Page 345 of The Sinner: James

“Thank you again,” she says. She slides her hand to my arm before squeezing it gently. “I’m going now. You never saw me.”

She tears away and rushes out just before Rain walks in.

16

RAIN

James’Island

One week later

“You haven’t slept much,have you?” I ask, cracking an eye open and touching his bare chest.

The morning light tumbles in, a breeze sweeping the floors, bringing in the scent of the ocean.

The water stretches out in front of us, glimmering in the distance and merging with the horizon.

His eyes are trained on the water as the sun ascends.

Arm folded beneath his head, he stares vacantly at the ocean, his expression blank, his mind adrift.

“What’s missing, James?”

“Nothing,” he says in a breath.

I’m not so sure that’s the truth.

He slides his fingers into my hair and loops his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him.

“This is a beautiful place,” I murmur, taking in the waves breaking against the shore.

“You could spend some time here writing.”

“Yes, I could, but not now. I don’t want to be away from you.”

He places a kiss on my hair, and rests his hand on my chest, his touch tender and settled.

“I never thought I’d say this to you, but I have a hard time imagining my life without you,” I say.

He kisses me again.

“I feel the same.”

His voice is smooth and mellow.

“And yet something’s missing...” I say, looking up at him, trying to catch his gaze.

Silently, he looks at me, a secret buried in his eyes, and no sign that he’s willing to share it with me.

“You know... I tried to make an offer on my parents’ house,” I say.

The ghost of a smile slides across his lips.

“And?”

“It’s gone. Someone had bought it already.”

“Hmm... This is how business works, baby. First, you spot an opportunity, and then, you act quickly. What held you back?”

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