Page 101 of Sinful Temptations

But nope. I was not happy for him. I was angry at Lydia and the relationship she seemed to have with him.

Why did that eat me up so much?

I knew exactly why, and it was pure shit.

I was falling in love, which was also pure shit because I didn’t believe in love.

I need Zali.Grabbing my phone, I flopped onto the bed and keyed a text.

Hey, Z, you awake?

My phone buzzed seconds later.

Yep. Always. I don’t think Kane and Mom know how to sleep anymore

Oh, babe. I’m so sorry

Don’t sweat it. It can only get better. Speaking of better, how’s that sexy driver of yours?

He’s fine

Yeah, so’s the fucking weather. You manage to get him over his ex yet?

Huffing out a sigh, I pressed the FaceTime button.

In a flash, Zali appeared on the screen. “Well, this is nice.” The bags under her eyes were even darker than they’d been the last time I’d seen her.

It was nearly impossible to picture the Zali I’d first met—the one who lit up the room with her smile. The one who prided herself as a beautician and applied all her own techniques on herself. The one who was quick with a laugh and just as quick with a shoulder to cry on.

Now it looked like she needed a permanent shoulder to cry on.

“How are you going? How’s Kane’s teething and your mother?”

“Well, let’s start with me. I feel like I need to book myself into a beauty salon for a year to catch up on my treatments. Hell, my fucking pubes are so long I can braid them.”

I burst out laughing.

“It’s true. Wanna see?”

“No!”

“I’m telling you; I never knew pubes could get so fucking long. How do those female scientists in Antarctica do it? Imean, it’s too freaking cold to shower there. They must have bushes down to their ankles.”

Chuckling, I said, “Maybe they use it for warmth.”

Zali clicked her fingers. “Oh yeah, like their own personal blanket.”

We burst into fits of giggles and damn it felt good. Zali was the best friend ever. Within two seconds of chatting with her, I’d forgotten all about me and my stupid problems. “And your mom, how is she?”

“She’s good. She’s moved on from the dog biscuits but now she’s found the spaghetti. She can chomp on those sticks for hours. I figure as long as she doesn’t spear her larynx, she’ll be fine.”

She laughed and I joined her. “And Kane?”

She rolled her eyes. “I swear he’s doubling in size every few months. At this rate, he’ll be bigger than his father come Christmas.”

When Zali had found out she was pregnant, she’d already passed the three-month mark and by that time, the ‘sperm donor’ had been long gone. During our time on the Sea Dancer, she’d had sex with many guys—cruise ship staff and some passengers. But for some reason, she’d decided that a passenger named Erik was Kane’s father.

Maybe she wanted to believe it was him, given that he was stunningly handsome, had broad shoulders, bulging biceps, and had said he was a pilot. She didn’t even know if Erik was his real name or if he really was a pilot.