Page 9 of Better Left Unsaid

Lazily, I brushed my lips over hers, too spent to engage in a mind-blowing kiss as I pulled out of her and rolled off onto my side. She instantly curled into me, peering up at me.

“Sorry,” she said, knowing I knew what she was talking about—another fuck and still no orgasm. But no one felt worse than me, because I just kept trying to no avail, but even the strongest will for her to come couldn’t seem to stop my own body’s reaction.

“Next time,” I said, hoping she knew I wasn’t giving up on her anytime soon.

* * *

Maria

Lying next to Dom, I let my body relax, my heart slowly beating, my eyes closed. Honestly, after that—what could I call it?—workout (yeah, that was what we’d call it), I could have used a nap.

“That’s one way to celebrate your promotion,” Dom joked.

Laughing, I pulled the sheet around my body and stood up. “Yeah.”

“You’re going to make a great editor-in-chief. You’re so deserving of this.”

I sighed and walked carefully without tripping on the sheet. I wasn’t the greatest at taking a compliment. For some reason, I just didn’t see myself the way other people did. Especially Dom. He had always been very supportive of everything I did. He was my number one fan, and I was his, don’t get me wrong. But that made sense because Dom was great. I was a whole other ball of wax. “I can’t help but wonder, though, if I’d still be getting it if my mom were here.” It seemed only natural the thought crossed my mind. It wasn’t easy to think about, but it was the truth. I wished life was so easy that I could trade this promotion to have her here with us again, that way she could be the editor-in-chief, and things would go back to the way they had been.

“Hey.” His voice was deep and loud, as if he spoke with certainty. “It’s not going to do you any good to think like that. You need to learn to be happy and accept that some things are good, period.”

“I suppose I’m used to the other shoe dropping. Look at our family.” I spoke with my hands. “We had it all until Mom’s car accident. In the blink of an eye, everything changed. You move on, sure, because you don’t have any other choice, but I still think about her and feel a sharp pain in my chest.”

“I know,” he whispered.

As I got to my closet, I pulled out a robe and slipped it on temporarily. I saw Dom was also picking up what clothes of his were in here and slowly getting dressed. “Then there’s part of me that’s still annoyed with Mom for what she did to this family. For the secrets she kept.”

“You’re talking about Jade?”

I nodded. See, Jade Logan (she wasn’t a Morelli, not technically) was my half sister. She was also my older sister. Yes, apparently, I was not the oldest sibling. I’d been kicked out of that role by a woman I didn’t even know existed until more recently when me and my sisters (excluding Jade) had taken a jaunt to my dad’s attic where we’d found Mom’s pregnancy journal. The journal was from the time she had been pregnant with Jade, by the way. So no skeletons in the attic, necessarily, unless you counted age-old secrets that I’d rather have stayed buried.

Truthfully, I hadn’t fully discussed my feelings on the Jade situation with anyone. That was what I was referring to it as for now, by the way—a situation—because I didn’t know how else to describe it or what to make of it.

Perla, Allie, and Bianca had all accepted Jade. Allie almost immediately, and Perla and Bianca more recently. I was still. . . skeptical, we’d say. And I felt I had every right to be because we didn’t know squat about her. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, but the point was that we don’t know much more than the bare minimum.

I was about to tell Dom just how the whole secret sister thing really made me feel when the doorbell rang, followed by a rapping knock that echoed in my ears. My entire body went rigid, and Dom froze.

Another knock.Shit!

“Are you expecting someone?” he asked.

“No,” I answered earnestly. “I don’t know who it is.”

The doorbell sounded again before I heard a loud, muffled voice. I could only assume they were calling my name and that it was one of my sisters.

I gave him an apologetic look and tucked my hair behind my ears. Where the hell were my clothes? I couldn’t seem to find anything but went to the door just the same.

“That’s what you’re wearing?” he asked, sincere curiosity lacing his words. “Don’t you think they’re going to suspect something?”

Another shout of my name. Ugh! Couldn’t whoever it was get a clue and leave? Clearly, I was busy. Very, very busy and couldn’t answer the door. “It’s fine. I’ll just get rid of whoever it is.”

“Sounds ominous.”

“Stay here.” Then I couldn’t help it, I had to add to the ominous comment. “That way you can’t testify against me because you didn’t see it happen.”

He cocked a brow. “You’re officially freaking me out.”

I rolled my eyes before exiting the room. Like I’d hurt a fly.

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