Page 3 of I Am Sin

“Just to talk, Diana.”

I swallow. “Bree said you weren’t coming into town until tomorrow.”

“Change of plans.”

He’s a man of few words, but I already knew that.

No one really knows much about Dragon. He’s a recovering addict, and he had a relapse about nine months ago when the band was in Europe opening for Emerald Phoenix. He wasn’t able to complete the tour. He returned to Denver, got into a concentrated rehab program, and was well enough to stand up as Jesse’s best man for the wedding a week ago.

That’s all I know—other than the fact that his stare through my thick wooden door has me quivering—and not in a frightened way.

Another thing I don’t need.

“Fine. Come on in.” I open the door.

ChapterTwo

Dragon

To say Diana Steel is beautiful is like saying the Rocky Mountains are beautiful.

They are, no doubt, but they’re also so much more.

The Rockies are majestic and awe-inspiring. It’s hard to put into words just how breathtaking they are to someone who hasn’t seen them in person. Towering peaks, rugged cliffs, and a sea of evergreen trees as far as the eye can see. Blue and purple from a distance, but green and lush as you get nearer. Reddish rocks that hide faces and other images in their depths. Snow-capped peaks where sunlight sparkles.

Diana Steel is a different kind of wonder. Her dark hair cascades in silken waves—a deep hue that gleams like polished mahogany. It frames her face with an air of mystery, casting shadows and highlights that dance with each graceful movement.

But her hair pales in comparison to her dark eyes. They’re like deep, endless lakes—windows into her soul. They’re magnetic, and they draw me in. They lock onto mine, and I don’t ever want to look away.

“Are you going to stand there staring, or are you going to tell me what you want?”

Her voice jolts me back to reality.

All the Steel women are beautiful, but Diana has a gentleness about her that some of the others don’t. She’s the opposite of her sister, Brianna, who’s a spitfire of a cowgirl. Even at her wedding to my best friend, Jesse Pike, her personality shone through her traditional western dress.

“Thanks for letting me in.”

She scratches her arm. “Bree told me you weren’t coming until tomorrow.”

Did she forget she already said that through the door? “I hadn’t planned to,” I say, “but it was a gorgeous day for a drive. The aspens have turned, and I don’t know… I just felt like coming.”

She furrows her brow. “And I suppose you need a place to stay.”

I shake my head. “That’s actually what I stopped by to talk to you about. This whole thing wasn’t my idea, Diana. I hope you know that.”

“All I know is that Brianna says it’s important that you stay here.”

“I’ve got a hotel booked for tonight, and I’ve got enough in savings to stay there for the next couple of weeks if I have to.” I frown. “That should be plenty of time to find another…situation.”

She blinks, her face stiff. “All right.”

“I don’t know if you’re even considering their request,” I say, “but if you are, I wanted to stop by and tell you it’s not necessary.”

“Okay, Dragon.” She sighs. “It’s not that I don’t want to help you. It’s just that?—”

I walk toward her and quiet her by holding up a hand. “You don’t have to give me any reasons or excuses or anything.” I look down, kicking at the marble-tiled floor. “I know someone like you doesn’t want to have someone like me encroaching on her space.”

She narrows her eyes at me. “Now you wait just a minute. I never said anything about who you are or anything like that.”

---