Page 9 of Sinful Desires

“That’s right.” With a brief nod, he said, “That is who you are. It’s nice to hear you say it. Maybe you and I can get along after all.”

“Do me a favor and hold your breath until the time comes,” I replied. His soft laughter was as good as nails dragging down a chalkboard as he passed me, sauntering toward the front door like he owned the place. It was better to let him leave without trying to get in the last word since I was already risking my teeth by grinding them as hard as I did.

“That’s really amazing! You have a brother! You always said you wanted one.”

I was starting to believe everybody in my life was going through mass delusion. It was one thing for my immediate family to be completely blind, but I had expected better from Sienna. She was a public relations expert, for God’s sake. She had to know how two-faced and unreliable people could be. She had seen the worst of her clients for years. Yet there she was, all wide-eyed and eager to hear more about this supposed addition to my family.

“He’s only my stepbrother,” I reminded her with a groan. “Even then, does it count? Dad didn’t even know about him while they were married. We’re talking about a major technicality.”

“Obviously, that doesn’t matter to your dad. I think it’s nice he wants to bring Miles in and make him a part of things. Your dad isn't an idiot,” she pointed out. We had different opinions on that one. “He knows what he’s doing.”

“I’m not so sure. People do crazy things when they feel guilty.”

“Anyway, at least we know now why Miles was being all weird toward you before.” She looked at the clock on the wall, which stated we had another few minutes until class started. “Where is he, I wonder? I would like to meet him.”

Maybe he wouldn’t show up. It was bad enough I had to see him at home. It would’ve been nice to have an excuse for a reprieve.

It looked like my luck was shit all the way around. He hurried in with a minute to spare, smiling wide when he spotted mechatting with Sienna. He looked like a shark who’d spotted his next meal, or was I telling myself that because I didn’t want to believe he had good intentions? Dammit, I was letting everybody get in my head. I had to follow my gut on this.

Sienna had no such problems. “So you’re Miles?” She extended a hand as soon as he was close enough. “Aria told me all about you. To think, you were taking class with us, and you had this secret.”

The snarky, arrogant prick who had taunted me last night was replaced by the charming, affable guy I’d met in Dad’s study. It was like he had two personalities. “I didn’t want to come on too strong, too fast,” he explained as he shook her hand. “And you are?”

“Oh, sorry! I was too busy admiring that accent of yours.” She giggled before replying, “Sienna Black. Aria’s cousin.”

His brows shot up. “So we’re cousins! The family expands.” The prick even had the nerve to smile at me like he was daring me to be anything but positive. Considering rage was burning a hole in me, it was better to keep my mouth shut.

“Something like that,” she agreed with a laugh. “I’m sure we’ll get along fine, so long as you don’t think you can outpace me.” She patted the bike and narrowed her eyes in a challenge.

“I would never think of telling a woman I could beat her at anything,” he promised before they shared a laugh that made my skin crawl. Seriously? He was charming her too. It was almost enough to make me wonder if I was making all of this up in my head.

No. He’d given me a bad feeling from day one, way before I knew who he was. I wasn’t about to forget his nasty comments about Dad wanting a son to manage his money either. Nobody said something like that unless they were already thinking along those lines, plotting to take what wasn’t rightfully theirs.

I was not about to believe he had anything but bad intentions. All I had to do was find out what they were and how to stop him.

4

MILES

Finally, I could get out of that fucking penthouse and stop feeling so suffocated.

Until now, I wouldn’t have imagined it possible to feel trapped while inside a palace like the one I’d stayed at the past several days. Work had kept me busy enough that I could get away with escaping when I needed to. It wasn’t that I was uncomfortable—far from it.

It was the way the comfort sickened me. Aria had grown up there. Probably running up and down the hall with her sister or watching movies in the obnoxious home theater Magnus had urged me to use on the second floor because not only did the family need a two-story penthouse, they couldn’t be bothered to see a film with ordinary people in a theater—pampered little rich girls while I had gone hungry so many nights, crying myself to sleep, wondering when Mom would come home. Hoping she would bring something to eat. Hoping like fuck, I wouldn’t fall asleep again with a growling stomach and the taste of salty tears.

Who could blame me for needing an evening to myself?

It wasn’t like I was missing much at the penthouse anyway. Aria was out for the night. I’d heard her loudly announce herplans to her mother when she’d caught sight of me coming in from my new office down in The Battery. If the girl wanted me to believe she didn’t care about my presence, she was doing a piss-poor job of it. But that was all right. She added a bit of excitement to my vocation of making sure Magnus regretted ever breaking my mother’s heart.

“He didn’t want us.”Lingering at a traffic light, the bike rumbling beneath me, I could hear her plaintive cries as clearly as if she were in my ear.“I couldn’t have you around because he didn’t want to be a father. Of course, as soon as he locked down that limping little nothing, he decided he wanted to be one after all. How convenient for him.”

The instant the light went green, I shot forward, leaving the cars around me in my dust. She had never come out and said it, but I’d understood subtext even at an early age. I had cost Mom her husband. If it hadn’t been for me, they might have made it work and started a family of their own, the way Magnus had with Evelyn.

The memory wasn’t what left me feeling as bitter as I did that evening, tearing through the bustling city, snippets and flashes of life passing around me. All those years, I’d heard nothing but terrible things about Evelyn Black. She was a homewrecker, a whore, an ugly duckling who’d known she had nothing to offer but her brother’s wealth.“Magnus always did have a weak spot for broken things.”Mom had laughed many times.“She was counting on that when she seduced him.”

Except Evelyn didn’t strike me as the woman my mother had described. Then again, roughly thirty years had passed since she sank her claws into Magnus. Time had a way of changing people, so it wasn’t an impossibility.

“We’re having a family dinner with Aria and Valentina next week.” Evelyn had made it a point to tell me when we crossed paths earlier. Aria had all but snarled, then shot her mother asharp look which she ignored. “We would love it if you could join us. Nothing outrageous, just a nice dinner here at home. I know Magnus would be happy to have you join us.”

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