Page 55 of Perfect Sin

Damien turns off the tv. “Reporters are going to be following you everywhere. I can get you a security team if you’d like.”

I shoot him a condescending look. “Like I need a team. Lucien and I will look after Raven.”

Raven snorts. “I can handle myself quite well, thank you.”

I kiss the side of her head. “You can’t stab reporters.”

She huffs. “Fine. You may continue to smother me with attention. I like having you around all the time anyway.”

Damien rolls his eyes. “Yeah, if you continue to act like yourselves, no one will believe Arthur’s story in a matter of days.”

16

Distraction

Raven

The smellof coffee lures me out of bed. School is the last place I want to go, but hiding isn’t going to change anything. Sin leans against the counter, lifting a mug to his lips. Despite my own need for a jolt of caffeine, this view is meant to be savored.

His grey sweatpants hang low on his hips displaying the deep grooves of his obliques. He pauses before the cup reaches his lips, and I see him smirk behind the rim.

“Morning, princess,” he rasps, his voice still rough from sleep. “Keep looking at me like that and we’re going to be missing class today.”

I bite my lip because it’s on the tip of my tongue to suggest we spend the day in bed instead of in a classroom.

Sin sets his cup down and fixes one for me. “Any other day and I’d have had you over my shoulder and down the hall by now, but after the shit show my bio-dad put on yesterday, we need to show our faces.”

I shrug one shoulder. “I guess. Although, I’m not sure what the opinions of our parents have to do with anything. We keep playing their game, and what are we getting out of it?”

Lucien rounds the corner of the hallway, one hand over his eyes. “Everyone decent?”

“You can take your hand down, dumbass,” Sin grumbles.

“Can’t be too careful living with the two of you.” He uncovers his eyes and starts fixing his own coffee. After he takes his first sip, he turns to face us. “I agree with the little bird. Why are we jumping through their hoops?”

“It’s just a distraction so we can get the information we need on Damien,” Sin replies.

Lucien dumps the rest of his coffee in the sink and starts to move out of the kitchen. “Well, the distraction part is working, because we’ve been so busy chasing our tails we haven’t found out shit.”

“You’re right. We’ve lost focus. After class today let’s figure out our next steps,” Sin agrees.

* * *

My brain spinsall morning imagining a future where Sin and I are out from under the thumbs of our fathers. I don’t immediately notice the attention Sin and I are getting during English class. An awkward hush spreads through the room when we enter, but it’s rather close to the start of class, so I ignore it.

Other people fade into the background every time Sin is near me, and I fail to pick up on the whispered conversations happening around us. While I have tunnel vision where he is concerned, he misses nothing in his hyper vigilant effort to look after my safety. Despite the fact I’ve proven a couple of times now that I am more than capable of taking care of myself, he is relentless when it comes to looking after me.

His body language is actually my first cue that something is going on beyond the usual boring droning of our professor lecturing about nineteenth century English literature. I notice the furtive glances first. Bits of the whispered conversations filter to me next. Not enough to decipher what is being said, but my name comes through clearly.

He’s tense through the entire class, and the moment the professor wraps it up he pulls me out of my seat and drags me around the corner of the building. Sin’s anxiety leaks into me and I wonder what our classmates were saying that has him so keyed up.

My brain short circuits when he fists his hand in my hair and roughly yanks me to him. His cheek brushes across mine, and he rasps, “You are mine. I’ll never let you go.”

“Why would you think you’d have to?” I ask. My hand fists in his shirt to keep him from walking away from the conversation.

He shakes his head. “I thought he’d wait to retaliate, but I was wrong.”

“Who? Sin, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”