Page 5 of The Devious Husband

He smirks, his eyes roaming over my dress and lingering on my chest. “You look dazzling, my darling kitten, but your neck looks awfully bare tonight.”

I pause in his arms, something hot and dark unfurls in my stomach. “You should know better than to say something like that to me,” I snap, unable to control my temper. I can’t stand men that flirt with other women even though they’re in committed relationships. There’s nothing I hate more than unfaithfulness.

I push away from him, coming to my senses. How does he always do this to me? I never should’ve agreed to dance with him in the first place. When I’m around him, I’m never quite myself. He pushes my buttons like no one else has ever been able to. I’m convinced Xavier Kingston was born to aggravate me.

“What did I do wrong?” he asks, sounding wounded.

I narrow my eyes at his seemingly genuine confusion, knowing full well that this is what he does. Xavier never lies to me, but he’ll talk in circles and deceive me all the same. “You should treat her better,” I tell him, my tone betraying my anger.

“Treat who better?” he asks, his expression bewildered.

“Your date,” I snap as I push against his chest. “Forget it, Xavier. I don’t know what you took from me, but I strongly recommend you return it before I find out what it is, or so help me God, you’ll rue the day you broke our truce by stealing my design plans.”

He smirks at me in that way he does, like I’m some kind of damn pet of his. “I won’t return what I took until I get what I want, Sierra. Not a day sooner.”

For a moment, I’m tempted to ask him what it is he wants, but I know better than to pay these silly games with him.

Never again.

Never in a million years will I let Xavier Kingston occupy all my thoughts again.

Five

Xavier

I glance at my watch as I rush into my office building for my monthly board meeting with my siblings and parents. “You’re late,” my father says, his expression unreadable.

“You walked in three seconds ago yourself, Roger,” Mom reminds him, instantly earning herself a sheepish smile from Dad.

“Probably too busy messing with Sierra,” Hunter says.

I glare at my younger brother, unable to help myself. Ever since The Herald reported that Sierra was seen at his nightclub several months ago, he’s been trying to get on my nerves by mentioning her every chance he gets. He claims it isn’t true, but they’ve been reporting on how she allegedly went into his office with him, and how great of a couple the two of them would be. That stupid newspaper has no idea how close I’ve gotten to just buying their entire office building and flattening it.

“Did you see this, Mom?” Elijah asks, tipping his head toward the screen behind me. Instantly, a picture of Sierra and me dancing the tango appears, and I groan.

“Aw, that’s so cute,” Mom replies, her eyes glittering. “That’s a wonderful photo.”

“When will we get to meet your girlfriend, Xavier?” Dad adds. “I feel like I’ve been hearing about her for an eternity now.”

Zach bursts out laughing and shakes his head. “Sierra Windsor? His girlfriend? Maybe in his wildest dreams. She hates him.”

I run a hand through my hair and sigh. “She doesn’t hate me,” I retort, my voice weak. My response only elicits more laughter from my brothers, and my parents glance at each other, doing that thing they always do — communicating silently. I’ve never witnessed it in anyone but them, but at times, I’m certain they can read each other’s minds.

“She can’t fucking stand you,” Hunter says, grinning. “She likes me just fine, though.”

“Shut up,” I tell him, annoyed I let him get under my skin. All of my sources tell me she’s never really spoken to him for more than a few minutes, and I doubt she’d even recognize him if she ran into him, but it still gets on my nerves. “Are we here to talk about my love life, or our company’s performance?”

“Love life is overstating it a little bit, don’t you think?” Elijah jokes.

“I’d much rather talk about your performance — or lack thereof,” Zach adds.

Dad chokes back a laugh, and I let my eyes fall closed. “You’re all fucking insufferable.”

“Insufferable?” Hunter repeats. “Did Sierra teach you that word?”

I glance at Mom, silently pleading for help, and she sighs as she rises to her feet. “Enough,” she says, her voice soft but firm. My brothers all instantly straighten in their seats, their smiles melting away.

“You,” she says, pointing at Zachary, “are the mayor of a city that was named after us, and this is how you behave?” I smirk at him, pleased she’s standing up for me. “And you, Elijah. You are, quite literally, the head of a secret intelligence agency, and here you are, abusing your powers and showcasing your brother’s private affairs.” She points at the screen, and he rushes to disconnect his laptop. “And Hunter? You’d better stop humoring these reporters just to provoke your brother and start focusing on composing and recording some new songs. You’re wasting your talent in that godforsaken club of yours, and if you keep this up, I’m taking it away altogether.”

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