Page 4 of Sinful Temptations

“She didn’t say so. And trust me, she would have if she was.”

“Okay.” Zali’s voice ramped up in pitch. “So, forget about her for now and carry on enjoying yourself with all those guys. And Roman, don’t forget about him. He needs you, remember?”

I nibbled on the inside of my lip, rolling her comments around my brain.

She was right . . . most cancers didn’t kill instantly. And Roman did need me.

“You can check in on your mother each week or something. If it looks like she’s gonna pop her clogs, then you can get on the first flight home.”

I half laughed. “Pop her clogs?”

“Yeah, keel over, belly up.” She said it so matter-of-fact.But if it were her mother we were talking about, it’d be a different story. Then again, she loved her mother. My love for my mother had ebbed away from an early age and was completely obliterated on my fourteenth birthday.

“What are you thinking?” Zali’s voice was gentle.

Pausing, I sipped my wine. “I don’t know. I’ve got so much going through my mind, I’ve got nothing.”

“You thinking about Roman?”

“Yeah.”

“And Pierre and that hottie horse guy?”

I chuckled. “Luca.”

“Oh, my god. Yes him. Do you think you’ll hook up with him again?”

My sexy stable manager’s rippling abs flashed across my eyes. It was impossible not to smile.

“There you go. That’s what I’m talking about. Take it one month at a time.”

“Yeah. I guess so.”Tick. Tick. Tick.

“I know so. Don’t go making any hasty moves. Make next month a repeat of this month and go fuck some hotties.”

“Hmm. It was good.”

“Exactly. Just ring your mother before you go and when you get back. No! Don’t ring her, text her. She’ll still be there, shoveling that bullshit guilt at you. Don’t make it easy on her. God, she never made it easy for you.”

Zali was right about that. I nodded. “Okay, I can do that.”

“Right. Now that we have that shit out of the way . . .” She flicked her hair over her shoulder. “. . . let’s talk about all these men. I need some fucking pictures, babe. I’m dying of boredom here.”

I burst out laughing. “I’m not taking pictures.”

“Dick pics, babe. I want ’em.”

“Yeah, well, you’ll have to ask google.”

“Bloody hell!”

I chuckled.

“You’re so mean.” She pouted her lips.

“No, I’m not.”

“At least send me a photo of Roman. I need to check this stud out.”

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