Free Seven Sexy Sins by Serenity Woods Page A

he turned her on? “Sexy. Hot. I’d never met him myself—I’d heard about him from other girls, but as soon as I turned up, he disappeared.” She ran her gaze down him. He was naked, completely unselfconscious, confident and relaxed in his nudity, and more than aware, she suspected, that his lean, muscled body was starting to heat her up again. “I mean, I’ve always realised you were popular with the girls. Heaven knows I’ve heard enough tales about your bedroom exploits from your girlfriends. But it’s only now I’ve really started to see that Rusty myself.”
    He reached over to get his Coke, displaying his wide chest with its crisp, curling hairs, and his tanned, muscular biceps to her before he turned back. He sipped the soda. “Do you like that Rusty?”
    She met his gaze. “I can’t see how any woman could fail to.” She picked up his left hand, examining his empty fingers. “How come you’re still single, after all the girlfriends you’ve had?”
    “I’m only twenty-six. And I haven’t had that many. You make me sound like a right tart.”
    She laughed. “Well, you’ve had more than me.”
    “Sweetheart, the Pope’s had more than you.”
    “I’ve had two boyfriends.”
    He snorted. “Two eunuchs, by the sound of it.”
    “Don’t change the subject. Come on, tell me, have you ever been in love? I know you were pretty hot on that girl…what was her name? Meredith? Did you love her?”
    He shrugged, clearly uncomfortable talking about it. “Not enough.”
    “Do you ever think you’ll relax your guard enough to fall properly in love?”
    “Nah.” He smiled.
    She rested her head on her hand as she studied him. “Do you want kids, Rusty?”
    His smile faded and his eyes took on a wary look. “No.”
    “Why not?”
    “You know why not.”
    “Because your father, and your grandfather and your great-grandfather were all bastards?”
    “Something like that.”
    “It doesn’t run in the blood, love.”
    He said nothing and she knew he was thinking about his brother. Cole, three years older than Rusty, had proved himself every inch a Thorne. A troublemaker throughout his school years, he’d got into a bad crowd, been arrested at twenty-one for burglary, spent six months in jail, and since then had been in and out of court on various charges. He got his girlfriend pregnant at twenty-five and had been decent enough to marry her but so far hadn’t exactly proved to be the ideal parent or husband. A drunk and a gambler, Cole was unreliable, hot tempered and basically unpleasant. Faith had often wondered if Rusty had been switched at birth.
    “You’re so different from them,” she said, reaching out to stroke his cheek. “You’re educated, you have a profession, you’re responsible and reliable… There’s not a nasty bone in your body. How on earth can you think you’re like them?”
    “The same blood runs in my veins.” His eyes were shadowed, dark.
    “I know. But it’s just blood, Rusty. It doesn’t mean anything.”
    The amusement had completely disappeared from his face, though, and she could feel the way he’d withdrawn from her. Suddenly she wished she hadn’t said anything. Had she spoiled the evening? Was he going to say he had to go now?

Chapter Eight
    His gaze fell to her lips and then to her breasts. To her relief, by the time he looked back up at her, he was smiling. “Enough about me. I’m much more interested in discovering how you’ve made it to twenty-two without doing any of your seven sexy sins.”
    She clutched the pillow to her, letting the intensity of the moment go, glad he’d decided to move on. “I don’t know. Just never got around to it. I didn’t go out with the two guys I’ve been with for long.”
    “You were at university for three years. You must have had other offers. And there was no Dan around to watch over you. I would have thought you’d have gone crazy with all that freedom.”
    She shrugged. “Mum wasn’t quite the ‘wait