For the Love of Sin

Forty-five minutes later, she’d lit a candle, put soft music on to play in the background and had eaten her vegetables. She removed her empty plate from the table.

The moment had arrived. Her heart beat faster. Her mouth began to water. Taking a deep breath, she stripped off the cellophane wrapper. It had been over a month.

The doorbell rang.

Senada sighed, giving a backward glance toward the door. She contemplated quickly biting the top off of the cupcake, but was determined not to rush this rare, small pleasure. She left the table and pulled open the door to Troy Pendleton.

She tried to close it, but his big foot prevented her.

“C’mon, Sin, give me a break. I’m here to apologize.”

That gave her pause.

“Sort of,” he added.

She gave the door another push.

“I brought chocolates.”

She opened the door and stared. “Chocolates?”

He gave a slow grin as if he’d just shot two through a basketball hoop. It was a grin designed to get past a woman’s defenses. Other women, she thought, would find that grin appealing. “You mentioned an apology?” she prompted, noting the box of candy.

“Are you going to invite me in?” He looked past her.

No. “I’m a little busy right now. I—” She broke off when she spotted her neighbor, Mrs. Rodriguez, running toward them at a breakneck pace. Senada had met a few of her neighbors, but Mrs. Rodriguez had been the most welcoming. The effusive, nurturing woman had even brought her homemade bread.

“My husband! My husband! He is dead!” Then she tore into a flurry of Spanish.

Senada shared a look of alarm with Troy, and all three rushed to the Rodriguez’s house. At first glance, Mr. Rodriguez did look dead, sitting limply in his chair with his head propped back and his mouth open. But Troy quickly determined the man was breathing. In the back of her mind, she noticed and appreciated Troy’s quick, calm manner. While Senada comforted her neighbor and called for an ambulance, Troy located a bottle behind the chair.

Apparently, the man had mixed alcohol with his medication. He would need medical attention but would be okay. By the time the ambulance arrived, Mr. Rodriguez was awake but groggy. Senada and Troy left while Mrs. Rodriguez read her husband the riot act in Spanish.

“I appreciate your help,” she told him as he followed her inside her house. Her antipathy toward Troy had faded. How could she hate him when he’d allowed Mrs. Rodriguez to blubber all over him?

“For a minute there, I didn’t know who was going to need medical treatment more, Mrs. Rodriguez or her husband.”

Senada grinned. “She’s very emotional.” She glanced at the table. The candle was gutted and the music had stopped. The lone cupcake, however, remained.

She shook her head. “Well, this has been an exciting evening.”

Troy nodded. “Yeah, I’m starvin’.” He picked up her cupcake. “You don’t mind, do you?”

Senada watched in horror as he took a bite. “Wait!”

He paused, glancing at her, then the cupcake. “It’s okay,” he assured her. “A little stale, but nothing’s wrong with it.”

Senada bit back a whimper. She’d only bought one cupcake because she couldn’t stand the temptation of having several around the house.

Troy swallowed another bite. “I apologize about the conversation with Juan, but I had to get him off my back.” He didn’t like explaining himself but had concluded it was necessary if he didn’t want any more beer dumped on his head. “And this way, I figured I could get him to leave you alone too. Sort of kill two birds with one stone.” He took another bite and polished off the cupcake.

He glanced at Senada. She was wearing a strange expression. If he didn’t know better, he would swear she was going to cry. “Something wrong?”

She stared at the empty paper cupcake liner.

“Sin?”

Her gaze met his. “I want my cupcake back.”

Troy blinked. “Your cupcake?”

She nodded. “I want it back. I’ve waited over four weeks to eat that cupcake, and I want it back.”

“Four weeks,” he echoed. “It wasn’t that stale.”

“I want my cupcake.”

Troy shot her a wary glance. The woman was loony. She must be on some strange kind of diet that was affecting her brain, he thought, then assessed her curves with masculine appreciation. “You don’t need to be on a diet. Why don’t you eat some of the chocolate candy I brought you?”

She hesitated, then sighed. “Let me see them.”

Troy lifted the lid off the box and presented them to her.

Senada closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. She looked as if she were having an erotic experience. “They smell wonderful,” she whispered.

The sensual expression on her face tugged at something inside him. Her whisper heated his skin. He pulled at his collar.

She carefully selected three pieces of candy and set them on a napkin in front of her. He expected her to put one whole piece in her mouth at a time. Instead, she took a small bite of the first chocolate and rolled it around in her mouth. He could practically imagine her tongue working over the morsel.

He watched her throat ripple when she swallowed.

“I know this makes no sense to you, but it’s been over a month since I’ve had chocolate, so I’m not reasonable about it.”

He watched her lick a chocolate buttercream center, and his gut tightened. He cleared his throat. “Lisa mentioned you have a, uh, weakness for chocolate.”

“She wasn’t lying.” Sin took another tiny bite and closed her eyes. “I can give up a lot of things, but this one’s tough.”

“Then why deprive yourself?” He was feeling a little deprived just watching her.

She shrugged. “Necessity.” She picked up the second piece. “And this has got to last a week.”

Troy watched, mesmerized, as she sucked the cherry from the center. His body grew warm at the sight of her pink tongue skimming over her lips. If her mouth did that to a little piece of chocolate, then what would she do to a man? He stifled a groan at the intimate image.

“You mind if I get some water?” he asked. When she absently shook her head, he headed for the refrigerator. Her attention was fixed on the chocolate with such intensity that he wondered if the rumors about her past lovers being carted off to the hospital were true. Troy pressed the cold glass to his forehead, then took a quick gulp.

Senada glanced up at him. “Could I have just a sip of that?”

“Sure.” He set the glass in front of her and watched her drink. He swallowed when she swallowed.