Page 26 of Seeds of Sorrow

Peyton laughed again and Hadina was entranced by how much she enjoyed the sound. “Maybe I do. Who knows? But the point is… I’m here.”

“Indeed you are,tentadora.”

“Tentadora?” Peyton repeated, surprising Hadina with how well she rolled theR. Hadina schooled her face to stop from showing how impressed she was.

“It means temptress. All you’ve done since we met is tempt me, Peyton, and it’s driving me fucking insane.”

Hadina felt Peyton’s hand tuck under her chin, forcing their eyes to meet. Her tear-stained face was still beautiful, even with the red streaks marring her skin. Before she realized what she was doing, Hadina brushed away a strand of golden hair stuck in Peyton’s bangs, clearing her vision. Their touches were gentle and it clogged Hadina’s throat to think about it; she couldn’t remember being soft and intimate with anyone like she was in that moment, her fingertips skimming across Peyton’s pretty cheeks, her eyes taking in those plump lips.

She debated with herself internally. Hadina knew the moment was perfect, a chance to kiss Peyton andfeel, but it would change things. There was so much tension pent up between them that her resolve would snap, and she would be a lost cause. Her mind battled with the cold, dead thing she called a heart until the decision was taken from her.

Peyton reached out first, cupped Hadina’s cheeks, and leaned forward. She tasted like salt and spices as Hadina’s tongue entwined with hers, her hand slipping to the back of Peyton’s head to grip her hair while pulling her deeper into the kiss. She could feel Peyton’s nipples pebble beneath her shirt, her own breasts aching to be touched. She was about to do something about it when Peyton pulled back and smiled softly.

“You may not let the world see the gentle part of you, Hadi, but I see it anyway. I see you.”

Hadina felt the absence of Peyton’s hands immediately as she let go of her face, leaving her in the kitchen without so much as a goodbye. It felt as though she was always watching her walk away and Hadina cursed the part of her that seemed hurt by that. She was too busy, too important, too independent to have feelings for someone. And yet, she knew that Peyton was peeling away the dead parts of her heart. She had never beenseenbefore, never allowed anyone to get that close to her for fear that they would ruin everything she had worked so hard to help build.

Hadina had broken her own rule and allowed herself to be swept up in Peyton, the ruse of manipulation slowly slipping away. The whole situation was getting way too complicated, and for once in her life, Hadina had no idea what to do.

Chapter19

PEYTON

There wasn’ta part of her that regretted kissing Hadina the day before. Peyton had felt the air shift between them and a wave of courage swept over her, giving her the bravery she needed to show Hadina how she felt. It was the kind of kiss that she had wanted, had daydreamed about since they met—sweet and passionate and filled with intent.

But that didn’t mean Peyton was going to stop trying to figure out what Hadina was up to. She told herself that it was for her own peace of mind, that she would be able to let her feelings go once she realized just how fucked up Hadina was.

Sitting on top of her bed with her laptop open, Peyton searched forRegina. Hundreds of thousands of results popped up and she let out a sigh. Filtering by the city and excluding anyone under the age of twenty, Peyton managed to cut the numbers by half, though that still meant there were thousands of results to sift through.

“Think, Peyton,” she whispered to herself.

Adding in keywords like Hadina’s name, words associated with the business or crime, Peyton searched for hours without a break. Nothing proved important or relevant to what she was looking for—although she didn’t really knowwhatshe was actually looking for—so she closed her laptop with asmack.

Peyton could feel herself accepting her current predicament, which she knew wasn’t healthy. Perhaps it was some weird case type of masochism, Hadina’s threats becoming something alluring in her messed-up mind. She had been told not to leave, that she’d be hunted if she did, and Peyton was close to admitting that she didn’twantto leave now.

Being in the Adis family home, seeing Hadina almost every day, was a temptation that Peyton found hard to resist. There was a dark cloud that seemed to loom around them, but it was like Hadina was always right there to reassure Peyton that the storm would pass. She knew the woman was dangerous and devious, but the dark part of her that she buried deep was drawn to Hadina anyway.

“Ding-dong!” she heard a voice yell up the stairs, the sound carrying through the empty hallways.

Peyton jumped off her bed and made her way out to the landing, a surprised smile crossing her face when she saw Piper at the foot of the stairs. She waved before gesturing for Peyton to come meet her.

Piper embraced Peyton in a tight hug the moment the two were within arm’s reach, reminding Peyton of the way Melina used to hold her. She blinked away tears and pulled back with a grin. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see if my darling sister wanted to go for lunch. Is she around?”

Peyton shook her head. “She hasn’t been around today. Sorry, Piper.”

Piper waved a manicured hand. “Nonsense. She’s a hard one to get a hold of, is all. I like to check in and make sure she’s okay. Hadina’s always bottled everything up.”

“Your dad said something similar to me about her.”

“Dad always did understand Hadina better than everyone else. They’re so alike sometimes.Anyway,” Piper continued, “what are you up to?”

Peyton shrugged and sat down on the bottom stair. “Nothing really. While I’m super grateful for my job, I don’t think your dad actually needs me around to help, you know? Most of the time, he lets me do my own thing or we garden. I feel like I’m getting paid for nothing.”

Piper sat beside Peyton, bumping her shoulder with a smile. “That’s bullshit if I’ve ever heard some. You get paid for companionship, for my dad to have someone around when hedoesneed help. Don’t discredit yourself like that, Peyton. He’s happy to have someone around who isn’t one of his daughters.”

Considering that for a moment, Peyton figured Piper was right. Although she didn’t have to do much, she knew that she would do anything Don needed if he asked. Still, she was being paid a lot just to sit and talk to an old man.

---