Page 8 of Secret Sin

His?I couldn’t believe this was happening. I figured Bishop would be delighted to know I wasn’t going to cling to him with expectations. He’d probably had sex with a hundred different women in his life. Why the hell had he decided he wanted more fromme?

Because I was a virgin? Surely, I wasn’t the only virgin he’d ever had sex with. And if that wasn’t it, what had driven him to go out of his way to find me? I’d been too stunned to confront him when I first stepped off the elevator and saw him standing there, all predatory grace and righteous fury. The lighthearted side of Bishop was disarming. The edgier, intense side of him was downright fascinating. It had taken me nearly a half hour to shake free of my bafflement and demand answers. Except his response had only left me more confused. The odd part was, I got the sense he was just as puzzled as I was.

We finished walking through the East Village apartment in a daze. I commented on the quality of the fixtures in the kitchen. Bishop noted the advanced security system already in place. We drifted from room to room, ignoring the giant pink elephant walking behind us.

This is mine now, and I protect what’s mine.

I had no idea how to react. Clint joined us midway through the tour, so we continued with the ruse of coupledom. It felt too awkward to explain that we were sorting things out after a one-night stand. And I wasn’t ready to treat Bishop like some kind of stalker. He was a tad overzealous, but I couldn’t blame him. He’d been bamboozled. Maybe after a day or so, he’d settle down, and things would get back to normal. Maybe he’d see a girl at a club to distract himself and realize he’d overreacted.

I rubbed at a sudden ache radiating through my chest.

What the hell was that? Was I … jealous?

I couldn’t fathom what had come over me. All I knew was the image of Bishop with another woman did yucky things to my insides.

We’d both lost our goddamn minds. That was the best explanation I could come up with. And on top of it all, I couldn’t be fully upset that he’d shown up because he’d been right about the East Village. It was perfect for me, and I adored the apartment Clint showed us. In fact, I wanted to make an offer. That meant I needed to suck it up and tell my parents I wanted to move out.

Suddenly, living with them forever didn’t sound so unreasonable.

Come on, Pip. You can do this. Youneedto do this.

Ugh. I’d been dreading the conversation, though I knew it was inevitable. I loved my life. I had money and privilege and parents who loved me. Mafia life was a sweet gig if you didn’t mind the constant surveillance, ever-present threats on your life, and a father who terrified and drove away everyone around you. Nothing about my life was average.

That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. I had all the luxuries in life a girl could ask for. Enough that I should have been happy. I shouldn’t have battled a constant ache to see beyond the walls around my magical Mafia kingdom.

But Eveshouldhave been content in Eden, yet she still sought out the forbidden fruit.

That was how I felt about experiencing life outside my bubble. Yearning clawed at my insides more urgently with each passing day, and that inner voice had cried out louder than ever with my cousin’s wedding. Seeing how quickly her freedom had been snatched from her grasp terrified me. Two weeks. That was all the notice she’d been given before walking down the aisle to a man she hardly knew.

Hell. No.

Not me. Wasn’t happening.

I wasn’t getting stuck with a stranger, and even worse, never seizing the chance to sample what else was out there. No way. This girl was going to live life to the fullest. Now that Noemi was back and life had a pulse again, it was time to focus on me.

* * *

“You were outand about longer than usual today,” my father noted once I arrived home. “Your mother said you’d gone to see Noemi this morning?” He looked me up and down, a wordless statement that I was dressed much nicer than I would normally be just to hang out with my cousin.

“I was there earlier today, then I came home and changed.” I took a deep breath and focused all my energy on projecting absolute confidence. “This afternoon, I was out with a real estate agent. I’ve been looking at apartments and have found one I’d like to buy.”

There. It was out in the open. Come what may, I’d at least started the process.

Dad’s face scrunched as though he’d just been force-fed a spoonful of vinegar. “You went house hunting before even discussing it with us?”

I couldn’t stop my gaze from briefly dropping to my hands in contrition. “Well, I knew you might not be thrilled with the idea.”

“So you thought it would be best to just go behind our backs?”

“No, Daddy. I mean. Yes, but I wasn’t trying to be deceitful. I figured it would be better to know for sure if that’s what I wanted so that I didn’t upset you guys for nothing.” Not entirely true, but things were going downhill quick. I couldn’t afford to ruffle his feathers any more than necessary.

His already thin lips pursed further. “I’m not sure I understand why you’re even doing this. You’re only twenty, and it’s not like you don’t have plenty of freedom here. Why pay for a place when you have a perfectly good home here where I know you’re safe? You can move out when you’re married. Besides, Aria is seventeen now. She needs you to be a good example. We can’t have her turning eighteen and thinking she can run off into the city on her own.”

Frustration bunched in a tight knot between my shoulder blades. “Daddy, I have to learn how to be independent,” I tried to explain.

“No, you don’t. There’s no reason you ever have to struggle on your own.”

I stepped forward and clasped his hands, begging him to understand. “I might not have to, but Iwantto. It’s important to me. I need to know I can stand on my own two feet.Please, Daddy.”

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