Page 4 of Deadly Sins

2

Grant

THE VIXEN STANDING IN FRONT of me barely resembled my beautiful ex-girlfriend Mia. Her waist-length brown hair that had once carried the scent of coconut milk and vanilla beans was now tinted fuchsia and chopped off into a long, angled bob with spiky bangs. Her freckled skin was painted up like a streetwalker’s. Her nails, which had always been kept short and pale, were filed into sharp points and polished black, like daggers.

I fucking hated her full look. Like some bullshit revenge breakup makeunder meant to ensure that I wasn’t attracted to her anymore.

It didn’t work—I still wanted her.

My eyes lingered on her small breasts and fell down to her wide hips. “There’s nothing I can do. No one remembers anything—and if they do, they aren’t talking. I’m sorry. For what it’s worth, I don’t think he’s guilty.”

“Of course, he’s not guilty. But you can help him, right? You know the men on your Team. You were at the party. We can find out who killed that girl. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“Whatever it takes? What the hell are you talking about?”

She inhaled deeply through her nose and then exhaled through her mouth. “I don’t know. I haven’t figured it out.”

I laughed. “Well, let me know when you do. Until then, you can get the fuck out of my place.” I urged her toward my door.

Her eyes darted around, but she held her body firm, refusing to budge. “I know we can figure out something if we put our heads together. We can do this.”

I sneered at her. “We? There is no ‘we.’ You made sure of that.”

A flash of guilt must have caused her to avert her gaze as she looked down at her feet and bit her nail.

“Maybe I could go undercover? I’m a chameleon. An actress…a makeup artist. I’ve reinvented myself so many times, even you wouldn’t be able to recognize me.”

This bitch was crazy. “You can’t be serious. You’re five-feet-four-inches tall, one hundred thirty pounds. I used to have to open spaghetti jars for you. You think you can defend yourself against a SEAL? No way can you outsmart my Team. Sorry, Mia. It will never work. You’re delusional. I could recognize you no matter how you changed.” I had memorized every inch of her body, the sound of her voice when she whispered my name, the way her lips parted when she was embarrassed, the glint in her hazel eyes when she wanted her way, and the flush on her cheeks when she came.

I loved you.

Picturing her smile had gotten me through those long muddy nights freezing my balls off in the frigid water during BUD/S. Her faith, her love, her belief in me had kept me from quitting, from ringing that bell.

Too bad it was all complete bullshit.

She touched my face, tracing the beard that hid the scar on my neck. “I just need one of them to talk.”

I pushed her hand away. My stomach churned. I couldn’t stand the sight of her anymore. Couldn’t she see the hurt in my eyes? I’d once looked at her with warmth, love, devotion. Now only her betrayal lingered in the air. “SEALs don’t talk.”

She let out a laugh. “You did. You used to tell me everything.”

Smartass. My fist clenched. “Yeah, I did. Only because you were my girl. What are you going to do—fuck them all?”

A wicked smile graced her lips. “Why the hell not? I’m single, remember? You made it clear you never wanted anything to do with me again.”

My chest tightened. She was taunting me. The thought of her, my girl, being screwed senseless by my friends, made my palms sweat. She was mine—only mine. She’d lost her virginity to me, and I’d always found comfort in knowing that no other man had ever touched her.

Images flashed through my head of another man kissing her, fucking her, making her come, Mia screaming out his name.

I swallowed hard and steadied my breath. “Stop, Mia. We both know damn well you were the one who fucked things up. Even if you were that much of a bitch and wanted to fuck me over more than you already have, none of them would touch another Team guy’s woman. Especially since you’re also Joaquín’s sister. I only got away with sleeping with you because we started dating before Joaquín and I became SEALs. And no matter what you think, in their eyes, you will always be mine.”

She cringed, and I noted the look of shame on her face. Had she cheated on me back then? I would never believe that. Like a wild animal, I was confident that I could’ve sensed another man’s scent on my woman. Even so, Mia was hiding something from me. There was more to her leaving me than being too young for a serious relationship.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have a fucking clue what her secret was. She never even gave me the chance to fix it.

She leveled her gaze on me. “Yeah? Yet you sure are quick to abandon Joaquín at the first sign of trouble. So much for leaving no man behind. You know if the situation were reversed, Joaquín would do anything possible to set you free.”

Dammit, I shouldn’t have let her in the door. This was already too intense, too emotional. “It’s not that simple, and you know it. I’m under orders not to talk to him.”