Read Online Jake: The Sinner Saints #3 by Adrienne Bell - Free Book Online Page B

make it twenty then,” Verity said with a nervous little laugh. “I don’t know about you, but I could really use a cold beer right now.”
    Jake gave a tense nod as he turned the knob and walked out of the room.
    The door shut behind him with a soft click, and Verity didn’t waste any time rushing over to the window and pulling back the corner of the heavy drape. She leaned her shoulder against the wall as she watched Jake stride away across the parking lot, only letting the curtain drop once he had turned the corner onto the sidewalk.
    Twenty minutes.
    Suddenly, that seemed like a lot of time to be left alone with all of her thoughts and plans and regrets.
    Especially since one of those three felt a lot heavier than the others.
    A hell of a lot heavier.

Chapter Five
     
     
    Jake stared up through the darkness of the ceiling above his bed.
    Verity had turned off the light above her bed well over two hours ago, but he was nowhere near falling asleep. It looked like tonight wasn’t going to be much different than any other.
    That wasn’t entirely true.
    This one was shaping up to be a hell of a lot worse.
    And he’d be a liar if he said that he’d expected anything else.
    There’d been a couple minutes there when he’d been out walking when he’d hoped that the fresh air and solitude would clear his head. But hoping was a hell of a lot different than expecting .
    Now Jake knew, down to the marrow of his bones, that it was going to be a long time before he was able to shake the image of Verity down on her knees, her hand pressed against his chest, her wide, dark eyes staring up at him.
    His cock stirred at the memory.
    Shit .
    This knot that had formed deep in his belly had nothing to do with lust.
    Okay. Maybe that wasn’t totally true.
    But it wasn’t completely about lust.
    Desire was something Jake knew well. He understood it. He was a damned master of it.
    He’d felt the passion pouring out of her fingertips as she’d caressed his skin. He’d heard the soft tremble in her voice when she spoke. She wanted him.
    And that was fine.
    He wanted her back.
    Hell, the air between them had been crackling since the moment he’d first spied her back at the Crossroads. God knew, there was nothing Jake wanted more than to spend the night peeling off her clothes and exploring every lush curve her body had to offer.
    But he wasn’t going to.
    Verity Green might be the most tempting woman Jake had come across in months—hell, years—but she was also his responsibility. He was honor-bound to protect her. And not just her body, but all of her.
    It had nothing to do with Carter forcing him to take this ridiculous assignment. Verity had tracked him down because she trusted him. Her devotion to her brother might be misplaced and her reasoning might be flawed, but that didn’t change a damned thing.
    Verity might want him with a passion that showed in every move she made, but she needed him more. She needed him to be sharp and on top of his game…and not distracted like he had been that morning with Tessa and Charlie.
    That’s why he’d been so certain that he’d be able to resist Verity’s hungry gaze as he explained the story behind his tattoo.
    And he had been.
    But what he hadn’t been prepared for was the look of deep understanding that he’d found there too. One look at the compassion burning bright in her eyes and Jake had felt himself falling deep into unfamiliar territory.
    He was used to women wanting him. He was even accustomed to a little curiosity. But that was about as far as things went.
    About as far as Jake would let them go, if he was being honest.
    But Verity hadn’t waited for his permission. She’d just jumped straight in with her empathetic looks and her gentle questions. Then she’d listened to his answers as though she truly cared about what he had to say.
    As though she truly cared about him.
    And that was what had him wide awake and staring up at the ceiling. At least it wasn’t guilt