Page 15 of Sinful Blaze

Immediately, every fiber of my instinct challenges that last thought with a resounding, Yes, the fuck she is.

“Photo.” I force myself to keep my voice calm. It’s not her fault I’m feeling a very misplaced sense of possessiveness over her.

“Yeah. One she took while they were… Ah, I suppose ‘doing it’ is the technical term.”

I snort a laugh. I can’t help it. Stereotypical idiots playing stereotypically idiotic games.

But when I see the crestfallen expression on her face, I regret it. “Do they know just how stupid they really are?”

“No. Not at all.”

“But you’re smart.”

Daphne flashes those magnetic blue eyes at me. “Am I? Because this sure doesn’t feel smart.”

“What doesn’t?” I cock my head to one side. “You left him. You left both of them to burn their world down together. You showed them, both of them, what happens to people who fuck you over. And then you took the most gorgeous man at the event and rode him until you were done with him. That sounds pretty damn smart to me.”

She stares at me like I’ve lost my ever-loving mind. What the fuck do I know? Maybe I have.

What I do know is that for some inexplicable reason, I need to see her smile—and when it breaks across her face and she laughs, it’s almost as good as feeling her fingers digging into my back.

“Wow.” Daphne shakes her head and tries to stifle her laughter. “When you put it like that… I am so messed up.”

“Yeah, well, you’re in good company.”

She steadies her gaze on me. The smile stays where it is, thankfully. “So what about you?”

“What about me?”

“What’s got you so messed up? I mean, no sane man just literally blows away five million. You must have some skeletons in the closet.”

If only she knew. It’s cute that she thinks she has nothing to do with my insanity. To be fair, there’s more than enough to answer that question long before meeting her tonight.

I’m just not at liberty to talk about any of it.

I roll my shoulder in a half-shrug. “Family, mostly. Growing up with expectations no one is ever able to fill no matter how perfect they are.”

Daphne scoffs. “Tell me about it.”

“Rough upbringing?”

“Oh, no. Don’t try to turn it around. This is about you now.”

I feign surprise and point to my chest; she grins and nods. In mock surrender, I sigh and slump back in my seat. “I swear, I’m really not that interesting.”

“Says the man with five million to quite literally burn.”

“Trust fund kid.”

“Bullshit.”

Damn. I really like her. She meets me eye-to-eye and doesn’t fawn over me like every other woman who sees my black American Express card and instantly wants to become a sugar baby.

“Investments.” I smirk at her incredulous look. “That’s the honest answer. I watch trends, hunt for opportunities. Every now and then, I see something new and promising that turns out to be the next big thing.”

Her dark brow arches. “Like Conrad?”

“Fuck no.” We share a laugh and my God, I could drown myself in her voice. “His ‘art,’ if it can even be called that, is a plague upon mankind. I’m honored to have been the one to personally eradicate the worst offender.”

---