Read Shadow of Sin (The Martin Family) for Free Online Page B

orgasm.
    “Caleb.” Unable to hold her knees up, Samantha let them fall to the side, spreading herself wider. Her body felt light, euphoric as the telltale signs of her orgasm surged through her veins. Her muscles pulled tight, contracting hard enough to bring her shoulders off the pillows as she screamed and her body erupted, shattering into a thousand pieces and fluttering about the room. She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. All she could do was pray at some point she’d be able to breathe again. And walk. Walking was important, wasn’t it?
    A husky chuckle in her head made her smile. Virtual Caleb was happy with her performance. Drawing air into her lungs, Samantha tried to ease her racing heartbeat. Her body was slow to respond. She should be happy, ecstatic even. As self-induced orgasms go, that one ranked way up there. Instead, she felt … alone.
    Samantha rolled onto her side and pushed from the bed, fighting back tears. She was a fool. Pining for a man who didn’t want her. Didn’t even like her.
    She put her ear against the adjoining door to the bathroom and was relieved there was no sound coming from the other side. Her mind may have been in turmoil, but her body was blissfully unaware of the conflict. Her limbs were heavy and weak as she cleaned up and prepared for bed. She’d be able to sleep, out of sheer exhaustion if nothing else.
    For now, it would have to be enough.

    * * *

    God hates me.
    That was Caleb’s only explanation for the particular brand of hell he was in.
    He drained his second beer and contemplated switching to something a little stronger. Jesus, did the woman have to be so loud?
    He let his head fall, the jolt of pain as his forehead hit the counter not enough to distract the raging hard-on demanding release from his jeans.
    The moans coming from the bedroom left no question as to what she was doing. Images of her naked and spread out on his spare bed filled his mind. Was she on her back or on her hands and knees? Did her pussy sport the same fire-red hair that adorned her head? Did she go fast or slow?
    Caleb bit down on his tongue. Hard. It was either that or strip off his jeans and come along with her. He was not going to jack off in the middle of his own kitchen.
    Was. Not.
    Jesus fuck, she was going to kill him. When they’d first met, she’d been too young, too pretty for her own good. His family had been grieving the loss of their parents and Caleb had just returned home, still recovering from his own wounds. Amanda wouldn’t speak to him; Alec and Brandon weren’t much better. Samantha—with her smart mouth and penchant for trouble—had been the key to his family’s recovery. Instead of being grateful to her for bringing them together, Caleb had resented her for doing something he’d been unable to do.
    The truth was, she’d intrigued him, made him hard when he’d had no business thinking about her, and that had pissed him off too. He’d actually tried to convince himself he didn’t like her. It hadn’t worked, but he’d treated her as if it had.
    Tonight had cured him of that particular ailment.
    Seeing her blood on her hands had been an event of the life altering variety. He’d fought the urge to touch her from the moment they’d gotten into the truck. But, as she’d slapped him away, he’d seen the shadows around her eyes, the frown lines around her mouth. She hadn’t fooled him for a second. She’d been hurt and scared, and too proud to admit it.
    He wanted to throttle her, hold her, protect her—all at the same time. He could deny it, but it wouldn’t change anything.
    He wanted her.
    The implications made his head spin. It’d be a colossal mistake to get involved with her. Samantha valued control as much as he did. Caleb had stopped resisting his dominant nature years ago. It was part of being a Marine. It was part of who he was.
    He was old enough to know his sexual boundaries and he’d had enough partners to know what he liked and what he