Page 71 of Sinful Desires
The way she butchered the French made my mouth twitch.
“It meansin life and in death,” I said, my voice low against the shell of her ear.
Her fingers stilled, and for a second, it felt like she understood exactly which side I belonged to.
“That’s bleak,” she whispered.
“So are you.”
She let out a breath that almost sounded like a laugh, then reached up and hooked her finger under my chin, dragging my eyes to hers.
I stopped moving.
“The two fallen angels begging for death,” she whispered. “We’re the same, aren’t we?”
A pause.
Something in me locked up. My jaw clenched, spine tight, breath held like I was waiting for a shot.
I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could, she leaned in and softly pressed her lips to mine. My heart hammered.
“You were the only light I could see tonight.”
Then she slumped against my neck, and for a second, I couldn’t breathe.
“My star in the darkness,” she mumbled, giggling faintly.
And just like that, she slipped under. Her frame went slack. Eyes closed. A soft, broken snore escaping her lips.
Merde.
I quickly headed toward the back entry, the one I’d used earlier. My boots barely made a sound as I walked, her weight steady in my arms. I pushed the hidden button behind a painting and opened the secret door, made my way down the narrow hall, and to the guest room on the same floor, away from the chaos of the main party and the catering.
The world closed in with every step.
I pushed open the door, ready to drop her and be done with it, but she clung tighter. Her grip was strong around my throat, dragging me down with her. I braced myself on either side of the bed, fists planted in the mattress.
She blinked up at me, dazed. “Aren’t you taking me home?”
I tried to pry her off, but her arm slid around the back of my neck like a noose. “I don’t know where the hell you live.”
She paused, then slapped me. Not hard, more like a half-dazed pat across the face.
“Liar,” she muttered. “I’mtheScarlett Harper. Everybody knows where I live.”
I stilled. Let my eyes drop to hers. “Apologies,now.”
She yawned. “Could you please braid my hair? I like it that way?…” Her voice trailed off.
A breath later, her arms slipped from around me, and she curled up on the bed, already drifting, like she was done with the conversation.
And maybe she was. Because mess or not, drunk or high, she knew exactly whoshewas. Now I knew too. And that fucking ruined everything.
I reached for her face without thinking, thumb brushing her cheek. That’s when I saw it—a sliver of gold. A necklace. Two small stars side by side, resting against her chest.
I touched it. Her breath deepened. A sound slipped from her throat.
She’d ruined my night. I wanted compensation, so I took it.
