Page 97 of Deadly Secrets

“I’ve only gone a couple of times with him. My mom is pro-guns, but I don’t like them. It used to be locked when I was a child, but since she installed a new high-level security system, she has kept it open, and the office closed. If someone breaks in, we would immediately know.”

I shut the office door as we made our way toward the staircase. There were four bedrooms, all located on the second floor.

“There’s only four bedrooms…” Sienna observed.

“You can sleep with me if you want. Or not…” The corner of my mouth twitched with amusement as Sienna rolled her eyes. “But let’s not worry about that now. We can assign rooms after dinner.” I didn’t push further on the sleeping arrangement because I wasn’t sure where we stood. Ander had told us while she was in the ICU that they’d slept together the morning after our wild night, which was the reason he and Sienna hadn’t talked in days. Apparently, he went mental when he found us sleeping naked in Zayn’s bed, but their argument turned out to be just a warm-up act before they eventually ended up tearing their clothes off. I thought it would piss me off to imagine them together, but I knew they had history, and them being together seemed like the obvious finale to the incredible mess we had created. It was all kind of fucked up, and now I wondered if Zayn and I had only been a distraction.

The idea of losing her was like a painful jab in my chest. I couldn’t get her out of my mind, continuously craving her, feeling an intense urge to keep her safe and make her smile. I couldn’t help but be drawn to her whenever she was around, much like how the moon orbited around the Earth or like a moth to the light. I had tried for a long time to play it all as mere entertainment, a fun ride, the thrill of the hunt, and all that. The reality was that Sienna Moore had become my whole world, and now I had to contemplate a different possibility: that she and Ander might ultimately find their way to each other, leaving Zayn and me as nothing more than a story she’d share with her friends during a game of bridge at the golf club.

When we reached the bottom of the stairs, all our luggage had been brought in.

“Thank you for bringing my bag inside, guys.” Sienna thanked them.

“No worries, babe,” Zayn responded. “Do you like the house?”

“Yes, it’s beautiful. I guess you’ve been here before, right?” Sienna accepted a glass of water that Maggie had poured for her.

“Yes, we’ve been a couple of times since we met last year. It’s a short trip from Stanford.” Ander placed his backpack on the couch and took out an iPhone charger. “Noah, what do you want us to do about the food? Do you want us to go into town before I take my jacket off?”

“Actually, yes. That’d be awesome.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Maggie asked.

“No, it’s fine. Just send me a text with anything you want, and we’ll buy it.”

While Zayn and Ander left to buy us food, I showed Maggie the house and asked her to pick a room.

“All of them are very similar, except for the bigger primary bedroom, which has a walk-in closet, but all of them have their own bathroom, so you won’t have to share the space with us.”

“Where are you going to sleep, Sienna?” Maggie asked her friend.

“I haven’t thought about it.” Sienna nervously nibbled on her lower lip while casting a shy glance in my direction.

“I’m happy to share my room with Zayn or Ander, so you have your own,” I suggested.

“You can stay with me.” Maggie knew that choosing a room could make Sienna feel like she was choosing one of us, but after what happened on New Year’s Eve, I only wanted Sienna to be safe and happy. I would sleep on the couch downstairs if she asked me.

“I think that’s a good idea, Maggie.”

I tried not to look disappointed because a small part of me was looking forward to waking up next to Sienna’s beautiful face every morning.

I still had a week to convince her, though.

Chapter 37. ENOUGH WITH THE WORDS

(Sienna)

“I’m so sorry that I have to leave.”

Yesterday, Maggie received a phone call from the Stanford University Administration about some issues with her scholarship. She panicked, so I booked her an Uber back to campus.

Giving her a tight hug, I responded, “You don’t need to apologize, Maggie. I know how important that scholarship is for you, so keep me posted as soon as you know what the hell is happening, okay?” I stepped back, keeping my hands on her shoulders. “And if there’s anything we can do, please tell us. You’re a boss bitch and all of that, but you’re not less independent because you lean on your friends every now and then.”

“Okay, mom,” she replied while rolling her eyes.

Noah placed her luggage in the trunk and said, “Call us when you get there.”

“I will.”

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