to say that I love you, too.”

“Yeah?” She nuzzles into me, pressing her forehead to mine. “I think you should prove it.”

“Hmm. Got something in mind, doll?”

I’m still grinning as she pulls away from me and stretches her arm out, grabbing her cellphone from the table. “It’s about five o’clock,” she says with a grin. “We’ve got about an hour.”

“An hour,” I repeat, sliding my hands over her back, tucking my fingers into her back pockets. “The magic number of minutes. How can we possibly fill an entire hour?”

“Start the clock, Nash , and tell me what you want.” She giggles, her eyebrows waggling mischievously.

It’s become a game, recreating our night at Club Sin, coming up with all the ways that one-hour interval could’ve gone. It’s intriguing, and sexy as hell.

I swing my legs off the couch, taking Sadie with me as I stand, much to her amusement. “I’m pretty sure it’s your turn to call the shots, Rose , if my memory serves me right.”

Her legs are wrapped around my hips as I carry her toward the bedroom. “Close the blinds and turns off the lights,” she instructs, already breathless. “I’ve heard being robbed of your sense of sight can really heighten your other senses.”

“Smart man, whoever told you that.”

“We’ll see if you still believe that when I’m done with you.”

“You’ve only got an hour, doll.”

“And I told you, start the clock. I want to show you how much I love you.”

This. This, right here, is what I’ve been missing. Being in love, being loved, and loving someone else. I took a winding, rocky path to find it, but I did find it. Find her .

This is what I’m made for. Loving Sadie Mitchell. It just took me a lifetime to figure it out.

And a little sin.

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READ THE PROLOGUE AND FIRST CHAPTER OF ‘CORRUPTING HIS GOOD GIRL’ by CASS KINCAID