Chapter 32: Just His Sister

"Yes." Naomi answered. "People change their minds."

"In two days?"

"Yes!"

"I think I showed you what a real man is supposed to be like. That’s what happened."

Naomi’s foot nearly slipped off the accelerator. Dorian calmly looked ahead as though he had just stated an undisputed scientific fact. She had absolutely no words.

The gall.

The arrogance.

The sheer, breathtaking audacity of this man. Was he now considering himself the international standard for manhood?

"Real man?" she said slowly. "Oh, you have got to be fucking with me?!"

"I think you wish your fiancé were me," Dorian added.

"Oh, hell no! You are the most unlovable man I know."

Dorian went quiet. The smugness disappeared first. "Yeah," he said after a moment. "You’re right."

"I’m sorry. I’m sorry," she repeated. "That came out wrong. I shouldn’t have..."

"I’m used to it, Naomi. It’s okay." Dorian shrugged slightly. "I know that after three failed marriages, with me being the common denominator, I’m the problem." He had clearly reached his own conclusion long before Naomi ever drunkenly married him in Vegas.

Naomi suddenly hated that she had used the word unlovable. She looked back at the road. There were subjects people clearly did not want touched. She had spent last night demanding he respect hers.

Maybe this was one of his. So, naturally, she changed the subject.

"Sooooo... Hot date."

"I wouldn’t classify her as hot."

Naomi’s eyes widened. "What are you talking about? That woman is gorgeous."

Dorian shrugged. "She’s fine."

"She is way beyond your league."

"I hope so."

"So tell me... This fidelity thing. Does it only apply to me?"

Instead of answering, Dorian pulled out his phone. His thumbs moved over the screen as he typed a couple of messages.

Naomi rolled her eyes. She decided he didn’t want to talk about it and kept driving. But the lack of answer sat badly with her. She had been subjected to a full interrogation over Callum Sterling, why couldn’t the same apply to him.

A few minutes later, Naomi slowed the Range Rover. Then she saw someone standing on the sidewalk near the house.

It was the woman from the lounge. She pulled over then stared through the windshield. "You brought her home?!"

"Get out of the car and let me introduce you."

Why exactly did she need an introduction? Who was this woman? He pushed his door open and got out.

Naomi remained behind the wheel. She could simply stay there. Leave Dorian and Miss Gorgeous Legs to whatever suspicious daytime activity they had planned and mind her own business. She looked through the windshield again.

Dorian had already started walking toward the woman. She really wanted to know so she reluctantly stepped out of the Range Rover. He waited until she reached them.

Up close, the woman was even more beautiful. Naomi suddenly became very aware of her work clothes.

"I wanted to wait until everyone was complete, but well..." Dorian glanced between them. "Ginny, this is Naomi, my wife. Naomi, this is Ginny, my sister." Dorian saw the exact moment Naomi realized she had made a complete fool of herself. He would admit it.

It gave him pleasure. A lot of pleasure. Especially after the interrogation in the car.

"Oh... I’m..."

Ginny smiled, clearly enjoying the situation already. "I assume you two had a fight about me?" she asked looking between them. "That’s what you get when family isn’t invited to a wedding."

"I’m so sorry," Naomi said quickly. "Really."

Ginny laughed. "It’s fine."

Naomi looked at Dorian. He was enjoying himself. The bastard wasn’t even trying to hide it anymore.

His eyes had that smug gleam she was rapidly learning to hate. She gave him a look that promised revenge.

Ginny turned back to Naomi. "It’s just that when we heard Dorian wasn’t at work today, it sent shock waves through the family. He never takes days off. So naturally, I had to make sure he was still alive."

Naomi laughed awkwardly. "That’s my fault, really. I kept him up late last night."

Ginny’s brows rose. "Oh... TMI."

"No!" Naomi’s entire face caught fire. "No! No, no, no. I didn’t mean... that way. Obviously not that we wouldn’t..." Naomi realized what she had just said. "I mean, not that we would. It’s just... we were..." She gestured helplessly. "No, not like that!"

Dorian finally took pity on her. Mostly because watching her dig herself deeper was beginning to become painful. "Naomi?"

She turned to him.

"Breathe?"

Ginny laughed. Naomi checked her wristwatch. Her eyes widened.

"Oh my God. I have work in... Five minutes." Naomi grabbed the car door. "I’m so sorry. I have to go."

"I’m sure we’ll catch up sometime," Ginny said. "Maybe dinner this weekend."

Naomi smiled, still bright red. "Of course." She looked at Ginny. "Nice to meet you." She waved quickly. "Bye."

Before either of them could say anything else, Naomi hurried back into the Range Rover. Ginny watched the Range Rover disappear down the street.

Then slowly turned toward her brother.

"Am I supposed to pretend I didn’t see the bruise disappearing on her face?" Ginny asked.

"I didn’t do that."

"I know you didn’t." She knew her brother.

Whatever his many, many faults—and God knew the family had discussed them extensively over the years—putting his hands on a woman was not one of them.

"But what did?" she asked. "Or who did?"

Dorian looked toward the street Naomi had disappeared down. "She won’t tell me."

Ginny followed his gaze. "She seems..." she paused, searching for the right word. "Different."

"She is different. Loud. Happy. Childish. She gets excited about ridiculous things. She laughs at things that aren’t particularly funny."

"So, basically everything you’ve never had in a woman, I’m guessing."

He thought about it. His previous wives had all been sophisticated in different ways. "You could say that." He put his hands in his pockets. "She talks a lot, but never about herself. Everything I know about her, Adrian supplied."