Page 28 of I Am Sin

I sigh.

I won’t be tasting any of that wine anymore.

No more pot either.

My counselors at the rehab center were amazed that I’d been able to go so long with the gateway substances of beer, wine, and marijuana.

Those days are over.

Diana takes another bite of her chicken, bringing the breaded meat between her full pink lips.

And all I can think about is how lucky that piece of chicken finger is.

I desperately want to ask her for another fry, but I don’t. They’re her fries. Sure, I’m paying for them, but I’m staying at her place for free. I get my own fully furnished room plus access to all the amenities of her building.

So the fact that I bought her chicken fingers and fries?

It means shit.

We don’t talk a lot, but Diana seems comfortable with that. She’s a lot quieter than her sister, Brianna. Brianna likes to talk, laugh, flirt, be the life of the party.

Now that she’s married to Jesse, will she still be like that?

Probably. Tigers don’t change their stripes just because they enter into holy matrimony.

At least that’s what I figure. Not that I’d know.

I’ve cleaned my plate, and once Diana has finished her last bite of chicken fingers, Lexi arrives.

“How was everything?” she asks.

“Lovely, thank you.” Diana gives Lexi that beautiful smile.

“And you, Dragon?”

“As ever, Lexi.”

“Good enough.” She clears our plates, and less than a minute later, she returns with two servings of cherry pie.

“On the house for you and your special lady, Dragon.” She slides the plates in front of each of us. “I know cherry’s your favorite.”

My cheeks warm at her use of the wordsspecial lady, and I can tell Diana’s are too, because they turn a gorgeous shade of rose.

“Oh”—I clear my throat—“we’re not…”

Lexi widens her eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to assume anything. I hope you enjoy the pie.” Lexi’s cheeks are pink as she leaves.

Diana breaks the silence after what feels like an eternity. “It’s very kind of you,” she says. “I’m sure it will be delicious.”

I look down at my pie, avoiding Diana’s gaze. “Sorry about that.”

“That’s no problem. But I have a question.”

“Yeah?”

She cuts off a bite of pie with her fork and brings it to her lips, holding it there in midair. “You told me you weren’t much for sweets. But Lexi said cherry pie is your favorite.”

Fuck. Did I say that? Yeah, I did, when she offered me ice cream. I don’t know why the hell I say half the things I do.

---