Page 14 of Sin

I ignore him. “You wanted executive oversight. Now you have it.”

“What I wanted was approval.” She takes a step closer to my desk. “Not a babysitter.”

“You think I’m babysitting you?”

“Aren’t you?”

“No.”

The word comes out sharp enough that both of them go still.

Laurel studies me for a second too long, like she’s trying to figure something out beneath the surface. That’s dangerous too. Because if she keeps looking at me like that, she’s eventually going to see exactly how fucked this situation really is.

“You don’t trust me,” she says finally.

“That’s not the issue.”

“Then what is?”

The room goes quiet.

Wilder slowly stands from his chair. Smart man. He clearly senses the conversation heading somewhere it shouldn’t.

“I’m gonna…” He points vaguely toward the door. “Leave before HR materializes out of thin air.”

Neither of us looks at him. A second later, the office door clicks shut behind him. Now we’re alone again. And somehow that feels worse than before.

Laurel exhales softly through her nose. “Mr. Sinclair⁠—”

“Stop calling me that when we’re alone.”

The words slip out before I can stop them.

Her lips part slightly. “What?”

“You call all my brothers by their names.” I lean back in my chair slowly. “But not me.”

“Because you’re my boss.”

“So are they.”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

She hesitates. And for one dangerous second, I think she might actually answer honestly. But then her gaze flickers downward. To my left hand. To the wedding ring still sitting there like a goddamn warning label. I watch the exact second she pulls herself back emotionally again. Her shoulders straighten. Her expression smooths into professionalism.

“I should get back to work,” she says quietly.

The rejection shouldn’t bother me. Instead, it feels like someone just slammed a door directly in my face.

“Laurel.”

She pauses near the door but doesn’t turn around.

“You’re still going to Napa with me.”

A beat of silence.