Page 10 of The Devious Husband

I chuckle as I grab my purse. “You had me at food,” I admit. “Besides, I’ve been meaning to call you so we could catch up properly, and I’d much prefer to do that in person.”

“Perfect, because I’ve been wanting to go to The Renegade.”

I miss a step, and Graham wraps his arm around my waist. “What?” I ask, my voice strained.

“The Renegade,” Graham repeats, frowning.

I nod slowly and gesture toward my door, uncertain whether I should make an excuse. The last thing I want to do today is visit Xavier’s best-known restaurant, one he often frequents himself, but I don’t want to try to explain myself. Besides, I might never admit it, but the food is really great. They have every single one of my favorite dishes on the menu, and each of them is done to perfection.

“You’re practically buzzing with excitement,” I say as Graham and I walk into the restaurant. He hasn’t stopped talking about all the things he wants to try from the moment we left my office, and I’m starting to suspect that going out for dinner was his main objective. It’s such a Graham thing to do. He’s always been such a foodie, and he was the one who introduced me to some of my favorite dishes that I might never have tried otherwise.

“Welcome to The Renegade,” one of the servers says, a big smile on her face.

I smile back at her apologetically and glance at her name tag. “We don’t have a reservation, Jane, but we were hoping you’d have a table for two available for us?”

Her smile slips a little, her eyes widening. “Ms. Windsor?” she asks, her tone uncertain.

“Wow, you’re famous, huh?” Graham murmurs, knocking his shoulder against mine. I can’t help but blush and shake my head. I’m not at all well-known, unlike Raven, who is both a designer and a supermodel, or even my other sister-in-law, Faye, who is a famous concert pianist. Just like the rest of my family, I’m frequently featured in both business and gossip magazines, but not to the extent that I’d be recognized at a restaurant.

Jane clears her throat and smiles brightly. “Please, allow me to lead you to your table,” she says, and I nod, a little confused by her reaction to me.

“Definitely famous,” Graham whispers when she leads us to a secluded table by the window, overlooking the city.

It isn’t the view I’m looking at, though. How could I, when Xavier Kingston sits at the table next to ours, Valeria seated in front of him, his hand covering hers over the table? He laughs at something she says, and I tear my eyes off him, my hatred for him burning hotter than ever before.

Ten

Xavier

“Xave?” Valeria says, snapping me out of my thoughts. I look up at her and realize I’ve completely missed what she was saying. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Sierra, and the way she felt against me, the way she tasted. My sweet kitten has no idea how long I’ve waited to kiss her again, how many times I’ve fantasized about it, how patient I’ve been.

“Xavier?”

I blink and smile at Valeria apologetically. “I’m sorry, V. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

She shakes her head and sighs. “Have you spoken to Sierra?” she asks, her tone cautious.

I look out the window, taking in the skyline just outside of my restaurant. “She’s been ignoring my calls, and I’m not even sure why. I’d already told her I’m not romantically involved with anyone. There was no ambiguity in my words. I couldn’t have made it clearer, Valeria. She’s just doing what she’s always done — jumping on the first excuse to run away from this thing between us.”

“You’re such an idiot,” she snaps, pure rage flickering through my sweet sister’s eyes, an it catches me off-guard. “Just who do you think you are? Why should your words mean anything to her when your actions say otherwise? From her point of view, you told her you were single, kissed her, and then rushed over to another woman who walked into your house uninvited and unannounced. I know you’re not as stupid as you look, so don’t tell me you don’t understand why she’s been ignoring your phone calls.”

I run a hand through my hair, trying my best not to let on just how much V’s outburst shocks me. I didn’t think I’d ever get to experience my sister’s eyes flashing like that again. Valeria left home when she was twenty, not wanting anything to do with the way our family conducted our business, and instead of stopping her, I let her go. If I’d followed my instincts and stopped her from leaving, she’d never have gone missing without a trace. That’s on me, and I’ll never forgive myself for it. We searched for her for years, only to find her on our doorstep one night, bruised and broken, her clothes drenched in blood. She didn’t speak for months, and to this day, none of us know where exactly she was kept, or what she’s been through, though it’s not for a lack of trying on our part.

In the years since she’s been back, she’s mostly kept to herself, requesting that we help her stay hidden, her identity kept secret. It’s clear she’s scared, and until we know what she’s running from, we’re abiding by her wishes. I never imagined that Sierra would think Valeria was someone I’m romantically involved with, though, given how well I thought she knew me. I suppose it makes sense, in hindsight.

“Why are you smiling like that?” Valeria asks, her tone icy. “If you think this is funny, you deserve everything Sierra has ever put you through a thousand times over, and I won’t have even an ounce of sympathy for you when she strikes next.”

“I’m just happy you seem so… spirited. I’m proud of you, you know?” I tell her, my heart aching.

I’ve been able to convince her to attend a few highly secure events with me, just so she’ll slowly become accustomed to being in crowds again, and with each passing day, she unveils more parts of herself that we all thought we’d lost forever. I didn’t think I’d experience her snapping at me over anything ever again, though.

She pulls her hand out of mine. “Xave, I could walk in a straight line and you’d be proud of me,” she says, her tone teasing.

I can’t help but laugh and look away, only to spot bright emerald eyes that I’d recognize anywhere. “Sierra,” I whisper.

She turns away and sits down at the table next to ours, her undivided attention on the man she’s with — Graham Thorne. Is that why she’s been declining my calls? Not because she misunderstood my relationship with Valeria, but because I misunderstood her relationship with Graham fucking Thorne? I thought he’d been standing a little too close to her at the party, and the way she’d laughed with him seemed a little too intimate, but I was certain I was just seeing things.

“Think before you act,” Valeria urges, and I unlock my jaws. I didn’t even realize I’d been glaring at them.

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