Page 372 of The Sinner: James

“No,” she argues. “I didn’t have a different definition. And you know why? Because I always believed in good guys. My father was a good guy. A good husband and a great father. And I thought I’d find someone like him, but it didn’t happen. And I got tired of trying, so now I want something different, even if it’s something bad.”

“Okay,” I murmur, not sure where she is going with this. “A few days ago, you told me you’d like someone like my mother’s friend.”

“And I stand by that. I still think he’s special.”

“Okay.”

“You were right about me needing someone who could capture my imagination. Do you know how I know that? I’ve tried not to be with someone like that, not to have that fire blaze through me or feel the pain he could put me through. I read about it in every damn book about relationships, so I thought it was normal to try to protect myself, play safe, and move on in case things didn’t work out. I did all that. And do you know what I got in the end?”

She looks at me.

“No...?”

“A bunch of hookups with boring men.”

I tip my sunglasses down.

“How did you go from that to being ‘bisexual’?” I ask, tipping my head to the side and motioning in the general direction of the water.

Her expression changes as she breathes a chuckle.

“My point is... I’ve tried relationships. They didn’t work for me. And now, I’m willing to try everything else. One-time encounters, the escort thing I’ve planned for some time, and even something more adventurous, like being in bed with these two.”

She motions to the shore, suggesting she is open to the idea of a threesome.

“I’m not against it,” I murmur, moving my gaze to the water.

She does the same before getting sucked into a spiral of panic.

“Shit... They’re gone.”

We swivel our heads and scan the beach.

“Where did they go?” I murmur.

“I have no idea… This is my fucking luck,” she mutters, staring into the distance. “I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”

A few seconds of silence pass before my phone rings.

I fish it out of my beach bag.

“Hey, baby,” I say, smiling, before the raspy voice of the man I love echoes in my ear.

“Hey. Where are you?”

“Eve and I are sunbathing not far from the hotel.”

“Is she behaving?”

As if she knows we are talking about her, Eve turns her head and looks at me.

She removes her sunglasses, and our eyes lock

“Not really.”

James’ laugh echoes in my ear.

“What did she do?”

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