Page 123 of Sins (The Sins Trilogy 1)
Chapter Fifty-Five
Anthony
A few hours later, I lie beside a sleeping Iris and stroke her back. I should have guarded my reaction better, but when she mentioned the Bösendorfer Imperial, I couldn’t control myself.
I tenderly push a few strands of hair away from her face. She smells like a well-satisfied woman, plus my soap and shampoo—a combination that’s insanely hot and gratifying. I wanted to kiss her the moment she stepped into the living room, and ravish her until she turned to a happy, boneless puddle. But I had to play Schubert. I have to truly know who I’m with so I can figure out how to proceed and protect her.
Eventually, I slip out of bed and shower. I don’t need much more than a few hours of sleep at night, but Iris is different. She doesn’t stir even after I get dressed and press a kiss to her temple.
I listen to her soft, even breathing for a while, gratitude swelling until I feel like I’m about to burst. I can never forget how cold and still the world went when Harry told me Ivy was gone forever. My own world going blacker than ink. And most of all, how much I hated myself for being a fucking coward. Not being strong enough to keep her with me. Keep her safe. I deserved to lose her back then, but not through death. She deserved to live, to shine like the brightest of stars. So I could at least gaze upon her from afar, like a sailor lost at sea.
Quietly, I go to the kitchen to get some coffee. I have so many questions about the accident and what happened, but I can’t get immediate answers to any of them. I need Jill back in town.
I check my phone on the counter. I forgot to charge it last night, but there’s still some juice left.
One text from Wei, informing me Audrey called him twenty-eight times and sent seventy-four texts. She wanted him to know (and tell me) she was in love with me, hated Iris and couldn’t understand what Iris has that she doesn’t. Her seventy-fourth text finally contained an apology for being a bitch because she didn’t mean to embarrass everyone. I don’t have to read Audrey’s own words to know by “everyone” she means Ryder and me. She is so self-absorbed, with the media fawning over her fleeting beauty, that she can’t accept that there are men who don’t put her on a pedestal and worship her.
Like me.
As for Ryder, I have two missed calls and one text from him.
I’m sorry about what happened. I didn’t know you were going to be there, and I certainly had no idea Audrey would do that. I meant what I said. I’ll have her dress replaced and give her whatever compensation she wants.
I smile thinly. Sorry, Ryder, no, I think. You already screwed up once, and in this case, one strike means you’re out.
The coffeemaker is done, and I take a slow sip of the fresh brew, then call Ryder. He picks up after the second ring.
“Anthony?”
“Control your women, Ryder. I know you thrive on scandals and publicity, but I don’t, and neither does my date.”
“I swear to you, I didn’t arrange that on purpose. Audrey is just a costar—was. She won’t be working with me anymore. Don’t like getting involved with people who can’t control themselves.”
I cock an eyebrow. That must be incredibly upsetting for Audrey. “She didn’t pitch a hissy fit?”
He snorts. “Of course she did. But my agent and manager will handle it. There are hundreds of young starlets starving for opportunities. She isn’t that special.”
I laugh dryly. I wish I were recording this conversation, so I could send it to Audrey.
“But Anthony…” He clears his throat. “Your date… She looks like that girl from Louisi—”
“Don’t even say it,” I warn him, my voice hard. I don’t need him talking. People lap up every syllable out of his mouth like he’s Buddha incarnate. I don’t want anybody to know that Ryder and I are aware of a possible connection between Iris and Ivy.
“But—”
“You lost the right to comment on my life when you betrayed me. I haven’t forgotten a thing, Ryder. Just because I sent your wife a gift for the baby doesn’t mean we’re good again.” I hang up before he can respond.
I know what he wants to say. He’s going to try to appeal to our time together in Europe. Like somehow we should go back to being best buds again.
Just like I can’t undo my fuckups, Ryder can’t undo his. He and his circle of toxicity aren’t getting anywhere near Iris.
