Isle of Sin: A Standalone Dark Romance

Oh my God.

I felt like a penguin, waddling around Asher’s villa, searching for some way to burn off the insane amount of food I’d eaten for breakfast today.

He’d taken me on a partial tour of the island, but it hadn’t been enough to help me feel better about our gluttonous activities this morning.

No one had ever allowed me to eat like that.

Ever.

Not my parents. Not my instructors in school. Not Nathan or any of the men he’d sent me out with.

It was my duty in life to remain petite and curvy in only the right places. But Asher hadn’t said a word as I’d shoveled bite after bite into my mouth.

I’d kept waiting for him to react.

All he’d done was smile and join me in the unhealthy feast.

Then he’d walked around with me, holding my hand like I was his date, and brought me back here to meet with Dr. Zansky and his nursing assistant, Miranda.

I suspected he’d brought her along to help me feel more comfortable with his visit.

It hadn’t worked.

Anything involving a physician usually equated to pain.

However, all he’d done was check my hand and the back of my head. He’d asked about everything else without demanding I show him and had said I was healing appropriately. But he wanted me to keep an eye on my hand and the numbness I’d reported to Asher.

I’d been surprised to hear that he’d actually passed that information along.

“Asher also tells me you’re not taking your medication,” he’d added. “Are they making you feel sick, or do you have an aversion to them?”

“I prefer not to take them,” I’d admitted, not trusting him or the pills he’d given me.

Rather than fight me on it, he’d nodded. “Well, they’re there if you need them. Or if you prefer another brand, then let Asher know and we’ll order whatever you need.”

I still couldn’t believe he’d just accepted my refusal. I’d expected him to go straight to Asher to voice his disapproval, but he hadn’t.

Instead, he’d met with Asher in front of me, saying that I was recovering as expected and to continue limiting my activity.

Asher had nodded, thanked him, and then said, “Feel free to take a nap, Adalyn. I have some work I need to catch up on.”

Then he’d disappeared into his office—which I now knew was on the first floor near the back of his property with windows that overlooked the beach—and hadn’t said a word to me since.

I’d stood just outside his door, wondering what I should do.

Then I’d taken myself on a tour of his downstairs.

Living area with two couches.

Huge kitchen with a breakfast nook framed by windows, just like his office.

A dining room.

Another seating area, but smaller—this was the one I’d been able to see from the stairs.

And a darkened room in the opposite corner of his home from his office, the windows here all covered in black shades. It had given me chills until I realized the chairs were all facing a screen.

A theater.

I wasn’t sure what he liked to watch.

I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

Lie, some part of me had whispered. You very much want to know.

Which was what had led me to finding his closet full of movies.

Action flicks.

My brow had furrowed and I’d left, confused once again by Asher Sinner and his intentions.

I’d wandered back upstairs and tried to nap, yet couldn’t.

And now I was waddling through his house again.

He hadn’t left his office, so I decided to give myself a tour of the outside.

I stepped through the sliding doors at the back of his living area and took in the massive pool patio resting between me and the beach.

I could go for a run, but the wave of dizziness hitting my skull told me that probably wasn’t a good idea.

However, I needed to do something to help expel some of this guilt from overeating.

It was a horrible sensation, one I hadn’t anticipated while taunting him with my food. Perhaps that was why he’d allowed me to continue stuffing my face.

Although, I suspected that wasn’t the case at all.

He’d been trying to make a point these last few days to prove that he wasn’t like the men I knew. Meeting his sister was proof enough of that. She’d been… happy. An emotion I recognized because I’d seen it on Jen’s features several times throughout our college years.

Especially when she spoke about Pierce.

At least until recently.

I twisted my mouth to the side, wondering if I could find a phone to call her.

But I didn’t want to risk anyone picking up on the conversation.

I knew our old apartment was bugged—it was the only reason Nate had allowed me to live there. A test to ensure I didn’t say anything to anyone outside the inner circle.

That test had come to a head a few months ago after I’d taken Jen to Ecstasy with me. We’d run into her older brother and his best friend, also known as the love of Jen’s life. The two men had seen me with my trainer, which had resulted in a few questions from Jen.

But I’d handled them.

Something Nate had rewarded me for by giving me a weekend off from testing my limits.

Definitely not the same kind of rewards Asher kept giving me.

Dreams, I thought. A safeword.

I was starting to believe that he meant it, that he meant everything he’d said to me.

Hence the reason he’d given me the liberty to eat whatever the fuck I wanted today.

“Ugh,” I muttered, pressing my palm to my stomach. I didn’t actually feel much different, telling me the sensation was more mental than physical. But I’d eaten a lot.

My gaze fell to his pool, assessing the length of it.

Maybe I could swim some laps.

That wouldn’t be too vigorous. It kept me nearby—something I suspected he wanted—and it wouldn’t be nearly as high impact as running.

Of course, now would be the time to try to escape, I thought, glancing out at the waves. But where would I go?

And if I were being completely honest with myself… I kind of wanted to stay.

Which was obviously insane and likely a desire created by my head injury.

It had nothing to do with how Asher made me feel every time he touched me. Or how my stomach fluttered each time he whispered in my ear.

Such a unique sensation. When Nate spoke to me in that manner, I usually felt sick inside.

But Asher’s words and tone warmed me instead. He left me feeling light. Airy. Breathless.

I wanted to lean into him, not away from him.

A dangerous desire. One that suggested I was beginning to trust him more than I should.

I needed something to distract myself. And a way to feel better about this morning’s feast.

A swim. Definitely a swim.

I didn’t have a suit. But I doubted they were required on this island, let alone in a private pool.

I kicked off my sandals and pulled my dress over my head. Then I shimmied out of my thong before unclasping my bra.

Nudity had never bothered me. Perhaps because of my training. But I’d always been confident in my body, even in my teen years.

That confidence had bled into my sexuality as an adult. While there were certain activities I despised, there were just as many that I enjoyed.

Such as submitting.

And being tied up.

Both actions typically turned me on.

Unless I was being bound for cruel purposes—something Nate had liked to do for punishment. That I did not appreciate. Which he’d known, of course. Hence the reason he’d used that pleasure against me.

I don’t want to think about him now, I decided, taking a deep breath of fresh air. He’ll never tie me up again. Because he’s dead.

“Good riddance,” I muttered as I jumped into the pool.

I was never the type to slowly slip into the water. I preferred to rip the bandage off and go for it.

The cool liquid swallowed me whole, causing goose bumps to pebble along my arms. I smiled, loving the buoyant sensation as I broke the surface.

Swimming calmed me.

I wasn’t very good at it, but I loved the way it felt to command the water with my fingertips and toes. Floating made me feel free. Like I could conquer anything in this weightless state.

My eyes closed, the sun warming my face as I kicked my feet to propel me slowly to one end. I turned and started back toward the other side, only for a shadow to disturb my serenity.

A chill swept along my spine as I realized a man stood at the edge with his hands on his hips, his posture disapproving.

The place he stood made it hard to see his features, the sun blinding me and lending him a figment-like appearance.

“What the fuck are you doing?” he demanded, making me blink.

Asher.

The ice dancing along my spine melted beneath a wave of warmth, my toes curling as I moved to tread water in the deeper end of his pool. “I’m swimming.”

“Is that considered a restful activity, Adalyn?”

“Yes,” I replied. “Very restful.”

I couldn’t see his expression, but I suspected it held a touch of disapproval because his posture appeared rigid. “Get out of the water, Adalyn.”

My brow furrowed. “Why?”

“Because I said so.” The dominance in his tone almost had me obeying on instinct.

But I rather liked my tranquil state.

And I didn’t feel like leaving it.

“No,” I told him, resuming my floating position.

“No?” he echoed, the word rippling against my ears beneath the water. “Adalyn.”

I ignored him.

Maybe this was the push he needed to act.

I probably shouldn’t test that with a stomach full of food. There was a reason I’d tended to eat very little around Nate and his friends—they’d often done things to me that had left me feeling sick, or worse.

However, I’d indulged this morning mostly to see how far Asher would let me go.

As far as I wanted, apparently.

So why not test him again by allowing my bratty side to come out to play?

He’d wanted the real Adalyn, right? To know how I felt. To know what I desired.

Well, right now, I desired a swim.

“Adalyn,” he repeated, sounding closer this time.

“I’m busy swimming right now, Mr. Sinner,” I informed him with a happy sigh. “Come back later.”

It was a dangerous statement.

A taunt.

An invitation, I realized, grinning inside.

He kept playing these games, refusing to show me his dark side. But I felt it humming beneath the skin. I wanted to provoke him into showing me his true colors, to make him react and prove that my suspicions were right about him.

Because if he didn’t do that soon, I would start to consider the unthinkable—that all this was true.

That he really did want to help me.

Heal me.

Save me.

Heroes don’t exist in my world. Only villains.