Free Dirty Sexy Sinner by Carly Phillips & Erika Wilde Page B

through the devastation of losing someone she’d cared deeply for. No family to help her through her overwhelming grief and survivor’s guilt she’d struggled with. Even Michael’s wealthy family had blamed Tara for his death, and his sister, Brynn, had spewed such hate-filled words the last time Tara had seen her that Tara had wanted to curl up and die herself.
    It had been the darkest, most terrifying time of her life, and she’d never felt so isolated and afraid. Or abandoned.
    Clay Kincaid had changed all that. Once she’d left rehab clean and sober, he’d offered her a job and a chance to get it right. From the moment she started working for him, she’d felt the support of his brothers and the rest of the employees at Kincaid’s. They were all like family to each other, including Katrina, Samantha, and Sarah—the amazing women who were now a part of each brother’s life.
    Other than that small circle of people, Tara was a loner. She’d spent the past six years focused on her job, going to school, studying, and working through the guilt of Michael’s death with a therapist. She knew the self-blame would never go away completely, that sense of loss, but at least she’d learned to deal with the pain without reverting to those prescription drugs that had dulled her senses.
    She exhaled a sigh and glanced away from her image in the mirror as she lathered up a dollop of liquid soap over her hands. Everything about that time in her life had left her cautious, careful, and guarded. A part of her was afraid of letting go again, of allowing herself to feel deeply for someone, especially a man. She held herself back out of fear of not being good enough, of being tainted by a past filled with disgrace and shame, and therefore she was alone . . . and lonely. And that solitude was most evident when she witnessed the intimate, loving relationships that Clay, Mason, and Levi had managed to find for themselves. With them all paired off, she sometimes felt like the odd woman out.
    She’d dated a few times over the years since leaving rehab, but nothing had ever panned out. There had never been any sparks worth pursuing, and while the guys she’d gone out with had been more than eager to make it all about a casual hookup, it had never felt right for her. Therefore, she’d been deliberately celibate for the past six years. She and her battery-operated boyfriend were on really good terms. He gave her as many orgasms as she wanted and expected nothing in return.
    It had been the perfect arrangement without any emotional complications, until Jackson had walked into Kincaid’s a week ago and ignited a desire that only burned hotter and brighter each time she saw him. It was as though he’d flipped a switch inside her and had awakened all those erogenous zones that had lain dormant for so long. And the few times he’d touched her, she’d experienced a jolt of need that made her crave more of him.
    There was no denying that she wanted him to caress her body until she melted and moaned, which she suspected wouldn’t take much. She wanted those full, sensual lips sliding against hers, hard and demanding and hungry. And while he was at it, she wouldn’t mind his mouth on her breasts, sucking her nipples, and his tongue delving between her thighs. That was definitely something her vibrator wasn’t capable of.
    She turned off the cool water and reached for a paper towel as those shameless thoughts of Jackson managed to do what all her previous dates had failed to accomplish—make her wet and aroused and aching for the feel of a real cock thrusting deep inside her.
    She bit her bottom lip to keep her moan from escaping and came to a solid conclusion based on their mutual chemistry. Jackson Stone was exactly what she needed to finally end her six-year dry spell. He was gorgeous and sexy and pure temptation. Lean and lightly muscled in all the right places—the T-shirt and jeans he’d worn tonight showed off his toned