Page 26 of Sinful Sharing

I’m the one his mother trusted to look after him, the one who should know better. Somehow, that only worsens my envy. No matter how badly I want Taylor, I don’t have the right.

Jude does.

And that thought completely ruins my appetite.

16

Taylor

A high-pitched chime jerks me awake. For a few disoriented seconds, I have no idea where I am. The room is dark except for faint moonlight filtering through the window, where I glimpse the now-familiar pine tree. I close my eyes, settling back into bed.

Then my phone rings again.

Groaning, I reach across the nightstand and squint at the screen. Celeste. My brows furrow. One glance at the time triggers a dip in my stomach. She never calls this late.

“CC?”

“Taylor!”

Her upbeat voice makes me sink against the pillow with relief. There’s nothing wrong, thank God. “You know it’s the middle of the night, right?”

“I know.”

“So why are you calling me?”

A dramatic sigh comes through the speaker. “Because I need a favor.”

Of course she does. I rub my eyes, a yawn escaping. “What kind of favor?”

“The security code for your apartment.”

“What?”

“The security code.”

I sit up; the frown returning. “Why do you want it?”

There is a brief pause, then she mutters, “Malik.”

“CC...”

“My parents are in town for the week,” she explains. “I don’t want to risk sneaking him into my apartment. And you already know I can’t go to his house.”

Secretly dating a guy who lives with his parents is such a Celeste thing to do. “Well, you can’t use my mine as a meeting place.”

“Why not? You’re not even there.”

“That’s not the point.”

“It kind of is.”

I shift myself up against the headboard. The city feels far away right now, but somehow Celeste has still managed to drag me into one of her schemes. “When was the last time you saw him?” I ask.

“The day before you left,” she replies.

A little over two weeks ago. I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose.

“Eighteen days, Taylor. Four hundred and thirty-two hours, twenty-five thousand minutes and counting—“