Secret Sin

12

“Sorry for the delay.” Mrs. Revello swept into the room carrying a steaming bowl of pasta in her hands. “Dinner is ready.” She placed the dish on the table, followed by two teenage girls who did the same with the dishes they carried. Gino stood. “Lauretta, this is Bishop Bohanan and … Archer … I’m sorry. I didn’t get your last name.” “Worthington.” He nodded to Lauretta. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Pippa’s mother looked from Archer to me and back again. “Oh yes. It’s lovely to meet you both. Uh, Ari, please go get your brother.” The older of the two girls left the room while the other took a seat next to Archer, allowing a curtain of hair to form a barrier between them. She appeared to be the shiest of the bunch. “You have a beautiful home, Mrs. Revello,” I offered. She smiled warmly. “Why, thank you. Can I pour you a glass of wine?” “Please, allow me.” I stood and took the bottle from the middle of the table, giving her a healthy portion before pouring my own glass. “Hey, Bishop!” Gabe’s boisterous voice called at my back as he entered the room. I set down the wine and stepped away from my chair, extending my hand for a fist bump. “What’s up, man?” Gabe beamed, clearly delighted to be treated like a peer. “Not much.” “Have you two met before?” Gino asked. “Bishop came by practice the other day and got schooled by Pip.” He grinned. “You should have seen her. It was great.” Archer chuckled, and I had to refrain from glaring at him. “Yeah, well. Now that I know her penchant for hustling, I’ll be more careful in the future.” My gaze drifted to Pippa, an entirely different sort of hustle on my mind. Her thoughts must have taken her to the same place because a crimson flush warmed her cheeks. She cleared her throat. “It’s good to keep a few aces up your sleeve. You never know when someone will try to catch you off guard.” Her comment was meant as a jab, but I was more amused than anything. I raised my glass in the air, my eyes never leaving hers. “Words to live by, I’d say.” Archer fidgeted. Again. Mrs. Revello sat taller. “Now that we’re all here, please eat.” She motioned to the food, and we launched into the process of loading up our plates. The next hour was spent in polite conversation, often focused on Archer, thanks to my repeated efforts to keep the spotlight bearing down on him. Dinner didn’t go quite as I’d expected, but it was still endlessly entertaining. By the time our dessert plates were licked clean, I suspected Archer would have paid money to be anywhere but in that dining room. “Excuse me for a moment.” Pippa stood. “I need to run to the restroom.” She slipped away, my gaze trailing her. Gino rose to his feet as well. “Why don’t we head to the living room for an espresso or perhaps some Grappa.” “That sounds perfect. I need to make a quick phone call, then I’ll be right there.” I nodded in appreciation, then followed Pippa. My true intent was obvious, but I didn’t care. In fact, I preferred everyone in the room knew exactly where I was going. I waited for my naughty kitten outside the bathroom, and the second she opened the door, I quietly forced my way inside. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she hissed once the door was closed behind me. “I’m having a private word with you.” I stepped closer. She inched back, her backside reaching the vanity. “Well, good, because I have a thing or two to say to you. You can’t just tell my father we’re seeing each other and get yourself invited to dinner. That’s not the way things work.” The invisible force field lassoing us together coaxed me closer. “Nothing about this thing between us is normal, Pip. I’ve never in my life met a woman who ran from me like you do.” She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin. “Well, get used to it because I’m not interested.” “Not interested in what? Me? Because your body disagrees.” My eyes trailed down the column of her neck, over her fluttering pulse point, and slowly down the perfect swell of her breasts pressing up at the edge of her dress’s scooped neckline. I didn’t even have to touch her for a shiver to wrack her entire body. A renewed spark of anger flared in my veins. I pushed forward, pressing my body into hers. “Why, Pip? Why the f**k are you fighting this?” She unfolded her arms and stiffened for a fight before unexpectedly softening. “I told you that I don’t want to be tied down,” she said softly, her voice betraying her vulnerability. I wanted to be gentle with her, but I hated the implication. “Tied down? As in stuck with one man? That implies you want to f**k other people, and I’ve already told you that you’re mine.” “I’m not yours, Bishop.” Her eyes pleaded with me, though she’d find no sympathy where I was concerned. I leaned in and brought my cheek to hers, one hand on her waist and the other splayed flat on the counter behind her. “Did you know that the first person who discovers a star gets to name it anything they want?” She was silent for a second before slowly turning her head side to side. “No, but I’m not a star, Bishop. You can’t own me.” “No one owns the stars, baby. Everyone can admire them from a distance, but that one man whose eyes first sighted that brilliant speck of light and recognized it for the treasure that it is, that man will always have a special bond with that star.” I trailed my hand up until the back of it grazed the underside of her breast. Her back involuntarily arched, pressing her body further into mine. When her lips parted on a shaky inhale, I seized the opportunity. Our mouths came together like two halves of the same whole, perfectly shaped for one another. Savage joy filled my chest at the unabashed way she responded to my kiss. She didn’t just relax into my hold. Pippa met my hunger with a ravenous need of her own. When I finally pulled back for air, we were both at a loss for words. “We should probably get back,” she murmured. I caressed my thumb over her cheek, wanting to memorize everything about the way she looked when soft and kiss drunk. Her lips were the littlest bit puffy, and her cheeks pink. No one in that room would have any doubt as to what we’d been up to. Just as I’d planned. “I hope you don’t think this means you’re forgiven,” she whispered with zero fight behind her words. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” I smirked. “Now, come on. It’s time to get back to the others.” A satisfied grin warmed my face all the way to the living area, where everyone was gathered for after-dinner drinks. When uncertainty slowed Pippa’s steps, I placed a possessive hand at her lower back.