Page 45 of Sweet Sinners

Chapter thirty-eight

Connor

W hen I get Cali's message I don't waste any time, I send Nathan a quick message asking him to dig up everything he can find, I text Cali, telling her to call me as soon as she's alone.

My pulse kicks up as I wait, needing to hear her voice, to know she's safe, to understand exactly what the hell happened.

When my phone finally buzzes, I pick up immediately. "Hey," I say softly, voice gentler than I've ever allowed it to be. "You okay?"

Cali exhales heavily into the line, and the sound tightens my chest. She’s trying not to cry—trying not to let the cracks show—but I hear them anyway. "Connor, today was a disaster."

I grip the phone tighter. "Tell me what happened."

"I fired Anna," she admits, her voice shaking slightly.

"She screwed up meetings on purpose. She—she practically admitted it.

Then she threatened me, right there, in front of everyone.

" Cali pauses, sucking in another shaky breath.

"She said she'd tell everyone about us. That we're sleeping together. "

I squeeze the phone tighter, jaw locking with anger. "Cali, she can't prove anything. She's grasping at straws because she's desperate."

"What if she tries anyway? Everyone heard her. They looked at me like—like I was exactly the mess they always thought I’d become." Her voice wavers, anxiety strangling every word.

"Listen to me," I say firmly, interrupting her spiral before it can get worse. "Breathe, Cali. She's trying to scare you, nothing else. We've survived worse than some bullshit rumor. We know the truth."

She pauses, and I hear the soft hitch in her breath, the hesitation, the need to believe me. "I just—I feel like I’m losing control. Everything’s falling apart."

"You’re not," I promise, voice firm, steady. "I won’t let that happen. I’m not going anywhere, Cali. We’re in this together. You're stronger than her."

She lets out another breath, softer now, calmer. "Okay, okay. You're right."

"Of course I am," I murmur, smiling faintly. "Now, breathe. Go lock your office door, take a few minutes to pull yourself together, and I'll take care of Anna. Trust me."

"I do," she whispers, voice softening. "I trust you, Connor."

Warmth unfurls inside me, deep and dangerously addictive. "Good. I'll text you as soon as I have something."

When the call ends, I lean back, exhaling slowly. Cali's okay for now, but I won't rest easy until Anna’s no longer a threat. Before today, I wouldn't have cared enough to dig. But now Anna's threatening Cali, and that's something I can’t ignore. I need answers, fast.

It doesn't take Nathan long to point me in the right direction.

I owe him now—big-time—but whatever price he asks will be worth it if it keeps Cali safe.

He shoots me a text filled with information and links to obscure forums I've never seen before.

Sketchy, anonymous corners of the internet, where secrets are spilled, hidden beneath layers of anger and pain.

Exactly where Anna buried hers.

Her parents divorced, messy and public. Her father moved out, but her mother moved on quicker—straight into the arms of her then boss . My stepdad . Cali’s father . The threads weave together quickly and neatly, painting a story that makes my blood boil and my fists clench with disgust.

My jaw tightens painfully as I read deeper, finding online rants, disguised just enough to keep her anonymity.

She blames her mother’s heartbreak and her family’s downfall on the man who ended the affair—my stepfather.

Anna’s fury leaps off the screen, bitterness and entitlement twisted into something ugly.

But beneath that rage, there’s a detail that makes my stomach twist violently.

My mother died because of their selfish mess.

I grip my phone tighter, the anger bubbling to the surface again. My innocent mother was collateral damage—collateral in a game she never knew existed. All because my stepdad couldn’t keep his dick in his pants.

I clench my jaw, forcing back the urge to punch something. Cali deserves to know, but how the fuck am I supposed to tell her? Especially now, when she’s barely holding herself together?

A bigger problem slams into me. Cali fired Anna today. Publicly. Spectacularly. Anna’s humiliated, cornered—and now has nothing left to lose. She already dropped hints everywhere online about others being involved, about the "friend’s dad" who was to blame for everything.

My pulse spikes painfully, anxiety gnawing at my chest. What if Anna snaps? What if she decides humiliation isn’t enough? Cali’s in danger, and it’s all my fault—I brought this mess back into her life.

“Fuck,” I mutter, scrubbing my hands over my face, feeling the weight of everything crash down on me.

I hate worrying about Cali's safety, her sanity.

I hate questioning every move I make, every truth I uncover, because right now, all I want is her.

I want to lose myself in her body, in that perfect, reckless oblivion that makes all this chaos fade away.

It’s wrong. Forbidden. Twisted.

And it’s exactly why I can’t stop.

I stare at the screen again, my thumb hovering over Cali’s number.

I have to tell her about everything I saw online—but I can't help but wonder what it'll break in her. Cali’s strong, sure, but beneath her carefully controlled surface is a girl who's drowning, who no one sees clearly enough to save. Except me.

And I'll be damned if I let Anna or anyone else take her down.

"Connor!" Cali calls out, the sharp echo of her voice carrying up the stairs, jolting me back to reality.

I blink, sitting upright at my desk, momentarily confused by the fading daylight filtering through the upstairs window.

Shit. I wasted the entire day chasing after Anna’s secrets and got nowhere.

No dinner made, no game plan, and definitely no fucking clue how to handle seeing Cali after everything that Nathan has uncovered today.

Quickly, I minimize the browser tabs, pull a wrinkled shirt over my head, and jog downstairs. Halfway down, I nearly collide with her—my stepsister, my maybe-girlfriend—standing at the base of the staircase, already reaching for me to steady herself. Her eyes lock onto mine, wide and searching.

“I’m stressed,” she blurts out softly, fingers gripping the sleeve of my shirt.

"I can tell," I reply, noticing the anxious pinch between her brows, the way her chest rises and falls rapidly beneath the button-up blouse she wore to the office. "What else are you feeling after what happened today?"

Her gaze flicks briefly toward the front door behind her, then back to me.

She shifts restlessly on her heels, arms crossing tightly beneath her chest. "I've never fired anyone before, Connor," she admits, frustration edging into her voice.

"If Anna's sabotaging us, it's not a stretch to think she could be involved in our parents' deaths.

But when I say it out loud, it sounds insane. "

She exhales, shoulders slumping slightly as she glances down at her shoes.

"There was also a weird exchange with Dean at lunch.

I got through the rest of my meetings, but I'm still pissed, annoyed, and.

.." Her eyes slowly lift to mine again, darkening in a way that makes my pulse kick up.

"I need this day to be over—or maybe you can fix it. "

“Dean?” My jaw clenches involuntarily, irritation flaring as I picture him smiling smugly at her in the office. “The guy you went out with? You didn’t mention him earlier.”

She rolls her eyes dramatically, releasing a heavy sigh.

"For the hundredth time, we didn’t go out.

He just ran into me while I was out.” Cali reaches for me again, her fingertips lightly brushing my forearm, trailing lower to rest on my hip.

Her voice softens, eyes deepening with unmistakable hunger.

"Maybe I'm overthinking it. He was probably just trying to make me feel better after Anna’s meltdown.

Can we stop talking about everyone else for a second and just—"

"I haven’t made dinner yet," I interrupt gently, nodding toward the empty kitchen behind her, the polished hardwood floors and high ceilings suddenly feeling stifling. "We can talk it out while I cook or—"

"Or," she cuts in, pressing closer until the scent of her shampoo surrounds me, intoxicating and familiar, "you can help me forget everything else for an hour or two.

" Her nails dig lightly into my waist, teasing through the fabric. "You’re stressed, I’m stressed, and we both know orgasms help. A lot."

I groan softly, shaking my head, but a smile tugs at the corners of my mouth. "What happened to my innocent, perfectly controlled stepsister?"

She smiles slyly, her hands slipping beneath my shirt, fingers tracing slow paths over my bare skin. Her mouth brushes against my neck, voice dropping to a whisper that makes my blood run hotter. "She got a taste of you, and now she can't remember why control was ever a good idea."

I grit my teeth, forcing myself to remain strong even though every nerve is screaming to give in.

"Maya's still in the house," I remind her gently, tipping my head toward the living area where I hear quiet footsteps.

"And the gardeners are out back. Three housekeepers, three landscapers. That’s a lot people who would sell whispers about us without thinking twice. "

Cali sighs, shoulders slumping slightly as her forehead drops against my chest. “Then you'll have to keep me quiet.”

A low chuckle escapes my lips as I brush my thumb softly across her cheek, reluctantly easing her away. “I’m going to let you go upstairs and take a cold shower. While you do that, I’ll cook dinner and wait for everyone to leave. Until then, no touching.”

She sighs heavily, stepping back just enough to glare playfully up at me. "When did you turn into the responsible one?"

I chuckle softly, nudging her gently toward the stairs. “Just keep reminding yourself why we’re being careful. We’re doing this so we can finally get justice—so we can stop hiding. Once everyone’s gone, I promise I’ll make it worth your wait."

She turns reluctantly, one foot stepping up to the next stair. She pauses briefly, clearly fighting the urge to look back, knowing exactly how dangerous that would be. "I really hate waiting," she murmurs, taking another step.

As I watch her walk away, hips swaying beneath her skirt, I tighten my fists at my sides, body throbbing with impatience.

Yeah. My body couldn't agree more.