My Sinful Longing
Book Three in the Sinful Men Series
Lauren Blakely
Little Dog Press
Contents
Also by Lauren Blakely
Author’s Note
About
My Sinful Longing
His Prologue
Her Prologue
Prologue
1. Elle
2. Marcus
3. Elle
4. Colin
5. Elle
6. Colin
7. Elle
8. Colin
9. Elle
10. Marcus
11. Colin
12. Elle
13. Colin
14. Elle
15. Colin
16. Elle
17. Colin
18. Elle
19. Colin
20. Colin
21. Colin
22. Elle
23. Colin
24. Colin
25. John
26. Colin
27. Marcus
28. Colin
29. Elle
30. Colin
31. Elle
32. Colin
33. Elle
34. Marcus
35. Colin
36. Elle
37. Colin
38. Elle
39. Elle
40. Colin
41. Elle
42. Colin
43. Colin
44. Colin
45. Elle
46. Colin
47. Elle
48. Colin
49. Elle
50. Colin
51. Elle
52. Colin
53. Elle
54. Ryan
55. Marcus
56. Elle
57. Colin
58. Elle
59. Colin
60. Elle
61. Colin
62. Mindy
63. Elle
64. Colin
65. Michael
66. Elle
67. Elle
68. Colin
69. Colin
70. Dora
71. Lee Stefano
72. Elle
73. John
74. Colin
75. Elle
76. Colin
77. Kenny
78. John
Epilogue
Epilogue
Also by Lauren Blakely
Contact
Copyright © 2020 by Lauren Blakely
Cover Design by Helen Williams.
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. This contemporary romance is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners. This book is licensed for your personal use only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with, especially if you enjoy sexy romance novels with alpha males. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
Also by Lauren Blakely
Big Rock Series
Big Rock
Mister O
Well Hung
Full Package
Joy Ride
Hard Wood
P.S. It's Always Been You Series
P.S. It’s Always Been You: Part 1
P.S. It’s Always Been You: Part 2
P.S. It’s Always Been You: Part 3
The Gift Series
The Engagement Gift
The Virgin Gift
The Decadent Gift
The Heartbreakers Series
Once Upon a Real Good Time
Once Upon a Sure Thing
Once Upon a Wild Fling
Boyfriend Material
Asking For a Friend
Sex and Other Shiny Objects
One Night Stand-In
Lucky In Love Series
Best Laid Plans
The Feel Good Factor
Nobody Does It Better
Unzipped
Always Satisfied Series
Satisfaction Guaranteed
Instant Gratification
Overnight Service
Never Have I Ever
Special Delivery
The Sexy Suit Series
Lucky Suit
Birthday Suit
From Paris With Love
Wanderlust
Part-Time Lover
One Love Series
The Sexy One
The Only One
The Hot One
The Knocked Up Plan
Come As You Are
Sports Romance
Most Valuable Playboy
Most Likely to Score
Standalones
Stud Finder
The V Card
The Real Deal
Unbreak My Heart
The Break-Up Album
21 Stolen Kisses
Out of Bounds
The Caught Up in Love Series:
The Swoony New Reboot of the Contemporary Romance Series
The Pretending Plot (previously called Pretending He’s Mine)
The Dating Proposal
The Second Chance Plan (previously called Caught Up In Us)
The Private Rehearsal (previously called Playing With Her Heart)
Stars In Their Eyes Duet
My Charming Rival
My Sexy Rival
The No Regrets Series
The Start of Us
The Thrill of It
Every Second With You
The Seductive Nights Series
First Night (Julia and Clay, prequel novella)
Night After Night (Julia and Clay, book one)
After This Night (Julia and Clay, book two)
One More Night (Julia and Clay, book three)
A Wildly Seductive Night (Julia and Clay novella, book 3.5)
The Joy Delivered Duet
Nights With Him (A standalone novel about Michelle and Jack)
Forbidden Nights (A standalone novel about Nate and Casey)
The Sinful Men Series
My Sinful Nights
My Sinful Desire
My Sinful Longing
My Sinful Love
The Fighting Fire Series
Burn For Me (Smith and Jamie)
Melt for Him (Megan and Becker)
Consumed By You (Travis and Cara)
The Jewel Series
A two-book sexy contemporary romance series
The Sapphire Affair
The Sapphire Heist
Author’s Note
I originally wrote Sinful Longing in 2015. Late last year, as I began rewriting the first book in this series, I spotted an opportunity to improve aspects of Sinful Longing as well. This version is new and improved, with both a brand-new start to the romance, as well as a reframing of the romantic conflict. What’s more, the romance is now told by Colin and Elle
in first person, rather than third. I hope you enjoy these changes, as well as the additional characters you’ll get to know.
Also, please note that the events at the start of My Sinful Longing take place concurrently with the events at the end of My Sinful Desire. The overlapping timeline will give you a more detailed view into how the events transpired, all while taking you on a new couple’s romantic journey. Enjoy!
About
A sexy, emotional, suspenseful romance novel from #1 New York Times Bestselling author Lauren Blakely…
Some women are just off-limits.
But that doesn’t stop me from wanting Elle Mariano. She’s clever, big-hearted and the sexiest woman I’ve ever met.
The thing is, she’s fighting the demons of her past and do I ever know how hard those are to battle.
So I try my best to be her shoulder to lean on. Until the night we combust. And one night turns into hot, dirty days, and secret trysts.
If it all sounds too good to be true, it is. Because once I learn the secret she’s keeping from me, my entire family’s future turns riskier than I ever imagined.
Especially since the bastards who tried to tear my family apart years ago are tailing both of us now. Our every move…
My Sinful Longing
By Lauren Blakely
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His Prologue
I don’t claim to be an expert on anything, but life has taught me one hard and fast truth: the moments that change you may take you by surprise.
All the big moments in my life started out as average, ordinary days. Days where I ate my cereal, drank my coffee, and left home. But by the time day turned to night, the earth under my feet had shifted seismically. My place in the world had shattered, my outlook had boomeranged.
I’d counted two days like that so far in my life—the day my father was killed, and the day I decided to get sober.
Little did I know a year ago when I walked into the community center in a beaten-down neighborhood, ready to walk the walk and talk the talk, that that day would be another one of those moments.
One I never forgot.
Because it was the start of a new story, the kind that goes like this: So, there was this woman . . .
When I walked into her office to introduce myself, I figured I’d say hello, let her know who I was, tell her I believed in the center’s mission. I would be polite, professional, and then I’d be on my way.
I didn’t believe in love at first sight. I didn’t believe in much of anything but family, hard work, and to never bet against the house in Vegas. But when I saw Elle Mariano, her hair pinned up to reveal sparrows inked across her neck, standing at the window watering a tiny succulent plant in a pink terra-cotta pot, I was caught.
Hook, line, and sinker.
It wasn’t love.
But it was something powerful nonetheless.
It was instant longing.
She spun around, smiled, and spoke first. “Oh, hey. You must be our newest donor. I’m Elle, and this is Louis Armstrong,” she said, introducing me to herself and the plant.
That.
The woman named her plant.
And I was a goner. She was gorgeous, warm, and so damn easy to talk to. All of that was obvious in those first three seconds.
Seismically obvious.
My lips curved into a grin as I answered her. “Colin Sloan, donor and volunteer. Nice to meet you and Louis. What a wonderful world indeed,” I said.
She set down the green watering tin, some vintage metal thing that looked like she’d picked it up on Etsy. Walking over to me, she extended a hand, and we shook.
The smile she flashed next—it reeled me in.
Trouble was, I knew better than to mix business with pleasure. And she—well, she had her own reasons to draw all sorts of lines, as I’d learn much later.
That didn’t stop me from wanting her though. Nothing could, not even the friendship we developed over the next year.
That was how it went with the moments that changed your life.
You were powerless to stop them.
It was what you did next that mattered.
But with Elle, I wouldn’t have stopped anything.
Not even how that friendship would upend my neat, organized life, rocketing it into another moment that would change my life forever.
Her Prologue
Friend.
It’s one of those words that’s designed to make you happy.
Like chocolate and soft blankets and long, lazy afternoons in the sun.
Friendship is one of the greatest things in life. I was lucky to have lots of good friends, from my sister to the women on my roller derby team to the people I worked with. I was lucky, too, to count my family among that number. My mom. Even my son at times was like a friend.
But . . .
There’s always a but.
Every now and then, that word can be a double-edged sword. Sharp and dangerous.
Like when there’s a guy you maybe, possibly, might want to be more than friends with.
But in the immortal words of social networking, it’s complicated.
The day I met Colin Sloan a year ago, the afternoon sun streaming through the window as I watered one of my “crooners,” I had an inkling that he might not be like any other donor to the community center.
And I didn’t think he’d be like any other volunteer either.
It wasn’t his tattoos, though I do love me some ink.
It wasn’t his stubble either, but oh yeah, the kind of scruff he rocked was a fave of mine.
It was his eyes.
They gave everything away.
His deep, soulful brown eyes showed me his heart. They revealed him. Those eyes told me instantly that we were a lot alike. He’d been to hell and back. And damn, if I didn’t know the route to that place too. I’d traveled it without a map. Could find my way in the dark whether I wanted to or not.
His eyes locked with mine, and we sparked. I felt a sizzle that was more than physical. It was a connection. An understanding. And a longing too.
From that first day, I sensed we had the potential to become so much more. My heart dreamed of more.
But in my head, I knew we’d be better off as friends. Because I couldn’t risk a relationship. Not after what happened last time. Even though Colin and I never said it out loud, even though we never made an agreement, I knew we had to be friends and only friends.
And that was what we were for the next year, until the night everything changed.
But the physical wasn’t what made us so complicated.
The physical was easy. The problem was everything else.
It was all the people I never saw coming.
And the choices I’d have to make.
Prologue
Marcus
Present Day
I’d done it.
I’d told them.
The words I’d practiced for months had made landfall mere seconds ago.
My name is Marcus. I was born seventeen years ago at the Stella McLaren Federal Women’s Correctional Center. My mother is Dora Prince. I’m your brother. And my father is Luke Carlton.
Now, as I stood on the street with Colin and Ryan, my half-brothers, adrenaline surged through me.
Excitement too, and that was a brand-new feeling. One I hadn’t expected in this moment in front of Ryan’s home, where I’d tracked them down. In fact, it hadn’t occurred to me that I would feel so . . . jazzed.
Unburdened? Yes.
Relieved? God, yes.
But thrilled? That wasn’t in my practice tool kit, and Lord knew I’d practiced. I’d absolutely practiced what to say. You didn’t walk up to the family you’d never known, reveal who you were, and say ta-da without a ton of rehearsal.
Now I was waiting for their reaction. I didn’t know what to expect, but I hadn’t done this for their response. I’
d done it for me. Because I’d needed to.
And the person who’d helped me most to get to this place was Elle.
I was so damn glad I’d walked into her office a few weeks ago. Without her, I’d never have found the guts.