Page 48 of The Wages of Sin

Chapter Seventeen

KIERA

Waking up alone in Dorian’s bed was starting to become something of a habit.

The next day, I opened my eyes to find myself in the same situation as the night before—well, not exactly the same. I might have been by myself, but at least it wasn’t dark. Now sunlight was streaming through the windows, filling the room with bright, airy light.

On top of that, the place wasn’t as eerily still and quiet as it had been a few hours ago. Not only could I hear footsteps moving around outside the bedroom, but I was pretty sure I could make out voices.

Multiple voices.

Did Dorian have company over?

I clutched the blankets and brought them close to my chest, unsure what to do if he did. Should I stay hidden and wait for his guests to leave?

And what if the people weren’t guests at all? What if Carlo had finally tracked me down?

I jumped out of bed and rushed over to the door. Pulling it open just a fraction of an inch, I pressed my ear against the crack and listened.

“Thank you again, brother,” Dorian’s voice carried down the hall. “These look great.”

Brother? Any fear that it was Carlo out there flew out the window, and I breathed easy.

“It was no trouble.” The second voice was just as deep as Dorian’s but not as hard or guarded. It was a little warmer, a little looser. “Like I said, that shopper I know does good work.”

“You’ll have to give me her number,” a third voice said—this one more rigid and formal. “I can think of a few girls down at La Sera who would appreciate this kind of gift.”

These had to be Dorian’s actual brothers.

“I have a feeling my guest is going to like them.”

Like them? Like what?

“Speaking of your lady,” the first brother said. “Are you going to introduce us?”

“I’ll see if she’s awake,” Dorian answered.

After closing the door as quickly and quietly as possible, I raced back to the bed. I jumped on top of the mattress just in time for it to swing open again.

“What’s going on?” I asked, faking a yawn as Dorian walked in.

“Don’t act like you just woke up,” he said matter-of-factly. “I heard you open the door to spy on us.”

Immediately, I gave up the pretense of the wide, sleepy stretch I’d been doing and let my arms flop back down by my side.

He’d heard that? Shit.

Apparently, I wasn’t half as good at sneaking as he was.

“For your information, I wasn’t spying,” I told him. “I heard voices and wanted to make sure Carlo hadn’t kicked down your door.”

Dorian shook his head, dismissing my concerns. “Stop worrying about Carlo Costa.”

“Easy for you to say.” He wasn’t the one walking around with a price on his head.

But apparently, Dorian already considered the conversation over and moved on, holding out a brand-new pair of jeans for me to take.

They looked nice...too nice.

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