Page 86 of No Darker Temptation

“No,” he laments quietly. “I imagine you didn’t. I’m sorry.”

“I was much happier before. In the beginning. When everything was new but it was simple. I never imagined it would be this hard.”

An excruciating amount of time passes before he asks, “Do you want to leave?”

“Do you want me to leave?”

“Contrary to my outburst earlier this afternoon, I don’t actually want to hold you prisoner…as tempting as that may be.” He attempts to smile but it never fully takes form. “I want you to be happy. Are you happy with me?”

“Not always.” When he tries to pull his hand away, I hold on. “But it doesn’t mean I love you any less.”

He nods and nothing else is said between us. He kisses me and leaves, just like he promised.

THE IRISH CONSPIRACY

Alejandro

August

“Are you sure this looks all right?” Dahlia smooths a hand over her hair and repeatedly messes with the front strands framing her face. “Maybe I should’ve put it in a bun instead, my hair didn’t dry properly and⁠—”

Placing a hand on her shoulder, I guide her away from the car window, stopping her mid-rant. “Mi amor, no one’s going to be looking at your hair.”

She presses her lips together in a thin line before giving a curt nod. I extend her purse and she lets the strap hang from her shoulder while she tucks the binder she brought under her arm. Seeing Dahlia this way is strange. Usually, she’s in dresses—the satin, silk, or chiffon kind with spaghetti straps and long, flowing skirts that cling to her hips and flare around her thighs. Today, she’s wearing dark high-waisted bell bottom jeans, summery espadrilles, and one of my white button downs with the sleeves cuffed, top unbuttoned, and the bottom tied in a tight knot around her waist; she looks like a college kid. Fresh-faced and glowing under the late summer sun, she lifts her sunglasses and pushes them back into her hair, revealing the burning amber of her eyes.

Sometimes, I forget how young she is. Five and a half years is a small age difference in the grand scheme of things but right now, my twenty-eight feels worlds away from her twenty-three.

“Do I have to take Pedro with me?” She steps closer, expression pleading as her voice lowers. “It’s just an orientation.”

“I don’t see how having Pedro accompanying you to school will be any different than usual. You always have a security detail with you.”

Except for the few times she very conveniently outmaneuvers them. I can’t complain too much because for the most part, Dahlia has obeyed this request of mine but there have been occasions where she left without one of our men on her tail. I can name three off the top of my head and none of them ended well.

“I’m going to be the only kid there with a babysitter.”

“Kid?”

She scoffs impatiently. “You know what I mean.”

“No, I don’t, and please don’t refer to yourself as a kid in front of me again. It makes me feel weird. Like I’m robbing the cradle or something.”

“How am I supposed to make friends with that following me around everywhere?”

She points and my attention lands on Pedro, standing beside the black SUV parked behind my car. He leans down to fluff his hair in the reflection of the window before turning his head, catching a glimpse of his distinguished profile then gives a nod of approval.

“Pedro’s more likely to help you make friends than scare them away.” Dahlia’s expression crumbles, the elation and hint of nervousness there on the car ride here, quickly dissolving like seafoam against the shore. I’m desperate to salvage her good mood so I compromise. “Today, he’ll wait outside. But only today so don’t get used to it. I want you to go to orientation in peace.”

She smiles and it shouldn’t affect me so deeply but it does.

It’s the first time I’ve seen real joy on her face in weeks. When she initially asked about pursuing her masters, it was with apprehension and hesitancy, as if she were seeking my permission. Personally, it had surprised me that she hadn’t enrolled sooner and given it was July when she asked and how quickly the English-language program at this school fills up, it took a hell of a lot of favors and one disgustingly large check to get her in at the eleventh hour. But the smile on her face? Worth every penny.

Though, I can’t claim to have done all the heavy lifting. I know Dahlia’s smart but it never fully registered with me just how smart. My jaw nearly went through the floor when her transcripts from New York finally came in. The expression on my face had earned me my first laugh from her in ages.

Double major, engineering and architecture, valedictorian, summa cum laude. More honors and awards from high school than I could count.

For a second, I had to wonder what she was doing with me when she clearly didn’t need me. Immediately after, I felt guilty for thinking as much. She’s with me because she loves me and not because she needs me. It was the humbling I desperately needed.

Eager to step inside and commence this new phase of her life, Dahlia turns and takes her first step toward the front doors but something stops her. Without realizing, my hand is still on her arm, gently gripping her elbow, and when she faces me I release her. Her eyes soften.