Page 24 of My Favorite Sin

Dan’s voice lowers into something almost pained as he steps up to me, looking me directly in the eyes. “You returned from Paris as my friend and sister, right?”

Oh, gosh. My throat tightens. He’s quoting the letter I wrote him. “I… Yes.”

“Then there’s no awkwardness.” His gaze upon me is so intense, so penetrative, that it makes me blush and shift my gaze to the ocean. “There’s no guarantee Felix could keepall of this from the public once someone else gets involved, and I know how precious you are about maintaining a good reputation for yourself and the family. Do this with me instead, the safe way.”

Despite not liking his words, he makes a solid case. Dan would be a safer option as far as publicity is concerned, for sure, and I do trust him.

He says this won’t be weird between us. I don’t know if that’s true, but some part of me thinks accepting Dan’s offer could be good for both of us if he plays an active role in helping me move on with another guy, solidifying the past as the past.

Dan grips my jaw. My body quivers from how much I like his touch. He guides my face back from the ocean to look at him. “Promise me you’ll leave Felix out of this.”

I huff out a breath. “Fine. I won’t hire anyone. You can help me instead.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

DAN

We walk back to the beach house in silence, with Ally a step ahead of me the entire way. My eyes never stray from her petite body. A pink ribbon is tangled through the ends of her blond hair, a mess from the ocean breeze. The bottom of her dress flaps in the wind, high around her thighs, revealing a glimpse of white lace panties every so often. I’ll jerk off to the sight of it later.

My gaze flicks to her hand. I want to grab it and tug her back to me, then shove Ally against the side of the house and hold her there with the weight of my body as my lips slam into hers. I want to rip those white panties off and sink my dick into that tight virgin pussy.

Most of all, I want to be enough for her.Iwant to be the one who makes her happy.

She climbs the steps to the front door and turns the handle, stepping inside. The impulse to tell her all these things takes over and I reach for her hand?—

“Ally, honey, how are you feeling?” Amabella’s right there, along with my dad, the two of them walking down the main staircase in the entryway.

My hand shoots back to my side.

“Much better. I’m sorry if I frightened you yesterday.”

They meet us on the marbled floor and Amabella strokes a hand through Ally’s hair. “What had you so upset, darling?”

“We’ll talk about it later, okay? I need to shower and freshen up.”

“Of course. We’ll be in the living room when you’re ready to talk.”

Amabella and Dad exit the main entryway, leaving me alone with Ally. I watch as she heads for her room upstairs, scolding myself for losing control a moment ago with my need for her. Before Ally climbs the first step, I catch her peering over her shoulder at me and smiling.

“You all good?” I ask.

Her smile breaks into a soft laugh. “Yeah. I’m just happy. You’re a good guy. Thanks for helping me.”

Jesus fuck. If she knew my real motives, she’d be furious. “Go take your shower, Ally.”

She climbs the rest of the stairs, disappearing out of sight. I’ll work hard to boost her confidence because I want her to be happy and feel comfortable in her skin. She deserves friends. As for a boyfriend, I’m keeping her for myself. Agreeing to help her find a boyfriend is only a means of stalling until she realizes how good we are together.

“Thank you for being such an amazing brother,” Amabella calls out from the next room over. “How is she?”

I enter the living room, finding Dad and Amabella with a cup of coffee and sitting on the couch. “Boy issues. She’ll survive.”

Amabella places a hand at the base of her neck. “Oh, the poor thing.”

My father nods at me. “Thank you for taking care of her. Will you be staying the day? I’d like us to chat.”

Aside from his quick greeting last night, this is the first contact we’ve had since our argument two weeks ago. He called me once, but I ignored it, knowing the conversation would end in a fight, as it always does with him.

“I don’t have much spare time.” It’s not a lie. I have the whole day free but no time for my father’s shit. “I’ll see you two later.”

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