King of Sloth (Kings of Sin #4) by Ana Huang

A smile touched my lips, easing my frustration over Asher.

I’m working





XAVIER



That wasn’t the question, Luna





…





No sugar today. I’ve had too much already





I blamed the doughnuts Jillian had brought for breakfast.

I didn’t get an immediate answer from him, so I turned to my group chat with the girls.

ISABELLA



Operation PW is in full swing ;)





ISABELLA



I MAY have gone to PW’s favorite cafe to write today, and I MAY have overheard him discussing an upcoming blog post





My heart skipped a beat.

Is it…





ISABELLA



Mmhmm. He didn’t name names, but I’m almost positive it’s what we planted





VIVIAN



Do you think he’ll actually run it?





VIVIAN



She’s one of the few celebs he’s been too afraid to go after





ALESSANDRA



I’m not sure “celeb” is the right term





VIVIAN



You know what I mean





ISABELLA



He might need an extra push Sloane: I’ll take care of it





My office phone rang, interrupting me from the chat. “Sloane, your next appointment is here,” Jillian said.

“Bring her in, please.”

Two minutes later, Ayana entered my office, a striking vision draped in marigold silk and shoulder-grazing earrings.

“Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice.” She folded herself gracefully into the chair opposite mine. Her skin glowed beneath the lights, and she had cheekbones that could slice through diamonds. No wonder she’d taken the modeling world by storm over the past year.

“You’re my client. I’m happy to help in any way I can,” I said. Ayana was my last new client for a while. My roster was technically closed, but Alessandra’s mother was Ayana’s modeling mentor. I’d met with her earlier this year as a favor, and I liked her so much I’d signed her that day.

“Good.” She hesitated, her lovely face shadowed with nerves. “Because I might be in trouble.”

For the next forty-five minutes, I listened as Ayana laid out her situation. I kept my expression neutral, but every cell in my body blanched when she reached the marriage part.

“I don’t know what to do,” she concluded. She stared at her lap, her anxiety palpable. “I owe him so much, but…”

“But nothing. It’s your life,” I said firmly. “Listen, as your publicist, I’ll tell you this would be great publicity. There’s nothing the public loves more than a celebrity wedding. But as a woman, as a human, I’ll tell you to follow your gut. Is gratitude worth five years of your life?”

When Ayana left, the question lingered.

I couldn’t answer it for her, and my job was to spin her decision into media gold, no matter what it was. I just hoped she made a choice she wouldn’t regret later.

I opened my inbox, but I didn’t get a chance to read anything before Xavier appeared at the door.

“Was that Ayana I saw coming out?” He strolled in, his hair tousled by the wind and his sweater molding to his form in a way that was positively sinful. “I didn’t realize she was still in town.”

A sizzle of awareness ran beneath my skin, chased by something darker that I ignored. It must be my lunch. Tuna salad was hit-or-miss on a good day. “Do you know her?”

“Not personally, but she’s a friend of a friend, and I’ve seen her around a few times,” Xavier said with a shrug. “Luca mentioned she was supposed to be shooting a Delamonte campaign in Europe this week, but I guess not.”

“Ah.”

His eyebrows arched. “What happened? Did the meeting not go well?”

“It went fine.” I stared at my screen, willing myself to get over whatever was roiling in my stomach. “She’s great. Obviously. Since she’s the first thing you mentioned when you walked in.”

Silence greeted my curt response.

When I looked up again, Xavier wasn’t staring at me in shock like I’d expected. The bastard was laughing.

Great, rolling waves of silent laughter shook his body and sent a rush of heat to my cheeks.

“Luna.” Mirth gleamed in his eyes. “Are you jealous?”

“No,” I snapped. “It was merely an observation.”

I returned to my screen and glared at the lines of text until they blurred. Prickles bloomed behind my nose and eyes.

It was stupid and irrational because I didn’t really think Xavier was interested in Ayana, but I couldn’t fix the valve leaking inside me. The one that held back a flood of insecurity, which I thought I’d turned off until little moments like this dripped self-doubt into my stomach.

Too cold. Too dispassionate. Too unlovable.

Xavier was the opposite of me—full of warmth, easy to like, and a charmer at his core. He’d been honest and committed since we’d started dating, but a part of me was waiting for him to run.