Page 100 of Masked Sins
“So,” I mimic, giving him an angelic smile.
Before Orion and I stopped talking, I wasn’t very close to my other stepbrothers. In fact, I hardly knew them since they didn’t need to live at home. But of course they came to visit Felicity often, and despite being the closest to Orion, I still considered them family. And then when Orion and I stopped talking, I got really close to Zoe and sort of latched onto her, and by proxy, Liam Ravage. They all treated me like their little sister—coming to my ballets, taking care of my dad after Felicity died, and checking in with me.
So while Malakai and I aren’t the best of friends, I’m comfortable around him.
They all sort of feel like uncles more than stepbrothers.
“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong, or am I going to have to guess?”
“I’d love to hear your guesses,” I reply, smiling as I take another sip of my smoothie. “But if you must know.”
I brace myself.
If Liam told Zoe about the kiss he saw between Orion and me at their rehearsal dinner, there’s a good chance he told his other brothers.
“I kissed Orion.”
Malakai arches a brow as he takes a long, deep sip of his smoothie. “Oh?” he asks several seconds later.
I narrow my eyes. “Did Liam tell you?”
Malakai chuckles. “No, but what does Liam know that I don’t?”
My cheeks burn. “Orion kissed me at their rehearsal dinner. And today, I kissed him.”
Malakai nods. “Oh, yeah, I did know about that,” he teases. I kick him under the table, and he laughs. “Sorry, couldn’t help it. And how are you feeling about the kiss?”
I push my glasses higher on my nose. “I liked it?”
Malakai snorts. “Well, I gathered that. Considering the way you act around each other, that doesn’t surprise me.”
“What do you mean?”
Malakai leans forward, and I glance down at his clasped hands. He has a cross tattoo on his right, middle finger, and it always struck me as odd for a pastor to have a tattoo.
“Forgive me for saying this, Layla, but you and Orion have been obvious about your feelings for years. It’s sort of a running joke between me and the other brothers. And Stella. And Zoe. And recently, Juliet.”
My mouth drops open. “Obvious how?”
He grins. “Well, for one, you both look for the other whenever you enter a room. You mimic each other’s body language. You fight like cats and dogs, but it’s not malicious—it’s like there’s tension clouding your judgment. You know?”
I scoff. “I do now, thanks.”
“Before, I asked you how you felt about it, not if you liked it. What does this mean for the two of you?”
That same anguish from earlier fills me. “It can’t mean anything. Right before I kissed him, I found an engagement ring meant for the woman he’s seeing.”
Malakai has zero reaction, even when I study his expression for several seconds afterward.
“Are you sure it was meant for who he’s seeing? It could be something passed down from our mom, or maybe he’s holding it for a friend. I know Liam hid his ring for Zoe at my house so she wouldn’t find it.”
I hadn’t considered that.
My mouth opens and closes, but it still doesn’t make sense.
“Even if it’s not meant for the woman he’s seeing, he’s still seeing someone. And so am I. I shouldn’t have kissed him.”
Malakai leans forward. “Seems like you need to make a choice. The guy you’re seeing… or Orion. I know who he’d choose.”
