Page 26 of Sinful Desires

“It’s just a shame Miles had to leave early,” she mused, crossing the room so I could unzip her. “Your sister told me. It was nice of the guys to invite him. Make him a part of things.”

“Yeah, they are real gems,” I muttered with more than a little irritation. Things were exponentially more complicated now than they would’ve been if he had never shown up.

She retreated to her dressing room, and I turned my attention back to the skyline outside.Where was he?I hadn’t seen him since we parted ways at the cabin on Friday night, with me practically fleeing to my room before I could do anything stupid like asking him to join me.

What was it about him that got me so mixed up? He had a grip on me whether I liked it or not. Ever since we’d set eyes on each other at Skye Worthington’s class, he had taken up space in my brain. Space that was getting larger all the time and crowding out all of the logical thoughts I needed to focus on.

Kissing him, being kissed until every ounce of resistance melted. God, I loved every second of it, knowing it shouldn’t happen and being powerless against it. For the first time in maybe my life, I had let myself get carried away and look where it had gotten me.

“What about this?” Mom appeared again in a dark red strapless dress with a dramatic train attached to the lower back.“I can take the train off if it’s too awkward, but I sort of like it.” The hem swished across the floor like a whisper as she approached the mirror and checked herself out.

My jaw dropped. “I know I said the first one was great, but this is drop-dead gorgeous. Honestly, I wouldn’t even waste your time trying on anything else.” I hoped to look half as good as she did by the time I reached sixty-five. She worked hard at it, though, that much I knew. She exercised religiously, ate well, the whole nine yards.

“How do you feel? That’s the most important part.” I went to her, admiring her up close while she posed and made faces in the mirror.

“I feel… really good,“ she admitted with a soft laugh. “Sometimes it still amazes me.”

“What does?”

“You wouldn’t understand because I made it a point to remind you and your sister of how gorgeous and spectacular you are every day of your lives.” She caught my chin on the tips of her fingers and pursed her lips in an air kiss. “That isn’t the same for everyone. I spent three decades convinced I was ugly and useless. There are still moments, all these years later, when I expect to see that girl in the mirror.”

This was one of the reasons Mom had started her nonprofit in the first place. To help women who’d grown up the way she had and needed to believe there was something better they were capable and deserving of. Kissing her cheek, I whispered, “I love you. I’m proud of you. And you should definitely choose this one.”

“Right. I will.” She clapped with excitement, and I did the same, helping her with the zipper. By the looks of it, she would only need minimal tailoring over the next two weeks.

I couldn’t believe it was already so close. I would need to take time to try on a few dresses myself. My attention was all over the place nowadays, making it difficult to stay on top of things.

“And you’re still okay to help with the event on Wednesday?” Mom confirmed. I had almost forgotten about the little carnival they were holding at one of the women’s centers run by the nonprofit. Hell, I had helped plan it, but the date had crept up on me while I was too distracted by Miles to notice.

Assuring her I’d be there bright and early, I retreated from the room, planning to finish unpacking the bags I had left in my room after returning earlier. That was until the sound of footsteps coming from the foyer drew me to the top of the stairs. I caught a brief glimpse of a pair of black boots and a black leather jacket before Miles disappeared from sight, having just returned from a motorcycle ride from the looks of it.

Knowing he was here, under our roof, got my nerves jangling and my heart racing. This couldn’t continue. I needed him to know we could never mess around like that again. Dad would lose it, for one thing. He liked Miles so much and wanted us to be one big family. I hated the idea of disappointing him, not to mention Mom. Meanwhile, Valentina would never let me live it down after all the bitching I had done about him.

More than anything, I wanted to respect myself again. He was my stepbrother. On top of that, I had basically told him from the beginning that I would never trust or accept him. I’d gone against all of that and betrayed myself in the process. I needed to prove I was in control of this situation. I had to. How could I look at myself in the mirror otherwise?

I was trotting down the stairs before I knew it and speed walking down the hall so I didn’t lose my nerve. Light shone from beneath the door leading into his suite while the sound of footsteps reached me by the time I knocked. I regretted it immediately, but it was too late to turn back now. He wasalready headed for the door, his footsteps getting louder until he swung it open.

For some reason, he didn’t look surprised to find me standing in before him. He only stepped aside and ushered me inside with a sweep of his arm.

And even though I couldn’t shake the feeling of walking into the lion’s den, I accepted the challenge and entered.

10

MILES

Iknew it.

There was no chance of her staying away once she got home from the trip.

“Why did you run off on Saturday?” Aria glanced around what had to be familiar quarters. She may not have lived in this suite, but she undoubtedly had been through it countless times. Otherwise, what was the point of having so much space if it sat empty?

“Didn’t anyone tell you? I had a last-minute showing of an apartment on the Upper East Side.” Not true, but how could she prove me wrong? My real reason for leaving when I did was far more complex and beyond explanation. I hardly understood it myself.

“But you didn’t come back.” She crossed the bedroom, arms folded, her body wrapped in a bulky sweater. I liked her this way. One of those messy buns on top of her head, a pair of thick socks, and yoga pants to complete her ensemble. She was softer. Vulnerable.

“I’m opening my office within the next few weeks,” I reminded her, observing her every move while I leaned againstthe long dresser. The king-size bed between us may as well have been a mile wide with the distance she was putting between us.

Which was a good thing. I had come breathtakingly close to destroying everything I’d worked so hard to put together by sleeping with her at the cabin and possibly being discovered. This group was hardly discreet. It might have meant losing Magnus’s trust far sooner than intended. After parting ways, I had spent hours fighting the desire to kick her bedroom door in and pin her to the mattress with my body.

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