Page 50 of Sinful Like Us
Weight situates on my strict shoulders. I blame myself for how my relationship with Jane started out on a bed of dishonesty. Us lying to her parents and siblings.
I could’ve pulled the trigger earlier.
I should’ve.Even if they don’t care.
Eliot threads his palms behind his head, lounging back. “You could teach a master class on How to Deceive a Genius.”
My brows cinch in confusion.He’s impressed?
Tom lifts a finger. “I’d enroll.”
They both are.I glance at Jane for confirmation.
She leans in and whispers, “They’re devious little devils.”
Right.
I should be happy that two out of five brothers alreadysomewhatlike me. But I’m not jumping for fucking joy that they see me as a third devil in their merry gang of terrors.
Eliot grins. “As would I, Tom.”
Ben lets out a pained sound. “Stop sucking his dick—”
“It was just the tip,” Eliot laughs.
“—he’s aliar,” Ben continues.
One of them cares that I lied.
Eliot is serious in a sudden flash. “Ben—”
“A liar is dating our sister!” Ben motions to me. “That should worryeveryone. Why am I the only one in this family who’s upset about that?”
Eliot and Tom share a glance I can’t decrypt. Maybe they’re concerned about Ben or they’re more suspicious of me.
“Hey, kid,” I say.
“He’s not a kid,” Charlie chastises.
I forgot the Cobalts hate that.
I nod, raking a hand down my mouth, and I tell Ben, “I’m being straight forward with you now. I’m sorry I couldn’t before.” I’m lost on how else to right this wrong and rebuild my integrity. But I’m trying.
His eyes redden. He pounds his head back, chin lifted higher. When I’d been the Epsilon lead, I was in charge of protecting the minors. OfBen.He has a big heart.
He fights for what he feels is right.
But I lost count of all the times I had to inform bodyguards that Ben would be staying late in detention. For fuck’s sake, I’m not even a lead anymore, and I just heard on comms that Winona and Ben got in a fight at Dalton Academy. She jumped on a senior’s back because he called Ben a crybaby pussy.
Jane scoots towards her youngest brother and gathers his hand in hers. “I lied too, Pippy. If you fault Thatcher, then you have to fault me.”
Ben lets go of her hand. “I don’t knowanythingabout him, Jane.”
“We’re about to fix that,” Charlie says smoothly.
Beckett snuffs out his cigarette on an ashtray and then fans out a deck of blue cards on the table. Gold lions are hand-drawn on each one.
Can’t be ordinary playing cards.
