Page 49 of Sinner's Obsession

Ben holds onto his anger a minute longer, staying stoically silent as he scowls at me. Then finally, he seems to relax, letting it go so we can have a nice time together.

“I’m sorry I snapped at you,” he says.

“I’m sorry I brought it up,” I add, grateful that he’s willing to make amends.

We meander through the gallery in silence for several minutes, turning our eyes to the art once again.

When I dare to glance at Ben out of the corner of my eye, his lips are pressed together in silent amusement.

“What?” I ask, knowing that look all too well.

“Nothing,” he says casually, turning away to explore a new wall of art.

“Be-en,” I whine, leaping to catch up to him like the annoying little sister I know I am.

“Okay fine. It’s just, you seem to be really catching people’s eye lately,” he teases lightly.

“What do you mean?” I ask, glancing around the empty room to see if I’m missing something.

“Well, Efrem, then those guys I was out drinking with sure were taken with you. I mean, I didn’t hear the end of how I should start bringing you around more often. Now Mikhail…” Ben gives me a smirk. “It’s like everyone else has stopped seeing you as my kid sister, and you’ve grown up or something.”

“Ew.” I shudder at his mention of Mikhail and the unpleasant memory that brings to mind.

“I mean… Mikhail’s a pretty eligible bachelor, Dani. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if you caught his eye,” Ben hints.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I snap, my temper flaring back to life.Is it just me, or am I unwittingly stumbling across the real reason Ben asked to spend time with me?Mikhail Fucking Sidorov better not have put him up to this.

“What?” Ben asks, looking struck by my virulent outburst.

“Are you actually suggesting I date your mentor?” That’s the nicest way I can put it. Because my other options are “the creep who came onto me the other night and wouldn’t take no for an answer” or “the sleazebag who thought it was okay to rub up against a girl he just met who’s nearly half his age.”

I admit, it seems a little like a double standard to be perfectly fine with the age difference between Efrem and me and find Mikhail so utterly repulsive—but there’s more to it than that. And those extra seven years make a surprising amount of difference.

“Whoa, Dani, take it easy,” Ben says, raising his hands in submission.

“I don’t want to take it easy. I feel like it’s pretty fucked up that you would even suggest it. And in case I haven’t made myself clear, I’m not interested.” I jab my finger in Ben’s chest to really drive my point home.

“Jesus, Dani. I get it. Clearly, we’re on different pages about Mikhail, and I’d rather not spend my time with you arguing about stuff. How about we avoid Mikhail as a subject, huh?”

“I think that’s a great idea,” I snap.

Then I close my eyes and take a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I really don’t want to take this rare opportunity to spend time with my brother and argue over some jerk. It’s obvious that we’re both too stubborn to budge about either Pyotr or Mikhail, so best to leave it alone.

“I just want you to be happy, Dani,” Ben says gently, and when I meet his eyes, he gives me a kind smile.

“Spending time with you makes me happy,” I say, returning his grin. “Usually,” I tack on playfully.

Ben chuckles, giving me a light shove. I push him back, and suddenly, we’re in all-out war, ducking and dodging, pushing and punching each other as we roughhouse in the middle of the refined gallery.

“Excuse me,” a woman demands, her tone appalled as she enters the room to find us wrestling. “I think you need to leave.”

“Good call,” Ben answers, struggling to hold back laughter as he carts me toward the door.

As soon as we step outside, we both dissolve into uncontrollable fits of laughter.

“I can’t take you anywhere,” Ben states, wiping tears from his cheeks.

“Youcan’t takemeanywhere?” I demand incredulously. “You started it.”

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