“Okay, then,”—a slight smile tugged at his lips—“I’ll just call youthe sisteror Logan.”
At his teasing, heat rushed to my face. Dammit, I should have just told him. Now I appeared like a gaping, witless idiot. It took everything in me not to step back, uneasy at how a simple touch rattled me.
“It’s Ila. My name’s Ila, okay?”
“That sounds very nice, but too late,Logan.”
Oh, man. Safer to change the subject. “Did you want something?”
His gaze skimmed over my face and lowered to my mouth. “Yes.”
Warmth seeped into my cheeks. Before he saw how his words flustered me, I picked up a glass, filled it with water, and swallowed some.
“Is it okay if I stay here?” he asked.
Leave. Go. Yet, my conscience wouldn’t let me voice that. No matter my unfortunate reaction to him, he did save Ray. The doorbell rang. I breathed in relief. My appointment was here, and I could escape this suddenly stifling space.
I set the glass down and turned, and found him raking back his overgrown blond hair. His actions drew my gaze to his bulging, tattooed biceps. It was so tempting to step closer and study the spiraling musical design on his forearm. I said instead, “Yes, it’s fine. If you need anything, ask Ray.”
“Sis?” Ray sprinted into the kitchen and dumped her plate and soda on the counter. “Your client’s here—whoa, he’s one yummy, silver-haired fox. Said you’re supposed to show him what you do, so I left him in your room of shocking activities.”
She enjoyed teasing me about my closed door. I didn’t like disturbances when I worked.
“Hey, Maximus,” Ray said. “You’re probably beat with the kind of day you just had and on your birthday, too. Do you wanna crash early?”
“No.” He shook his head.
As I went off to greet my client, Ray’s words echoed in my mind. It was his birthday, and he spent it without his family?
My cell beeped. Absently, I pulled it out of my pocket. At the shortened text, an unstoppable jolt of pain flooded my chest.
Ila, please, please talk to me. I miss you—
Devyn.
In the last two weeks, out of the blue, his texts had started again, pleading to see me. Earlier tonight in the laundromat, he’d text-hounded me repeatedly. Damn him. I’d finally managed to find some peace after the devastation he caused. And now, he would do this?
Chapter Two
Max
It was her, the girl from the laundromat.
Ila Logan.
I still couldn’t connect Ray’s cool, prickly sister to my dancing girl. For a brief moment, she’d pulled me out of my dark hell. It made sense now why I’d been drawn to the photo on the fridge door earlier.
I stood there unable to believe the odds of this happening. Of course, the fates probably enjoyed screwing with me for their own perverse pleasure when I’d chosen to walk away from this one.
I turned to Ray. “I didn’t know you had a sister?”
“You never asked.” She swept her laptop off the counter and headed for the living room.
Right. I was too busy steeped in guilt and hating myself. I followed Ray, stopping at the living room window while she set her laptop on the dining table. My gaze drifted to the foyer and the door opposite that hadn’t shut properly. Laughter reached me, then low voices. The door closed.
Ray had said “client.” What exactly did Logan do that required a locked door? Usually, when I was enclosed behind one, it was to fuck.
At the thought, something fierce tore through my chest. I had no idea why it should piss me off, but it did. I walked outside, pulled out my smokes from my pocket, lit one, and deeply inhaled the shit I was trying to give up.
