“Oh my God, what if I’d been stupid enough to fall for him and let it get to that? I would’ve been trapped with a man whodoesn’t respect me. Even if divorce is possible, it would’ve been ugly. Sam and Arish proved that to me today.”
My phone rang, causing me to jump. I had to shift to get it free of my shorts’ pocket. The name on the screen readArish. I declined it. Moments later, another call showed the nameSam. I declined it, too. I eased off Reign’s lap, although I wanted to remain snuggled there.
“I was in the middle of making us strawberry lemonade. Let me fetch it.”
He rose and followed me. I had to pour out the half-melted ice and refill the glasses. Reign insisted on carrying the tray to the table in my living room. He set it down and poured it as I sat. When he sat down, he made sure our legs were touching from the knees to the hips. I watched him take a drink.
“Ahh, that’s fantastic. Better than any strawberry lemonade I’ve had. I love how it’s balanced with the sweet and tart. Most are one or the other,” he exclaimed.
“It’s how I like it best, too. The secret is to use actual fresh lemons and strawberries and simple syrup to sweeten. Buying that store-brand stuff and tossing in a few berries doesn’t do the trick,” I stated.
After a couple of drinks, Reign got back to the drama. “I don’t want us to spend our day consumed by those two, but you have to be careful. I don’t trust them not to return. They seem like the type to hassle. If they do, I need you not only to call the police, but to call me.”
“I’ll for sure call the police, but I don’t want to drag you further into this than I have to.”
“Anastasia, you agreed to date me and for us to work on establishing a relationship, right?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Well, for me, I need to know that you’re safe. It’s not drawing me into drama or trouble. Please, do it for me.”
He gave me beseeching puppy-dog eyes rather than making it a demand. I laughed and pressed him away. But he pushed in close. Right before his mouth closed on mine, I whispered back.
“Okay, I’ll call you if it happens. Now, I need my kiss.”
And oh boy, did he kiss me. It curled my toes and left me breathless. It was disrupted by my phone chiming with a text. I checked to see who it was. It was Arish. I silenced my phone and placed it face down on the table so I could enjoy some time alone with Reign.
Sinner: Chapter 8
I was counting the minutes until the work week was over and the weekend started. I was headed over to pick up Anastasia and bring her to my place for the first time. We’d spent every evening together since the police incident on Sunday. The main reason was that I wanted to be with her. The added benefit was that it prevented her brother and that bastard Sam from coming over. During the day, she’d been kept company by her mom.
I hadn’t been convinced that she would stop them, but Anastasia assured me that her mom wasn’t as on the family’s side as the others thought. She claimed that when she told her what Arish and Sam had done, her mom was horrified and angry.
I got to meet her on Wednesday when I came over, since she was still at the townhouse. When I rang the doorbell, an older woman answered. Even with their differences in appearance, I knew this had to be my woman’s mom. Anastasia resembled her a lot.
“Please, come in. You must be Reign. I’m Kathlyn, Stasia’s mom,” she said, smiling and stepping back to allow me inside.
“Thank you. Yes, I’m Reign. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Shah,” I replied after I was inside and the door was shut.
I didn’t hold out my hand. Anastasia was teaching me about the appropriate protocol in her family. Unless her mom held her hand out to me, I was to bow, which I did.
Her mom smiled, and her hand came out. “I see my daughter has been teaching you. Please, no need to bow to me, though yes, my husband and other children demand it. And call me Kathlyn, not Mrs. Shah. I hope it’s okay to call you Reign?”
As I took her hand, I knew I liked her. I told her to please call me Reign. She spent about twenty minutes with us before excusing herself and promising to be back the next day.
Since then, I’d relaxed a little about Kathlyn watching over Anastasia, though she kept telling me it was unnecessary. She was mending well and planning to go to work next Monday.
At my work, things were business as usual except for one thing: Rowan. He kept insisting we needed to work things out. I blatantly told him to do his job. His attitude hadn’t been nice, which was only making the termination case easier.
A good thing did happen. The final steps in the acquisition of Littleton Crisis Management were completed today. We will sign the last paperwork next week. Once that was done, the real work to integrate would begin. We wouldn’t change everything. We'd only do what made sense to align them with Caldwell.
I made it to four o’clock before I broke. I grabbed my briefcase and then headed for the door. I was to pick Anastasia up by six, but she wouldn’t care if I were early. I paused at Janeen’s desk.
“I’m heading out. Have a good weekend. If anything comes up, call me.”
“Thank you. Have a great weekend. See you on Monday,” she replied cheerfully.
On my way to the elevator to the garage, I said goodbye to several people and wished them a good weekend. I thought I was in the clear when the elevator doors began to shut. I was wrong. A hand grabbed hold of one and then pushed, widening the gap,and in stepped Rowan. I bit back my groan of annoyance, barely. The doors closed, and the ride began.
