Page 19 of Sweetest Sin (Tempting Love #1)

The flight to Coral Bay is quick, and the ride from the airport is long, thanks to the city traffic. They’re getting married downtown, in one of the hotels we built, and everyone is staying there as well.

As the driver heads toward the hotel, I can’t help but look out the window for the fiery redhead who, to this day, still crosses my mind.

I could’ve looked her up—especially since I had Janet follow through with the scholarship for her, so it would’ve been easy to get her info—but when Peyton told me she’d moved on, I took it as a sign to let her go.

But that doesn’t stop me from thinking about her from time to time, especially when I’m in the city.

“Dominick,” Jaimie says when I see him after the wedding at the reception, “thanks for coming, man.”

“Of course.” I give him a one-armed hug, then hug his wife, Beatrice. “Congratulations.”

We spend a few minutes talking about where they’ll be honeymooning and what Jaimie’s plans are for expansion when they get home and he’s back to business, which leads to the topic of the real estate development project we’ve secured in Harbor Point.

I’m going through our plans when my phone vibrates in my pocket. With Anthony on the loose—thanks to my brother being held up and not seeing my text until almost an hour later—and disappearing underground, like the snake that he is, we’re all on alert, unsure how serious his threats were.

“Excuse me for a second,” I tell Jaimie and Beatrice, clicking on my email from the management company who handles our private jet.

“Dammit.” I shake my head when I read the email.

During their routine check, they found an issue with the engine and have to park it to fix it, which means it will be unavailable for my trip tomorrow. They can procure a replacement, but it’s going to take a few days.

I send a text to Lorenzo to let him know he’ll be able to use the company jet once it’s available since I’m going to have to find another plane to take to Russia, and then I pocket my phone.

“Everything okay?” Beatrice asks, concern etched in her features.

Jaimie is one lucky bastard to snag a woman like her. Genuine women are hard to come by. They’re either after you for your power or money—or in Matteo’s case, they just want a night with a bad boy, but they could never handle the life we live.

“I was supposed to head to Russia to pick up my sister tomorrow, but our plane is down with an engine issue.”

“Take mine,” Jaimie offers. “We’re not leaving for our honeymoon for a few days because Beatrice’s family is in town.”

He wraps his arm around his wife and kisses her temple, and not for the first time, a small part of me thinks about Peyton, wondering if I hadn’t fucked shit up, maybe I could’ve had what he has.

I immediately shove the thought away. Even if I hadn’t walked out and pushed Peyton away, I wouldn’t have wanted to bring her into my world.

At least with Jaimie, he’s a legitimate businessman, so he doesn’t have to worry about keeping the people close to him safe.

“I appreciate that,” I tell him. “If all goes well, I should only be there for a couple of days.”

“It’s all good,” Jaimie says with a smirk. “Having an Antonov owe me a favor might come in handy one day.”

“Good afternoon, Mr. Antonov. My name is Sonia, and I’ll be one of your flight attendants today.”

I glance up from my phone at the black-haired woman and smile. “Thank you.”

“Since this is your first time on Mr. Sanchez’s plane, please allow me to show you around.”

I nod and follow her around the plane. It has a bedroom, bathroom, and lounge. Since it’s a twelve-hour flight, I plan to use the time to get some work done and get some sleep since there’s an eight-hour time difference and we’ll be arriving in Russia in the morning.

The bedroom will also come in handy on the way back to Harbor Point. I’m betting that Brielle is going to be pissed that I’m forcing her to come home, and she’ll need a place to hide out—or vice versa. Eleven hours in a confined space with my pissed-off sister will not be?—

“I am so sorry I’m late!” a feminine voice hisses, cutting off my thoughts. “Damien was having a rough day and?—”

I glance back, and emerald eyes—the same color I’ve seen in damn near every one of my fantasies over the past four and a half years—collide with mine.

Fiery-red hair, porcelain skin. She’s put on a little bit of weight since the last time I saw her, but her curves only add to her beauty.

She’s dressed in the same outfit as Sonia—a black-and-gold blazer with a matching skirt—but unlike Sonia’s chunky boots, she’s sporting a pair of heels, reminding me of our night together.

She halts, and with her wide eyes trained on me, she swallows thickly and then glances around, like she’s trying to think of a way to bolt.

Before she can, Sonia greets her.

“Hey, it’s okay,” she tells Peyton. “I was just showing Mr. Antonov around.” She smiles warmly at me. “Would you like something to drink?”

“Peyton knows what I like,” I say, having a seat on the leather sofa and glancing at the woman who’s standing in the same place, looking like she’s seen a ghost.

“Oh, okay,” Sonia says, her brows furrowing in confusion. “Well then, Peyton, please grab Mr. Antonov a drink. And here’s the menu.”

She hands me a leather-bound booklet and then looks at Peyton, who’s still frozen in her spot.

I can’t help but smirk because even though it’s been over four years, the woman clearly remembers me and is affected.

But then I remember how we left shit—with me leaving without a note and her moving on less than a month later—and my mood darkens at the thought of her being with someone shortly after me.

Of some other guy putting his hands on her.

Fucking her. I glance at her left hand, but there’s no ring on it, and my mood slightly improves.

“Peyton,” Sonia hisses, snapping Peyton out of her current trance. “Get Mr. Antonov his drink, please.”

Peyton nods and then scurries away while Sonia starts to go over the flight safety protocol with me—a standard procedure that’s required on every flight, even private.

She’s just finishing up when Peyton comes out with my drink of choice in hand. With a forced smile, she places the napkin on the table next to me.

“They didn’t have Kingston,” she murmurs. “But they had Woodford Reserve, which is almost as good.”

I stifle my smirk at the fact that she not only remembered which whiskey I preferred, but despite the way shit ended, she cared enough to find me a decent replacement since Jaimie doesn’t keep Kingston stocked.

As she sets my drink down, her lavender scent permeates the air, giving me the best damn high, and like an addict, I lean in, needing more.

“What are you doing?” she accuses, glancing up at me, our faces only inches apart.

“Smelling you,” I say, not giving a shit that she caught me. “You smell the same as you did in the Dominican Republic.”

“Well, I might smell the same”—she snaps her body up and glares down at me—“but nothing else about me is the same. So, before you get any ideas, don’t.”

She turns to stalk away, but before she can, I grab ahold of her wrist, forcing her to fall back into my lap. She scrambles to get off me, and I let her.

“Stop it!” she hisses. “This is beyond inappropriate. I am working, and you’re … you’re … just leave me alone!”

“Peyton!” Sonia squeaks out when she finds Peyton sitting on the sofa and yelling at me. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Antonov,” Sonia apologizes, the tone in her voice telling me, unlike Peyton, she knows exactly who I am.

“It’s okay, Sonia,” I tell her. “Ms. …” I glance at Peyton and leave my sentence hanging, hoping I’ll get her last name, and Sonia doesn’t disappoint.

“Wright,” Sonia answers, earning a glare from Peyton.

“Ms. Wright and I were just chatting. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d actually like to finish our conversation.”

Sonia’s eyes go wide, bouncing between Peyton and me, but then she nods and makes herself scarce.

“Now, where were we?” I say, turning my attention back to the beautiful, fiery woman glaring daggers my way.

“I was telling you to leave me the hell alone, and you were about to oblige.”

I bark out a laugh.

Fuck, I’ve missed this woman.

Nobody, aside from my family, would ever speak to me the way she does.

“How have you been?” I ask, trying to keep our conversation surface level when the truth is that I want to know everything about this woman.

I let her go once, but it’s like fate intervened, and now that she’s back in my life, I have no intention of letting her go again.

“I’ve been fine,” she says in a short tone, her gaze hard.

“And your mom?”

This time, her eyes soften. “She died … a couple of years ago.”

“I’m sorry,” I tell her, reaching out and squeezing her hand, shocked when she lets me.

“I got two more years with her,” she says with a sad smile. “And Damien—” She cuts herself off and scrambles off the couch. “I really need to get to work. If you need anything, please let?—”

“Who’s Damien?” I ask.

Her eyes widen, and I could be wrong, but it looks like they’re filled with fear. “I-I don’t?—”

“Don’t lie to me,” I tell her. “You’ve said that name twice since getting on this plane. So, if you try to tell me he’s nobody, I’ll hunt him down and make that statement true.”

She opens her mouth to speak, but before she gets a word out, I add, “Before you consider lying, just know that people who lie to me are always punished.” I smirk. “And I’m not talking about the spankings you enjoyed while I was fucking you from behind in the DR.”

I wasn’t planning on showing my cards this quickly, but she’ll learn who I am soon enough.

“You want to talk truths?” She nails me with a glare. “How about you start with what really happened to Dale? You killed him, didn’t you?”

“No.”

Her shoulders visibly sag, and I wait a few seconds before I rock her world.

“My brother did.”