Page 33 of Masked Sins
I can handle this.
“Yeah, sure.”
His eyes linger on my bare legs for a minute before he gives me a coy, little smile and pulls his phone back out, sending a text to my dad. When he’s done, he gestures for me to sit down.
“Care to join me? I was just reading.”
“What are you reading?” I ask, crossing my arms and not moving from the front yard. If I get closer, I’ll only be more tempted to stare at him up close.
“Just doing a little research for someone special.”
White-hot jealousy spikes through me so intensely that I physically rear back. “Oh? I didn’t know you were dating someone.” There’s a bite to my words, and Orion definitely notices because his eyebrows shoot up.
Sometimes I think he’s forgotten that I grew up with him and that I can read him like the back of my hand. His expression flicks between a few different emotions—confusion, amusement, and then he hesitates. Like he’s measuring me up. And then he schools his expression into something wary and uncomfortable.
“Do you want something to drink?” he asks, squinting at me and rubbing the back of his neck.
What Iwantis to know who he’s dating because, as far as I know, Orion doesn’t date.Ever.Then again, me being jealous is hypocritical. I have no right to be jealous of anyone he may be seeing.
“Uh, okay,” I say slowly.
“Let’s go inside.”
Following him inside, my mind is ringing with curiosity.
Just doing a little research for someone special.
I know from Zoe that he’s in the lifestyle like her and her husband, Liam.
My stomach clenches with both envy and fascination at the thought of Orion being into something kinky. I don’t know much about any of it, aside from what I’ve researched about the kinks that interest me, but I’m curious.
Over the past couple of years, Zoe had implied that he wasn’t interested in dating, but I suppose I should’ve known better. As I recall, he was a player in high school, and when I got older,I remember seeing him with different women every week. Even last year, at Zoe and Liam’s wedding, he’d been chatting up some brunette woman.
It makes sense that he’d be dating someone.
Orion walks to the fridge and pulls out two sodas for us, and I quickly thank him.
Leaning against the counter, neither of us says anything as we sip our drinks. After a minute, he pretends to go through the mail lying on the kitchen island, and I let myself study him from behind.
What is he into? Zoe never told me, but now I’m curious.
And why do I want to know something like that about my stepbrother?
“How’s the new bar?” I ask, hoping to cut through the awkward silence.
“Fine,” he answers with his back still to me.
“What’s it called? Maybe I can go with Zoe for our next girls’ night,” I offer.
His whole body stiffens before he turns around. “It’s not exactly a girls’ night establishment,” he replies, lips twitching before crossing his arms.
My brows furrow. “Oh?”
All of a sudden, the front door opens, and my dad hollers into the house. “Hello! I come bearing cheeseburgers.”
I don’t look away from Orion as he huffs a laugh and walks out of the kitchen.
What the hell was that?
