Page 440 of The Sinner: James

His chest rocks with laughter.

“I was curious.”

“So what if he’s single?”

“She’s single too. Oh, wait. Did she find someone last night?” he asks.

My smile flattens.

“No. I mean, yes, but he turned out to be a jerk.”

“What did he do?”

“He has a girlfriend.”

“Ohh...”

“Anyway. Things are complicated with Eve.”

“Why?”

“She hasn’t had any luck all these years. And I always thought it had to do with the timing or the circumstances. I even told her it had to do with the guys she met. She kept saying it was more than that, yet I didn’t want to believe her because I never took her seriously. And now, I do. The thing is... She can’t find someone who is good for her.”

I look at him.

“I don’t think David would be good for her either,” I add.

A smile tugs at his lips, his eyes flickering mischievously again.

“I’m serious, James,” I say, softly slapping his chest.

His eyes linger on me.

“Are you interested in my opinion?”

“I sure am. And while you’re at it, why don’t you start by telling me what happened seven years ago. You haven’t told me why you ordered your guys to take her home the night we broke into your house.”

A soft smile glints in his eyes.

“You didn’t forget, did you?”

“No.”

“Did she comment on that?”

“Of course, she did. She had a lot of regrets.”

“Well...” he says, folding his arm beneath his head. “It wasn’t because she wasn’t hot... She was attractive even back then,” he says, fucking with me.

“Stop it, James. Tell me... Seriously, please.”

“All right.”

His smile fades as the memory comes back to him.

“I sent her home because she was young and innocent.”

I give him a pointed look.