Page 55 of Secrets That We Keep (Forbidden Descendants 2)

Then waking up still thinking about Yellow.

Something was obviously wrong with me. Such minor encounters with one woman should not consume so many of my thoughts. But whenever I found myself in the same room as her, she seemed to be the only thing I could concentrate on, and I always went away embroiled in daydreams of seeing her again, even as I told myself what an idiot I’d been for spending any time with her in the first place.

Yellow might’ve said we hadn’t done anything wrong or inappropriate, but oh, we had. About fifty different times, twenty different ways, and all in my head.

Mentally, I had betrayed my sister plenty.

Sighing, I let myself in through the front door with my key. Bella was probably still asleep; the place was as quiet as a tomb. After shutting the door behind me, I flipped on the light to the living room and stopped dead in my tracks.

Oh wow.

I’d

completely forgotten Bella had hosted a ladies’ night the evening before.

Setting my hands on my hips, I shook my head and sighed. The sad part was I knew that every woman present last night had probably offered to help with cleanup, too. But Bella had waved them all away with a, “No, no. I’ve got this.”

Except, she never had it.

She usually got about half an hour into pickup before calling me and begging for help. In return, I made it worth my while, ensuring she paid me back big before I even thought of agreeing to come over and pitch in. But this time, I didn’t even wait for the begging to begin. I just got to work.

Guilt was a lousy bastard. It made a man do all sorts of things he’d never typically do. Like clean his sister’s house.

By the time Bella stumbled into the kitchen, I’d already finished in the front room and was clearing wine remains from the kitchen island with a disinfectant wipe. Pausing in the entrance, she dropped her hand from her eyes she’d been rubbing and gave me a frown.

Lifting my brows, I held up two empty bottles. “Looks like ladies’ night was a success.”

Sending me a half whine, half grunt, she shuffled the rest of the way inside and slumped into a chair at the table. Her bathrobe hung open, revealing the baggy shirt and shorts she’d slept in, and the ratted mess that was her hair stuck out as if it’d just been possessed by the eighties.

“Oomph,” she mumbled, adding something I couldn’t even begin to understand as her forehead thumped miserably against the tabletop.

“Hmm? What was that?” I asked, making her jump and wince when I tossed the bottles in her trash. The clanging crash that followed was more than her sensitive ears could handle.

She looked up and glared my way. “I said, why are you here so early?”

Guilt was the immediate answer that came to mind. I’d sat by Yellow last night, enjoyed a movie with her, let her hug me, and I’d craved her like I hadn’t craved a woman in quite a while. Maybe ever.

“I figured you’d need help with the mess,” I answered, dusting my hands off on my thighs. “Want some breakfast?”

Suspicion entered her gaze, but she said, “Sure.” Only to pause and lift a staying hand. “Wait. What do you want in return this time?”

I shrugged, making myself busy by opening her fridge and searching for ingredients. “We’ll just call this one an I-owe-you. Would you prefer bacon and eggs, pancakes, waffles, or biscuits and gravy?”

Her brow furrowed, and I knew I’d gone too far. But I couldn’t seem to help it. I had to remind myself that she was still my number one person on the planet.

A vision entered my head of all the times she’d had swollen eyes and tear-stained cheeks after her breakup. I’d honestly never seen her so wrecked. And it had taken her forever to move on. I wasn’t even sure she was completely over it yet, to be honest.

Yellow had been a part of that misery. She’d helped shatter my sister in a way I never thought she could shatter. Bella had always been so strong-willed. But that whole thing had knocked her clean off her feet.

Acid filled my stomach. I never should’ve let Yellow’s pretty face and air of sweet innocence get to me. Even Bella had talked about how fooled she’d been by Yellow’s act. I knew better.

That’s it. From here on out, I was going to stop thinking good things about Yellow.

Like how nice her smile looked. Or fun her sense of humor was. Or great her taste in movies ranked. Or refreshing just being around her felt.

From this moment on, I was officially out. Done. Finished.

On Bella’s table, her phone dinged with an incoming message. We both leaned forward to read.

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