Sinful Secret - Excerpt
RíAN
TWO MONTHS AFTER SINFUL KING ENDED.
“Blair bear!” I yelled, walking into her and Sean’s home like I lived there. “Where you at?”
She poked her head out the kitchen and smiled, that pregnant nose spreading with the movement. They were used to me randomly popping in whenever I came to the city.
Since graduating, I had a lot of time on my hands. Too much of it.
“Why are you here, Rían? Your brother said to meet at the old apartment.”
I nodded and sat down at the island.
“Yeah but I wanted to see you first, since I’m heading back to Philly right after.”
She nodded slowly, eyes peering into mine. I was waiting for her to ask, so I didn’t have to say it myself.
Blair had a gift; it’s why I came to her instead of Violet or Gianna.
What I wanted to get off my chest was already hard enough. I liked someone and it was complicated as fuck.
G would simply tell me to do exactly what Cian had. Go hard or go home.
Violet and Finnegan’s idea of pursuing one another was off the table.
Blair and Sean were the standard for me.
“Who is she?” she asked, a smirk lifting the corners of her mouth.
I sighed.
“She’s… not you, Violet or Gianna.”
Blair tipped her head and after a few seconds, she nodded.
“Got it. She don’t know nothing about this life, huh?”
I nodded.
Lark wasn’t a damsel in distress, by any means. The first time we met she was dragging a girl down Sully Row by the hair for talking crazy about her father.
That memory was embedded in my mind. She didn’t take shit from anybody and I liked that.
But she had no idea who I was, who I really was.
“Her pops is a legend in the city,” I said.
This time Blair frowned and leaned into the counter.
“This feels significant. Stop pussy footing around and explain, so we can figure it out.”
I chuckled and rubbed a hand down my face.
“Long story short, she’s Lamar Hopkins daughter.”
Her entire face morphed into a deep contemplative frown.
Lamar Hopkins wasn’t just a boxing legend. He was the goddamn mayor of Philadelphia and corrupt as they come.
I wasn’t judging.
He was an ally in a sense.
But his daughter had no clue what he nor her older brother were in to or that they’d aligned themselves with my family. The second we set foot in Philly and started making waves, he requested to meet and the rest was history.
We funded his campaign and he won off the strength of his name alone.
Lark saw him as this upstanding dude.
Who was I to fuck up that image she had?
I couldn’t bring myself to lie about it either if she were to somehow find out.
Bigger than that he’d made it clear she was off limits. And it wasn’t like Blair’s dad, who wanted to look like he had power he simply didn’t.
Lamar Hopkins could become an actual problem if he learned I had my eyes on his daughter.
“What is it you want to do, Rían? Be sure before anything else.”
I didn’t really have to think too much. She was all I could fucking think about. All I wanted to think about.
And she wasn’t giving me no play right now but I would wear her down.
“I want her something serious.”
She nodded slowly and then that big ass smile was back.
“Talk to your brothers,” she said, turning to open the fridge. “Make sure they know what’s up and then do what you gotta do,RíRí.”
I stood, walked around the counter and pulled one of my favorite girls into a hug.
“Thanks, B. I appreciate you.”
“Mmhm,” she hummed, looking at me with a smile still stretched across her face. “I know you do and I appreciate you, too. If you need me to get a read on her, I’ll come to Philly and—”
I walked away on that note.
“Nah. I’m good but maybe after I figure her out.”
Her laughter followed me to the door and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
The second I stepped outside a little voice screamed my name. It wasn’t long before Brynn came barreling into my legs on the sidewalk.
“RíRí!”
I nodded to her mother and got down to talk to my other favorite girl.
“What’s up, Brynn baby? You good?”
She nodded.
“I’m here to hang with Blair bear for the night.”
“Yeah? Remember what we talked about?”
She looked back at her mom and then leaned in to whisper her response.
“I’ll take good care of her and the babies.”
I chuckled.
Sean had everyone talking about multiples but they’d learned recently it was a boy. One. Singular.
“Alright…” I stood and ruffled her little fro. “I know you’ll do a good job. Make good choices!”
I watched until they went inside and the door shut to head to my brothers. Sean had turned Blair’s old building into a central hub for the family so to speak, now that Brynn and her mom moved into another place.
“Y’all gone have my back if shit go left with the girl I want to pursue?” I asked, the second I stepped off the elevator and into the top floor apartment.
“Yeah,” they said in unison before going right back to the conversation they were having.
I stood there for a second and then asked, “Did y’all hear what I just said?”
It was Finn who looked at me with a frown.
“We answered, didn’t we?”
“But you ain’t ask no questions.”
Sean chuckled. “If you got something to get off your chest, say it.”
I shrugged and shook my head.
“Never mind, what we—”
“Come stand right here…” Sean pointed to the empty spot beside him and I immediately moved to do as he asked. “Talk, Rían. We’re listening.”
I scratched my head.
“Lark Hopkins is her name.”
Finn hummed.
“The mayor’s daughter, right?”
I nodded and he did the same.
“So…” I looked between the three of them. “Is y’all answer still the same?”
“Yeah,” they said at once, making me laugh.
Fuck had I been so worried about? As long as my brothers had my back, couldn’t shit touch me.