Page 19 of Beautiful Sin
His grip on my arm tightened protectively, but his smile remained professional—the kind of smile that reminded everyone that Jaxson Sinclair hadn’t become one of Calloway and Co.’s top agents by being nice.
“I’ve lived with Lan for ten years,” he continued, his voice still deadly calm, “and trust me, the only thing he’s guilty of is having a face that makes people forget their manners. Something you seem to be demonstrating quite effectively right now.”
His words sent a warm rush through me that had nothing to do with embarrassment and everything to do with how fiercely he defended me. It was moments like these that made my hopeless crush even more impossible to overcome—when Jaxson showed just how much he cared, how far he’d go to protect me.
Sara’s face went through several interesting color changes, landing somewhere between mortified and furious. “I… I didn’t mean to imply?—”
“Look,” I cut in, channeling every ounce of sass I’d learned from Bree, “contrary to whatever Lifetime movie is playing inyour head, I don’t actually spend my shifts plotting ways to seduce the general public. And FYI, I already have someone I’m in love with—shocking as that might be to your ‘poor-people-can’t-have-feelings’ worldview.”
The moment the words left my mouth, I felt Jaxson’s arm tense differently around me. Fantastic. Spectacular. I’d just graduated from defending my honor to practically skywriting my feelings across the gilded bamboo ceiling. Next time, why not just hire a mariachi band to announce my love life? Maybe commission Eleanor to put it on the tasting menu as a special.Tonight’s surprise course: Lan Ji’s emotional destruction, paired with a 2019 Burgundy.
“I’m going back to work,” I announced, extracting myself from Jaxson’s grip before this situation could derail any further into a soap opera. “Some of us earn our keep the old-fashioned way—by actually working for it.”
“Lan?” Jaxson’s voice held a note I couldn’t quite decipher and honestly didn’t want to add to my already overflowing plate of complications.
I forced a smile that belonged on one of Eleanor’s lacquered menu covers. “It’s fine, Jaxson.” I turned to Sara, channeling my inner mean girl. “Pro tip? Maybe don’t judge the staff until you’ve walked a mile in their non-designer shoes.”
With that, I turned and headed for the staff room, my heart pounding against my ribs like it was trying to escape. Behind me, I heard Bree’s voice, cold as liquid nitrogen. “Thanks for ruining the fun, Sara.” A moment later, she was beside me.
As we pushed through the swinging doors into the relative safety of the staff area, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. My hands were shaking slightly—from anger, from embarrassment, from the lingering sensation of Jaxson’s arm around me, I couldn’t tell.
“Well,” Bree said, leaning against the wall, “that was…”
“A disaster?” I supplied, slumping into the nearest chair. “A catastrophe? A new low in the ongoing saga of ‘Lan Ji: Human Train Wreck’?”
“I was going to say ‘revealing,’” she replied, a knowing smile playing at her lips. “Did you see his face when you mentioned being in love with someone? For a second there, I thought he was going to break that glass.”
“He was probably just surprised,” I muttered, though a treacherous spark of hope flickered in my chest. “Or worried about who’s been distracting his little brother from his studies.”
Bree rolled her eyes so hard I worried they might get stuck. “You’re hopeless. Absolutely hopeless.” She pushed away from the wall. “Come on, break’s over. Let’s get back out there before Warren has a conniption.”
As I followed her back into the fray, I couldn’t help glancing toward Jaxson’s table. He was leaning forward, saying something to Sara with that intense focus he got when he was serious about something. Whatever it was, she didn’t look happy about it.
I turned away before he could catch me looking. I had covers to clear, tips to earn, and a heart to protect. The last thing I needed was to feed this hopeless crush with more what-ifs and maybes.
Six
LAN
The drive home after dropping off Bree was about as comfortable as a dentist appointment conducted by someone with Parkinson’s. At least with Bree around, her endless chatter about university life had acted like white noise, drowning out this… whatever this tension was. Now? The silence felt heavy enough to crush my soul and wear its remains as fancy jewelry.
I desperately wanted to ask what Jaxson had said to Sara after my dramatic exit. She’d vanished by the time I’d returned to clear the dishes—probably fled back to whatever luxury condo she’d emerged from, where she could comfort herself by burning hundred-dollar bills and laughing at pictures of homeless people. But bringing up Her Royal Snootiness would only piss me off more, so I kept my mouth shut and watched the city lights blur past.
“So,” Jaxson’s voice cut through the silence like a hot knife through my last shred of composure. “Someone’s in love? And here I thought the most exciting thing happening in our house was Nico learning to use the dishwasher without flooding the kitchen.”
My heart performed a gymnastics routine that would make Olympic judges weep. I turned away from his sidelong glance, feeling my face heat up enough to probably show in the dark. Great. Now I was literally glowing with embarrassment. Just add it to my list of superhero qualities: super awkwardness, invisibility to romantic prospects, and now, human nightlight.
“What can I say? Some of us have lives beyond real estate and protein shakes,” I muttered, while my brain helpfully supplied:Yeah, because telling your stepbrother you’re madly in love with him would make for great dinner conversation. “Pass the salt, and by the way, I fantasize about licking whipped cream off your abs.”
“Come on, Lan,” he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice—that specific one that made my insides turn to warm pudding. “You used to tell me everything. Remember when you came running to me convinced our neighbor was an international spy?”
“I was eleven!” I protested, feeling my dignity make a hasty retreat. “And Mr. Zhao did receive those strange packages at odd hours and always wore sunglasses indoors. It was a valid concern! For all I knew, we were living next door to the Chinese James Bond.”
Jaxson’s laugh filled the car, rich and warm. “You made me help you create that elaborate surveillance system with your action figures.”
“Yeah, well, national security is no laughing matter,” I grumbled, fighting a smile despite myself.
“Look,” he sighed, and I could hear the big brother concern creeping into his voice—the tone that made me want to simultaneously hug him and throw myself out of the moving vehicle. “You’re acting strange lately. You don’t confide in me anymore. I worry about you. More than I worry about Nico’scooking attempts, and that’s saying something, considering he nearly burned down the kitchen making cereal.”
