Pure Sin (Privilege 5)

“See? You’re so tired,” Ariana said. “Why don’t you lie down?”

Lexa nodded twice, slowly. She started to sit down on Kaitlynn’s bed, but halfway there, her eyes flew open, and she popped up again, as if zapped by an electric shock.

“That’s her bed. I can’t sleep in her bed. I can’t. I can’t, Ana. I can’t!”

Ariana gritted her teeth and said a quick prayer for patience. “Okay! It’s okay!” she said to Lexa, gently taking her arm. “You don’t have to. You can sleep in my bed.”

The moment the words were out of her mouth, Lexa calmed down again. Ariana led her across the small room to the bed on the opposite side. Lexa lay down, resting her head on Ariana’s custom pillow. In about two seconds her eyes were closed, and ten seconds after that, she was snoring. Ariana knew that the Valium hadn’t had time to kick in, but she was sure that Lexa was exhausted. Maybe she’d just needed a little prodding to get to sleep. And once the Valium did kick in, it would keep her asleep. Maybe it would even make her feel more rested—more like herself—in the morning.

At least Ariana hoped it would. Because she wasn’t sure how much more of this particular Lexa she could take.

What am I going to do? What am I going to do?

Ariana glanced over at her bed, where Lexa snored deeply. Then her eyes trailed to her desk drawer. Inside were her many bankbooks. The keys to several safety deposit boxes that held untold millions’ worth of jewels. And the copy of her birth certificate. Her Emma Walsh birth certificate, the original of which was already in the mail to the passport agency with her rush order for a new passport. Ariana didn’t want to run. She’d created a life for herself here. A life she treasured.

But she would run. If she had to.

Taking a deep breath, Ariana turned and looked up at the ceiling again. She tried to imagine up a new life for herself. A life as Emma Walsh. Where would she go? If Lexa broke her silence and compromised her Briana Leigh identity, Ariana wouldn’t be able to flee to any of Briana Leigh’s homes. But if she was able to get back to Texas and grab the jewels, she could sell them for enough cash to open a significant account under her new name and then . . . then she could choose her country, choose her new home.

Ariana’s heart thumped. She clasped her chenille blanket—the one that was usually tossed at the bottom of her bed for decoration and did not lend much warmth—closer to her chest. Suddenly she felt overwhelmed by a yawning sense of loneliness. The great, wide world spread out before her, full of strangers, void of friends. After all she’d been through, would she really have to start all over again? Would she really have to say good-bye to everything—and everyone—she’d come to love?

There was a creak, and Ariana’s head popped up off the pillow. Her door slowly opened, and a booted foot stepped into the room. Ariana’s chest constricted, and she sat up straight, lunging for the lamp on Kaitlynn’s desk. Her fingers had just closed around the cold brass stand when Jasper’s blond hair came into view.

He looked at Ariana’s bed in confusion, then his eyes darted across the room and fell on her. Suddenly Ariana realized she must look pretty ridiculous sitting in an almost bare bed, her toes exposed, as she clutched a blanket and a lamp like a crazy paranoid person.

“What are you doing?” they both whispered in unison.

Ariana rolled her eyes, replaced the lamp, and flung her blanket aside. Lexa gave a loud snort and rolled over onto her side. For a split second, both Ariana and Jasper froze. Then the cadence of Lexa’s breath returned to normal. Ariana tiptoed across the room, grabbed Jasper by the wrist, and pulled him out into the hall. His skin was cold, and his breath was shallow and ragged, as if he’d just run up the stairs and was trying to hide the effects.

“Why is Lexa sleeping in your bed?” Jasper asked.

“Why are you sneaking into my room?” Ariana demanded.

Her own heartbeat was still normalizing after the fright he’d given her. She looked up and down the hall, which, since it was three in the morning, was blissfully quiet.

Jasper smirked and leaned back against the wall. He wore dark blue jeans and a gray crewneck sweater, and his cheeks were ruddy, as if he’d just come in from outside. No wonder his skin was frigid to the touch. What was he doing outside in the middle of the night? He looked her flannel pajamas up and down, and her face burned as he took in the colorful polka dots.

“Nice jammies.”

Ariana crossed her arms over her chest self-consciously. “Jasper—”

“I wanted to see how your date went,” he said matter-of-factly.

Ariana’s eyes darted to the floor, as the irritation, humiliation, and boredom of the night washed over her anew. She still couldn’t believe how narrow-minded Palmer was.

“It went fine, thanks,” she replied.

“That good, huh?” he joked.

Ariana had had just about enough of this. All this flirting. This coyness. This childishness. It might have been cute a week ago, but now things had changed. Now, with the potential end of this world looming, she didn’t have time for such things. She looked up again, looked Jasper in the eye, and felt suddenly desperate. Desperate for some honest, straightforward truth.

“Jasper,” she said firmly, “what are you really doing here?”

The smile fell from his face. His eyes grew serious.

“Seizing the moment,” Jasper said. He reached up and touched her lips with his thumb, cupping his other fingers around her chin. Ariana froze, feeling his touch in every inch of her body. Her heart pounded in her ears.

“Jasper,” she whispered harshly.