Page 10 of My Beautiful Sin

She sits up straighter. “What are you talking about?”

“Or, I don’t know, maybe he simply doesn’t like that I’m a reporter.” I drag my fingers through my tangled waves. “All I know is that he tried to warn me off Devlin early on. Said I was a distraction.”

“Ohhh.” She draws out the word as she nods her head. “Distracting him from all that other secret stuff he does.”

“That’s what I’m thinking. And he was in Vegas when Devlin and I were, too. They were talking in the lobby bar super late. And when I went down to join them, Ronan didn’t seem happy to see me.”

“Maybe you interrupted an important meeting. Or maybe he’s protective of his friend. Like the way you and I watch out for each other.”

“Maybe,” I concede. “But it feels like more than that.”

“Okay, so you work backwards. What could the secret be? Something that affects them both, right? Not their military service, because that’s over. But there’s foundation stuff, right?”

“Exactly. But what? The foundation supports a lot of causes. I know about how it helps trafficking victims, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg.”

“But Ronan was in Vegas, and that’s where that rehab center is for the victims. Maybe something there?”

“Possibly,” I say. “But it’s a quick trip. He could have come to Vegas simply because he needed to talk to Devlin.”

“Are you going to try to figure it out?”

I swallow, unsure. Devlin’s made it clear that he intends to hold his secrets close, so poking around trying to uncover them would surely be a breach of the relationship rules. At the same time, I want to know what that text means, and unless I know what the secret is, how can I figure it out?

“Shit,” I say, making Brandy frown. “Of course, the text is about some other secret. If it wasn’t, why would Devlin be so insistent that he be the one who investigates?”

Brandy laughs. “Now you’re overthinking,” she assures me. “You may be right. Or it could just be that Devlin’s a protective guy who’s used to being in control. It must be making him crazy knowing that some jerk is sending you cryptic messages. Of course, he wants to find out who’s behind it. The man’s your white knight, after all.”

“Tarnished knight,” I say with a smile, remembering what Devlin had called himself.

“Huh?”

“Never mind. The point is, you’re right.” I squeeze her hand. “Thanks. I’m going to take it one step at a time and wait to see if Devlin learns anything about the sender’s identity.”

“Good for you.”

“What about you?” I ask as she slides off the stool and goes back around the island and into the kitchen. “On the boyfriend front, I mean?”

“Me?” Her voice squeaks a little, which tells me everything. Or, at least, it tells me a lot.

“Spill it,” I say, rising up off my stool to grab yet another muffin despite her feeble attempt to slap me away. “Is there something new on the Christopher front? Oh my God, did he stay over last night?”

She hadn’t said a word to make me think that, of course, but I can tell that something has shifted between them from the way her cheeks flush pink. Now, she says, “No. Well, okay, yes. But we didn’t—you know.” Her cheeks bloom all the way to red. “But I want to,” she adds, her voice such a low whisper I can barely make out the words.

My heart squeezes with worry. “Are you sure?”

The blush deepens. “He’s sweet, and he hasn’t pushed me. I mean, he wants to—we’ve talked about it. But he gets that I want to take it slow.” She shrugs as if it’s no big deal, but of course it’s a huge deal. “He’s a really good guy, you know?”

“From everything you’ve told me and everything I’ve seen, the man’s a freaking prince. But does he know why you’re taking it slow?”

She shakes her head. “God, no.” She hugs herself. “I mean, he obviously knows I have issues, and I’ve kind of suggested that I was in a bad relationship.”

“Brandy…”

“I know—”

“Do you? Because if you’re really serious about him, you need to tell him everything.”

“I know. It’s only that I have a hard enough time talking about it with you. But I really do get it. I want to tell him. I think he’s the first guy that’s ever mattered to me enough to tell. But I’m scared it’ll mess everything up.”