Page 37 of Sinful Desires
I smiled. “What’s your question, Inez?”
She giggled, bounced in her chair, and pointed behind me.
I turned, and there was LeRoy—arms crossed, face like a stone wall, looking like he wanted to strangle someone.
“Is he your prince charming?” she asked, pure mischief in her voice.
The room burst into giggles. I threw my head back and laughed.
“Him?” I said loudly. “Sweetheart, if that’s my prince, somebody better call the castle and ask for a refund.”
The kids howled.
I leaned in, cupping my hand around my mouth like I was sharing a secret.
“Between you and me,” I whispered, “he’s more like the grumpy ogre they keep locked in the tower.”
Even more laughter, little hands clapping, faces hiding behind fingers.
I clapped my hands. “Alright, who’s ready for gifts?”
The afternoon flew by with me bouncing between the kids, telling them wild stories.
I talked about Australia and kangaroos that looked like they could fight a bear. I left out the part about the fan who’d tattooed my face on his ass. Portugal, where I’d performed on a beach until a seagull bombed my stage.
And unforgettable Brazil. I had the most deliciouspão de queijo, partied too hard, and woke up on the cold tile of my hotel bathroom floor, mascara down my face.
No one had noticed I was missing. I’d woken up hours later in vomit.
That was fame for you—looked like love, felt like poison.
I said my goodbyes, hugged their tiny frames, and promised I’d be back soon. Then we headed back to the car, LeRoy silently trailing behind me, the only sound the sharp click of my heels on the floor.
My driver was all smiles, stepping up to open the back passenger door, but his eyes lingered behind me and he paused. With a quick nod, he slid into the front seat instead.
Théo’s voice broke the silence. “I should’ve never called youa spoiled, selfish girl. That was unprofessional.”
There was something off in the way he’d moved today, like the apology had been boiling under his skin all morning.
Or maybe I was just imagining it, projecting my stupid hope onto a man who’d watched me fall apart and never looked away, but never stepped in either.
I paused beside the car and leaned back against it, crossing my arms. But then, of course, my gaze couldn’t help but drift.
“Wow, an emotionally intelligent man hiding behind all this,” I said, my eyes tracing the lines of his chest, his broad shoulders, and big biceps.God, that tight, long-sleeved T-shirt under his vest clung to his arms like it was made just for him. It was?…?distracting.
Verydistracting.
My mouth went dry, and I stopped myself before I said something I’d regret.
“Anyway,” I finally mumbled, pulling my eyes away, but not before they’d lingered a little too long. “No worries. I’ve been called wayworse.”
“Still,” he said, stepping closer, just enough to close the space between us, and I swore I felt the air shift. “I let my frustration cloud my judgment, and I said something I shouldn’t have.”
I swallowed hard, the heat creeping up my neck.
His voice dropped lower, almost like a whisper. “My apologies, Miss Harper.”
And just like that, something inside me softened.
