The Sweetest Sin Read online

  It took an hour to make it to the plane and thirty more minutes after that to finally be in the air. Her cell phone rang three times while they waited, all from Sin. She didn’t know what to say, or do. It probably went against her, career wise, not to answer him. But the topic of conversation he wanted to discuss was something she wasn’t up for.

  Missy curled up next to her, listening to her music and reading a magazine she’d bought in the airport gift shop. Life made more sense when it was just the two of them. She took care of Missy, and in a way, Missy took care of her.

  Callie closed her eyes and tried not to think about him. It didn’t work. Business and pleasure never mixed well together, and Callie knew Sin would eventually grow tired of her. The man had never been in a true relationship, seeking a new bed partner a couple times a week. He claimed she was the only person he had sex with in the last year, but she didn’t believe it. There was no way he could become monogamous, no matter how much she hoped.

  The plane landed around two and Callie was glad to be back home. The busy streets and traffic jams weren’t missed, but the general atmosphere was. The studio wasn’t too far from the airport, and after a quick stop, they would be headed for home. Callie smiled. A bubble bath was calling her name.

  Her cell phone rang again and Missy picked it up. “If you’re not going to talk to him, then I will. I don’t want him pissed at me.” She flipped the phone open and answered. “Hello?”

  Callie waited, watching the traffic as she strained her ears to hear what he said.

  “Yeah, she’s here, but she’s pissed off at you about something.” Missy narrowed her eyes at Callie. “Oh. Okay.”

  Missy handed her the phone. “He says it’s an emergency. Work related.”

  Callie stopped at a red light and took the phone. “Hello?”

  “You’ve been avoiding me this whole damn time? I’ve called you five times trying to tell you that my life went up in flames, burning in fucking hell, and you’re avoiding me?”

  Guilt came over her. She’d never heard him this angry before. “I’m not talking about it.”

  “Good for you. Now, for the reason I called, it seems the bitch from the strip club is claiming I’m the father of her fucking baby.”

  Callie’s heart sunk as she approached Darkfever’s studio, immediately noticing the crowd of reporters and paparazzi swarming outside. “Shit, Sin. When did this come out?”

  “The first damn time I called you.” He huffed a breath. “I shouldn’t have to reassure you, but I’ll do it anyway. It’s all lies. Every bit of it, Callie. Stan said he saw some reporter talking to her, probably planting in her head that if she concocted a fake baby story she’d get money. She knows I’ve got money. That’s all this is about.”

  Callie’s chest ached. “Of course it is.”

  “Callie, don’t do this to me. I didn’t fuck anyone but you. I swear it.”

  “You don’t know what you did, Sin. You were piss-assed drunk when I came to get you. You probably couldn’t even spell your own name.” She pulled in the parking lot and stopped the car on the far side of the building to the entrance that was security protected. “What’s the floozy’s name?”

  “Sandy is her real name. She goes by Mystique at the club.”

  Rage poured into her veins. “Dammit, Sin. The girl that you licked whiskey off of?” Missy’s eyes widened, and Callie pinched the bridge of her nose. “Missy, go inside. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  “But,” she started to protest and decided against it when Callie looked up at her.

  After Missy was gone, Callie continued, “Is she the girl that entertained your drunk ass a couple nights ago?”

  “Yes.”

  “Fuck.” She shook her head tears coming to her eyes. “What do you want me to do?”

  “I didn’t sleep with her that night or any night for that matter. We’ve never had sexual intercourse, and there is no possible way I can be the father of her baby—if there is a baby. Callie, you have to believe me. I’m telling the truth.”

  “Yeah. Your track record for telling the truth is so credible.” Her worst fears were coming to life. “Look, I’ll contact the lawyers and talk with the media. Hopefully, she’ll back down and bring you out of the limelight. Your good-boy reputation should still be intact.”

  “Callie, I swear to you—”

  She clicked the phone off and climbed out of the car. It didn’t matter what he said. She would do her job—what they paid her to do—and be done with it. With him.

  It will never end. Whether we’re married, single or hating each other’s guts. She stopped at the door, pausing to build her strength. Personal feelings needed to be pushed aside. Right now, it was business, and she was damn good at her job. She opened the door and stepped inside the studio, ready to fight.

  * * * *

  Sin arrived in L.A. around seven and immediately went to the studio. Callie was in her office, phone to her ear, as she chatted with the lawyers about the girl’s claims. He waited for her to hang up, noticing her reaction to him being there was anything but pleased.

  “Well, it’s one big headache, but I think I’ve got it all straightened out. Our lawyers have been fighting with hers, and I spoke with the media about her claims. All she wanted was money, and as it turns out, one of the paparazzi that was following us teamed up with Sandy to share the supposed settlement they thought they would get. Your story stands true. She publicly admitted she never slept with you.” She folded her fingers together, resting them before her. “Too bad the fucking morons didn’t have a clue as to what the hell they were doing when they planned this little scheme or your ass would be screwed. The girl is as dumb as a box of rocks.”

  He wanted to hold her. To wrap his arms around her and thank her for saving his ass again. Instead, he moved to the chair opposite her and sat. “Thank you.”

  “It’s my job. I have a press release you need to approve and then I’ll go to the media with it.”

  He nodded. “When are you going to talk to me?”

  “We’re talking now.”

  “Then tell me what happened last night that made you so pissed. Tell me why you cried.”

  She stood and walked around her desk to close the door. “Because you’ll never change and I have no right to ask you to. You aren’t the type of person to settle down with one woman, Sin. You’ve never been in a real relationship. You don’t understand or deal with the hardships that come with being in a relationship, and I can’t commit to that. I need someone that will be in this fifty-fifty with me, fighting by my side to make it work.”

  “Don’t tell me what I want or what I know.” He stood and crossed the room to where she stood at the door. “You can’t commit to anything. I swear the first sign of something getting out of your control, you run. You look for some stupid excuse to cling to and take off with your tail tucked between your legs going the opposite way. This scandal just proved it, Callie.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not running. You need to grow up. And this scandal only proves what I’m saying to be true. You had me. Why did you need to go to the club to be with her?”

  “You didn’t want me!” he yelled. “You get on your high horse saying sex is all we’ll be and you fucking walk away. If you don’t want me, tell me now, so I don’t waste any more time trying to prove to you I’m not going to bail. I’m not your father, Callie.”

  Tears gathered in her eyes, each one nearly breaking his heart.

  “How dare you bring him into this? You know jackshit about him and the situation.”

  “I know he gave up his two little girls because he couldn’t handle it. I know he left you, an eighteen-year-old girl, to take care of not only herself but her seven-year-old sister too. That’s all I need to know. He ran from his responsibilities, Callie, just like you’re running from your relationships.” He cupped her cheeks and forced her to look into his eyes. “I love you. I want to be here for you. Why won’t you let
me?”

  Tears rolled down her cheeks. “Because.”

  “Because why?” When she didn’t respond, he continued, “I swear, you are the only woman I want to be with. Not just now, baby, I mean forever.”

  She turned her face into his palm, the soft wetness slicking his skin. “You’re a rock star. I’m not cut out for that lifestyle.”

  “Stop making excuses. You’ve been right by my side at my concerts and have seen everything I do.” He lowered his hands to her shoulders.

  “I can’t do this. I have work to finish up,” she said, meeting his eyes again. “You need to go.”

  Her dismissal pissed him off just as much as her excuses. He clenched his jaw and left the room, looking for something to slam his fist into. Instead, he found Missy in the lounge staring at him while she listened to her MP3 player.

  “You’re not pissed off at me, too, are you?” Missy clicked the small gadget off and pulled the headphones from her ears.

  “No,” he growled.

  She sat up and pressed her lips together, obviously wondering if she should speak or keep her mouth shut. Sin took pity on her and sat on the couch.

  “Go ahead. You’re just like your sister, except she doesn’t care what people think of what she says. What’s on your mind?”

  Missy wrapped the cord of her headphones around her MP3 player. “I was just going to say even though I don’t know what you’re fighting about, Callie hasn’t dated much. The losers she went with liked her for arm candy and a roll in the hay. She’s not exactly used to guys giving her a carefree life. She’s quick to find excuses to end it with the intention she won’t get hurt if she’s the one that pulls away. I guess all I’m saying is I like you, and I believe you like my sister. Don’t let her insecurities prevent you from being with her.”

  Sin sat back against the couch. “When did you become so wise?”

  “When I spent the whole freaking day with seventy-year old ladies while you and my sister spent the day making out.” Missy rolled her eyes and he laughed. “I love Callie, but she can be such a prune sometimes.”

  Sin smirked and reached for her music player. “Fine. I’ll take your advice. Can you get her to marry me?”

  Missy snorted. “No more than you can. But I’ll put in a good word for you.”

  “Thanks. What kind of music do you have on this thing?”

  “Push play and see.”

  “Missy? Are you ready to go?” Callie came out of her office, exhausted. Her back ached, her feet hurt, and the bubble bath she wanted earlier couldn’t come fast enough.

  “Oh, whatever.” Missy laughed. “You are so making that up.”

  “Am not,” Sin replied. “You wouldn’t believe half the stuff I knew about them if I told you. When bands tour together, we share hotels. The walls are usually thin. I’ve heard a lot of stuff some probably don’t even know I heard.”

  Callie stopped and frowned at her sister. “Missy, are you ready to go?”

  Missy jumped, startled by Callie’s voice, and jerked her earphones away from Sin. “Yeah. Sure. All set.”

  “Let’s go then.” She couldn’t avoid Sin’s piercing eyes. “I’m beat and I want a bubble bath.”

  Sin folded his hands on his stomach. “Darkfever confirmed the prom. We’re playing an hour long set.”

  Callie nodded. “Come on, Missy.”

  “So it’s going to be like that?” Sin stood and advanced on her before she could pull away. “You’re not talking to me now?”

  “I don’t have anything to say.”

  She made the mistake of looking up at him. He cupped the back of her neck and pulled her to him, his mouth crashing down on hers. She moaned against his lips, wanting desperately to push him away, but instead she pulled him closer. She was too weak to deny that she loved him. Too weak to deny she wanted him, that she wanted to be with him.

  “Stop pushing me away.” He rubbed his thumb against her lips. “Missy and I have already planned the wedding. We’ve already decided all three of us are going to live in our own home, one we buy together. Missy wants a job at Darkfever studios, and I promised her one. She’s staying with us until college but I told her that our home would always be her home.” He kissed her again. “I’m not giving up, Callie. You can be stubborn, but so can I.”

  Callie pulled away from him. He planned their wedding with Missy? He promised Missy their home would always be hers? He gave her a job working at Darkfever studios? Her mind swam with the information he’d just given her.

  “I’m bigger and stronger, babe. You won’t win this little battle. We’re meant to be together. I’m not going to stop loving you, and I’m not giving up.”

  Callie walked away from him with Missy following closely behind. Neither one spoke to the other until she sat behind the steering wheel of her car, Missy riding shotgun.

  “You planned my wedding with him?”

  “Yeah. He’s pretty cool. We argued over the colour of suit he should wear. He wanted white, I said black. He’s very stubborn, but with his tan skin, he might pull off a white suit. Who knows?”

  “Why do you do this to me?” Callie screamed.

  “Do what? I want to see you happy.”

  “Then leave me alone!” She bit her lip. “I can’t handle this. He’s pushing me. You’re pushing me. Just stop pushing me.”

  “Us stop? How about you stop? You’re the only one pushing, Callie, and you’re pushing him away. Do you have any idea what he said to me? The guy is head over heels in love with you. I swear it’s almost pathetic. Just stop with the insecurities and admit you’re just as crazy about him.”

  Callie weaved through traffic, finally pulling into her apartment complex and parking the car. Missy ran up to the apartment, leaving Callie in the car. She did love him. She didn’t know how to handle it but she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. When he talked about growing old and grey, her defences crumbled. Why couldn’t she just say yes?

  She grabbed her bag and stumbled up the steps, closing the door behind her. Missy was on the phone already, heading toward her bedroom as she talked about the Darkfever songs she and Sin picked out.

  Callie kicked off her shoes and headed toward the master bathroom, immediately drawing her bubble bath. Her cell phone sat to the side, and deep inside, she knew she should call him. Give it all up and risk her heart on love.

  And she was just about to, when her cell rang.

  “Hello?”

  “Are you naked, swimming in a sea of bubbles?”

  She wanted to smart off but frankly had no energy to. “No. Well, yes. I’m about to.” She walked into her bedroom while the bath filled. “I wanted to talk to you.”

  “Well, I’m here, babe. And I’m not going anywhere.”

  “You keep saying that.” She sighed. “It’s not as easy as you and my sister make it out to be. Nothing in my life has ever been easy, and it’s hard for me to believe in the happily-ever-after fairytale. I want to believe I’m the only one for you. I want to believe I can trust you.”

  “So believe it. I’ve never done anything to you to create doubt or distrust between us. I’ve always been honest about my feelings for you, about my intentions. Yeah, I’ve done some things I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry, baby, if that’s what put the doubt in your head. But I’ve been completely honest about everything that happened at both the club and in the past. And if you let me, I promise I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

  Callie went back into the bathroom to shut the water off. “You really want to spend your life with me?”

  “Yes. Every single day. It’s killing me not being with you now.”

  Callie put her phone on speaker and set it to the side while she undressed. Maybe it would work. It was a scary thought, but maybe, just maybe she and the glorified rock star could live happily ever after.

  Callie sank into the bathtub with her cell phone perched on the edge by her head. “I want you, Sin. I’m scared to death t
hough.”

  “What scares you? That I’ll be unfaithful? That I’ll leave you high and dry when a hot chick comes along? That I don’t love your sister and will kick her out as soon as I move in? What is it?”

  Callie felt the tears in her eyes, blurring her vision as she listened to him talk. “I don’t know. Everything. I’m scared of getting my hopes up and being let down.”

  “Because you feel out of control?”

  She really was that big of a control freak. “A little.”

  Callie sank into the water and closed her eyes. The bubbles popped against her skin, massaging the ache from her muscles. Right now, nothing mattered but hearing his voice. Even when she was as mad at him as she was today, his voice calmed her. Soothed her even as she lay in the bathtub, allowing herself to relax.

  “What happened with your father? He’s the reason you don’t trust me. You depended on him to take care of you, to be the stability in your unstable world, and he left you. I promise to you, Callie, I’m not going to let you fall. You feel like your world is spinning out of control, but I’m right here, baby. I’ll catch you and hold you. I’ll protect you when you need it and support you. I know you can take care of yourself and stand on your own two feet, but you don’t have to. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. You don’t have to.”

  She didn’t want to. Sin had inserted himself into her life. She didn’t want to let him go. She wanted to stop running, to finally give herself the chance to be happy. Callie contemplated last night’s conversation, recalling how Sin told her they made each other happy. It was true. She had fun when he was around, and it felt good. Missy liked him too.

  “Will you come over?” She opened her eyes and stared at the phone, waiting for his response. The line had been quiet for a while and when he didn’t respond immediately, she wondered if he was still there. She lifted the phone and put it to her ear. “Sin, are you there?”

  Instead of coming from the earpiece of her phone, his response came from the doorway. “I’m here.”

  Callie raised her head and stared at the man she loved with all her heart. He shut the bathroom door, clicked his phone off and set it on the vanity before gripping the bottom of his shirt and tugging it over his head. His shoes were next and then his jeans, both landing in a pile on the floor. Gloriously naked with his cock thick and hard, he walked towards her. He grabbed her phone and tossed it to the sink.