Page 20 of My Karmic Destiny

Her eyes narrow, and I can see the wheels of her psychic ability turning. She doesn’t know if we’re fucking with her. That has been the problem, hasn’t it been? Instant Karma didn’t want us to trust each other and with our orders to prank each other, we still are working through trusting one another.

Then I see something else flash behind her eyes. A memory or a feeling? I’m unsure.

She looks at Kurtis for a long moment and then back to me. “Uh, I don’t know if that’s a good idea. It might not even be a great idea for me to be dating Dante—while he’s healing.”

I hear the unsaid and say it for her. “You mean, whileweare healing?”

“I’m not saying I’m not messed up too,” she hurries to explain. “But this is all a lot. And don’t people in AA have to wait a year or something before they can date?”

“We aren’t addicts,” Kurtis grumbles.

She squeezes his hand. “I know. I’m just saying that Karma’s program is a road for recovery too, and we are all on a similar road.”

I dare to reach out and cup her cheek. Her eyes widen, and she swallows nervously. My gaze drifts to her luscious lips. With every fiber of my being, I want to kiss her, but I know I shouldn’t.

“Evan?” she whispers.

My thumb brushes over her bottom lip. “Tessa?”

“It’s not that I’m not attracted to you or Kurtis, but I won’t betray Dante. I can’t do that. Not to him, not to any of us. Especially in the house of Karma.”

“I know, baby.” I pull back ever so slightly and release her face. “But I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t tell you how I feel.”

“Me either,” Kurtis adds, and she turns to him as he goes on, “I’ve fucked up and missed so much of my life. I had to let you know I would be the best version of myself for you.”

“I appreciate that, but you need to be the best version of yourself for you,” she says kindly, and I can hear the distance brewing between us. She pats our hands and stands up. “This is a lot to dump on me. I have to go get some rest now for my big day tomorrow.”

“Tessa—” I begin to protest her leaving, then realize I need to back off. She needs time to think about all this.

“Good night.” She pauses before she leaves and says, “Don’t expect an answer from me about this. Not right away. Give me some space.”

Her eyes are haunted with something I don’t understand, but I hope she explains it to me one day. Hopefully, one day soon.

Good night, my sweet.

9

CURVE BALLS

TESSA

Holy hell. Things have always been a little weird in this place, but it feels like we’re leveling up.

I walk back upstairs to my room in a daze, contemplating all three guys’ behavior. Grabbing my shower caddie, I take a quick shower and return to my room before anyone can throw me more curveballs.

Relief fills me when Dante hasn’t shown up in my bedroom.

Should I tell him what the guys said? Or is it better if I don’t tell him? Letting him know that Evan and Kurtis approached me could send the mansion into chaos.

I don’t want to make shitty decisions about this. Why is this on my shoulders?

Thankfully, Dante isn’t in his room yet either, so I don’t have to worry about talking with him. I wonder how long Karma is going to work with him tonight. Will he be showing up soon?

Between my new job, the weirdness, and not getting enough sleep over the last couple of months, I’m feeling perpetually tired, so I give up worrying about things. I tuck under the covers and fall asleep faster than I expect, even with so much swimming in my head.

I stir a few hours later as I hear Dante return to his room next to mine. I wait, but he doesn’t come over to mine like he usually does. Which is odd—especially after his possessive display before dinner.

Curiosity gets the better of me, and I pull out my phone.

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