Page 58 of Masked Sins
Grinding my jaw, I look down at my hands. “She’s fine.”
“Such a pretty, little thing,” he murmurs wistfully.
“I don’t want to talk about her with you,” I grind out.
“Come on. Man to man. I can appreciate a fine specimen when I see one, and she’s?—”
I stand abruptly, nostrils flaring as I glare down at the man before me. “I said I’m not going to talk about her with you.”
“Layla,” he says slowly. “That’s her name, right? I met her once, you know. Attended one of her performances a long time ago. Even got to go backstage to meet her and the other performers.”
I’m seething.
I didn’t know this, but the thought of my father anywhere near her makes me sick.
“Stop,” I growl.
“Perfect fucking tits,” he adds, and I see red.
“Goodbye, dad.”
I don’t even care when the door slams behind me on the way out.
A few hours later, I’m brooding and walking toward Inferno with an extra angry bounce in my step. I know my father only says this stuff to spur me on, but it doesn’t matter. Since I’m the only child still in contact with him, all of his attention falls on me. And since he’s adamant that Kai won’t ever settle with someone, that leaves me for him to focus on in his final days.
After I’d left, I’d gone on a two-hour bike ride around LA. Now that it’s well past six, I make my way to Inferno in order to intercept Zoe, Remy, and Layla. I’ve already spoken to my security team, so I know they’ve just arrived.
Layla will expect me to lose my cool.
For years, I took it upon myself to ensure she was safe, healthy, and happy. The role of big brother came easily to me, and growing up, I wanted to cage her to keep her safe. And then that asshole of a football player touched her without permission—cornering her and violating her. It makes me sick to think about it.
He got what he deserved, and I’ve dedicated a lot of my free time ensuring he’s as miserable as possible.
And hearing my dad talk about her like that … it made my blood boil. The way he let those words slip out, like he had any right to speak about her that way …
It made me want stake my claim even harder.
She’s mine, not his—not anyone else’s.
The thought of anyone else even imagining her that way is enough to make my fists clench. She belongs to me, and I’ll make sure everyone, including him, knows it one day soon.
But I have to admit, even though I feel this possessiveness, I know deep down I don’t really have the right to think of heras mine anymore. We’re not as close as we used to be, and she’s her own person now. Kai was right; that’s the Layla I used to know.Even if I’ve kept track of her since our falling-out—then tasted her only months ago—she’s blossomed into a woman I don’t fully recognize.She doesn’t need my protection anymore. She’s fully capable of looking after herself. And while I really fucking hate the idea of her possibly getting approached tonight, I know she’s here because she’s really good at following directions.Mydirections. I’d told her to do research, didn’t I?
She’s going to expect me to be mad.
But… what if I’m not?
She’s getting closer to Starboy, but I can’t let that overshadow whatever we had between us as Orion and Layla. Because if I’ve learned one thing about us, it’s that there’s…somethingthere. It’s not all one-sided as I assumed for so long. She feels something, too.
Perhaps it’s time she confronts the feelings she has for her dear stepbrother.
She can’t hide the stares and ogling for very much longer.
As I get closer, my foul mood begins to dissipate. By the time I walk through the back door, I’m practically grinning.
I have the perfect plan, and it includes charming her as Orion.
She thinks she likes Starboy?
