Page 39 of Moon's Promise

“Killyama came barging in the other day after the hours outsiders are allowed. Jade, Stori, and I were having—shall I say a good time? She killed the moment. The point I’m getting at, you wives aren’t allowed upstairs afterhours without your husbands. Did one of you come upstairs?”

Moon felt the hair on his arms stand up at the nervous tension hitting the room.

Winter took a bite, looking at her food. She was no longer meeting his eyes. “What makes you think that?”

“Killyama came upstairs, didn’t she?”

Winter’s gaze flew back to his. “Of course not.”

“I don’t believe you.” Moon narrowed his gaze on Winter. “One of you came upstairs.”

“Fine. You’re right. I went upstairs. Whoopee. Give Moon a star. I went upstairs to use the restroom. You can run and tattle to Viper if you want.”

Moon stared at Winter searchingly. Taking his mind back to that night, he thought about the fact that she did have the right length of hair. Without being obvious, he tried to gauge Winter’s size. He thought the woman he had been with might have been her size, but Beth wasn’t far off from her weight, either. Lily was the slenderer of all the wives.

Winter started talking to Beth, asking her about her day. Moon decided he had pressed his luck enough for the day. He carried the dirty dishes to the sink.

Going out the back door, he took a seat on the picnic table to light a cigarette. While smoking, he replayed the conversation with Winter. He had heard the ring of truth in her voice about going upstairs. That part, Moon believed. Had she decided to take a detour on the way back downstairs? He couldn’t tell from her reaction. One thing he knew for damn sure was she was hiding something, and he was going to find out what the fuck it was.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Moon was still sitting outside when Winter and Beth walked out.

Winter stopped when the concrete path curved to lead to Beth’s house. “Good night, Beth.”

“Night, Winter.”

Watching through the smoking haze as Beth hesitated leaving Winter, Moon took out another cigarette. “Night, Beth.”

Beth gave him a sharp nod, leaving Winter to walk toward her house.

“When did you start smoking again?”

“Tonight.”

“Why?”

“I felt the need,” he said meaningfully.

Winter frowned. “Is that supposed to have some kind of hidden meaning? Because you left me in the dark.”

“Like you left me?”

“Moon, I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

He gave an internal sigh. Whoever had slipped into his bedroom wasn’t Winter.

“I see that.” Moon pierced her with his eyes. “But you’re not being truthful. You weren’t the only woman who came upstairs that night. Who else was there?”

“What’s the big deal? Why does it matter so much?”

A footfall on the path had their heads turning to the side as Ember came walking down the path from Lily’s house.

“It’s a little chilly to be standing out here this late at night,” Ember said when she was within hearing distance.

“I’m about to go home,” Winter told her. “Moon and I were just chatting.”

Ember wrapped her arms around his, blatantly pressing it against her breasts. “I put the order form on your bed, Moon. The girls are so excited for their extra presents.”

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