Page 332 of The Sinner: James

Dinner is served moments later.

Throughout the evening, she locks eyes with me from time to time, her fingers brushing my arm or my thigh, her body never more than a few inches away from mine.

Several guests stop at our table, but we never lose sight of each other.

As the evening wraps up, she says goodbye to Lex and Ed, and we make the trip back to the garage.

“Where are we going?” she asks as I motion her to my Bugatti.

We climb in.

“I want to show you something.”

She looks at me, intrigued, as we roll out of the garage.

Shifting in her seat, she pins her eyes on me, a smile lingering on her face.

“I’m sure you’re gonna like it,” I say.

She rests her hand on my shoulder as the car dashes up the road. The night envelopes us, littered with stars, the sky stretching above us.

Soon we drive downtown, heading west.

Minutes later, we roll past the gate and enter the property.

Soft lights pave the way to the stairs as we pull up in front of the Dark House.

14

RAIN

My mouth falls openas I take in the house.

Strings of lights swirl around the columns, descending toward the stairs, and lit candles flicker on the windowsills.

He rounds the car and helps me out, the night breeze rolling over me, shrouding me in the sweet scent of wild roses.

Taking a deep breath, I indulge in their aroma.

“Mmm... They smell good.”

“They do,” he says, looping an arm around me.

A gust of wind sweeps the shrubs, draping a cloud of petals over us. Soft and fragrant, they fall through the air like rain, some getting caught in my hair.

A soft smile tugs at his lips as he takes me in.

“I couldn’t have possibly arranged for all this to happen...” he says, removing petals from my hair.

Running my hand over his shoulder, I brush them off him too.

We lock eyes, and silence falls over us.

“It’s been a long road,” he says after a moment, tenderly stroking my neck. “And it hasn’t always been an easy one...” he continues while I cup his hand and a smile glints in his eyes. “But this is where another road begins. And I don’t know if this time will be easier, but I hope we’ll stick with each other till the end.”

He silently observes me as I bite my lip to stop my happy tears from falling.

As much as I’d love to say something meaningful in response, I’m afraid I’ll end up sobbing.

---