Chapter 10

“Xave?” Valeria says, snapping me out of my thoughts. I look up at her and realize I’ve completely missed what she was saying. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Sierra, and the way she felt against me, the way she tasted. My sweet kitten has no idea how long I’ve waited to kiss her again, how many times I’ve fantasized about it, how patient I’ve been.

“Xavier?”

I blink and smile at Valeria apologetically. “I’m sorry, V. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

She shakes her head and sighs. “Have you spoken to Sierra?” she asks, her tone cautious.

I look out the window, taking in the skyline just outside of my restaurant. “She’s been ignoring my calls, and I’m not even sure why. I’d already told her I’m not romantically involved with anyone. There was no ambiguity in my words. I couldn’t have made it clearer, Valeria. She’s just doing what she’s always done — jumping on the first excuse to run away from this thing between us.”

“You’re such an idiot,” she snaps, pure rage flickering through my sweet sister’s eyes, an it catches me off-guard. “Just who do you think you are? Why should your words mean anything to her when your actions say otherwise? From her point of view, you told her you were single, kissed her, and then rushed over to another woman who walked into your house uninvited and unannounced. I know you’re not as stupid as you look, so don’t tell me you don’t understand why she’s been ignoring your phone calls.”

I run a hand through my hair, trying my best not to let on just how much V’s outburst shocks me. I didn’t think I’d ever get to experience my sister’s eyes flashing like that again. Valeria left home when she was twenty, not wanting anything to do with the way our family conducted our business, and instead of stopping her, I let her go. If I’d followed my instincts and stopped her from leaving, she’d never have gone missing without a trace. That’s on me, and I’ll never forgive myself for it. We searched for her for years, only to find her on our doorstep one night, bruised and broken, her clothes drenched in blood. She didn’t speak for months, and to this day, none of us know where exactly she was kept, or what she’s been through, though it’s not for a lack of trying on our part.

In the years since she’s been back, she’s mostly kept to herself, requesting that we help her stay hidden, her identity kept secret. It’s clear she’s scared, and until we know what she’s running from, we’re abiding by her wishes. I never imagined that Sierra would think Valeria was someone I’m romantically involved with, though, given how well I thought she knew me. I suppose it makes sense, in hindsight.

“Why are you smiling like that?” Valeria asks, her tone icy. “If you think this is funny, you deserve everything Sierra has ever put you through a thousand times over, and I won’t have even an ounce of sympathy for you when she strikes next.”

“I’m just happy you seem so… spirited. I’m proud of you, you know?” I tell her, my heart aching.

I’ve been able to convince her to attend a few highly secure events with me, just so she’ll slowly become accustomed to being in crowds again, and with each passing day, she unveils more parts of herself that we all thought we’d lost forever. I didn’t think I’d experience her snapping at me over anything ever again, though.

She pulls her hand out of mine. “Xave, I could walk in a straight line and you’d be proud of me,” she says, her tone teasing.

I can’t help but laugh and look away, only to spot bright emerald eyes that I’d recognize anywhere. “Sierra,” I whisper.

She turns away and sits down at the table next to ours, her undivided attention on the man she’s with — Graham Thorne. Is that why she’s been declining my calls? Not because she misunderstood my relationship with Valeria, but because I misunderstood her relationship with Graham fucking Thorne? I thought he’d been standing a little too close to her at the party, and the way she’d laughed with him seemed a little too intimate, but I was certain I was just seeing things.

“Think before you act,” Valeria urges, and I unlock my jaws. I didn’t even realize I’d been glaring at them.

“Bold of you to assume I’m capable of thinking straight when she’s near,” I mutter as I rise to my feet. My sister audibly sighs as I close the distance between our table and Sierra’s.

“Sierra,” I say, my tone filled with venom I don’t truly feel — never toward her. “A word, please?”

She looks up, seemingly disinterested, but her eyes give her away. There’s anger in them, but there’s pain too. Valeria was right. I fucked up. “No,” she replies, her tone sharp.

“Please,” I beg, my voice breaking.

Something shift in her expression, and her fiery eyes soften. She sighs and throws Graham a sweet smile before slipping out of her seat wordlessly. Much to my surprise, she follows me out quietly.

“What do you want?” she asks the moment the restaurant manager’s office door closes behind me. She sounds tired, not a hint of her usual provocation in her voice, almost like dealing with me is a minor inconvenience.

She leans back against the closed door, her expression betraying her impatience, like she wants me to just get to the point so she can go back to Graham. Blinding jealousy takes hold of me as I cage her in against the door with my forearms, barely an inch between us. “Did you come here on purpose?” I ask, my voice strained. “You’re in my restaurant. Tonight, of all nights, when you knew I’d be here.”

Her eyes flash the way they do when I’ve infuriated her, but instead of the tirade I’d expected, she merely inhales deeply, her shoulders sagging. “No, Xavier,” she says, her voice soft, her tone defeated. “It’s a coincidence. How could I have known where you’d be?”

I place my index finger under her chin and force her to face me. She’s never this restrained when we’re alone. Normally she’d already have turned the tables and put me in my place. Sierra grabs my wrist, and for a moment, I’m certain she’s about to push my hand away, but she merely holds it in place, our eyes locked.

“Tell me why you’re here with him,” I ask, voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes roam over my face, searching, but what for I’m not certain.

She hesitates, and my heart begins to race. “Same reason you’re here with her, I’d warrant.”

“Just a friendly, completely platonic, non-romantic dinner, then?”

She raises a brow mockingly and part her lips, a sharp retort no doubt on the tip of her tongue, but then she snaps her mouth closed and nods. “Sure.”

“Sierra,” I warn. “There isn’t much that I won’t let slide when it comes to you, but there are lines you shouldn’t cross. Eat with him if you’d like, but you’re leaving with me after. I’ll drive you home myself.”

Her eyes soften just a touch — anyone but me would’ve missed it. My heart skips a beat when she gently cups my cheek, her eyes roaming over my face with a hint of the same longing she showed me when I kissed her. “Xavier,” she whispers, leaning in until her lips brush over my ear. “Go to hell.”

She pushes against my chest and walks away, leaving me staring after her. “I’m already in hell,” I whisper, knowing I have no right to stop her.