Unhinge - Calia Read Page 0,39

seemed to be on our side, with not a single cloud in sight. I had my North Face zipped up and a black beanie to keep myself warm. Wes was dressed just as casually. It might have been the first time in a while I’d seen him without a suit and tie.

Wes smiled at me and held out his hand. “Welcome home, Mrs. Donovan.”

It was hard to believe that this day had finally arrived. A car drove by, causing leaves to scatter across the road. A few skipped under the car and flew up in the air before they slowly fell to the ground.

“You ready for today?”

“Absolutely.”

Hand in hand, we hurried across the road and got to work. Wes helped the movers and when I tried to help, he smiled and told me to do nothing but tell the movers where I wanted everything. So I did. I stood in the finished foyer, with the walls freshly painted. The windows sparkled and the sun shined in. The front door stood wide open as men walked in and out, carrying dismantled furniture, boxes, rugs. I watched as the first floor slowly began to fill up with items. A rush of excitement danced down my spine. I couldn’t wait to cut open every box and make this house our own.

In the middle of the afternoon, everyone took a break and Sinclair arrived. His car pulled up behind ours and a slow tingle spread across my skin. He stepped out of his car and I stood up and leaned against the doorframe and watched him. He was dressed casually in jeans and a black polo shirt. Sunglasses concealed his eyes and gave him an aura of danger. Wes shook his hand and spoke to him briefly, then gestured in my direction.

When Sinclair saw me, his lips pulled up into a grin. He waved. I waved back, but my gaze instantly traveled to Wes, who looked completely nonplussed to see Sinclair around me.

“It’s finally moving day,” Sinclair said as he walked toward me with quick, confident strides.

“Finally,” I said with a smile.

“Let me guess…you’re telling the movers where to put everything.”

“How did you know?”

“You’re the queen of this palace. What else would you be doing?” We stood there, a small slip of silence creeping around us. I cleared my throat and quickly stepped aside to let him through. Sinclair slipped off his sunglasses and hooked them on the collar of his shirt. I saw a peak of his collarbone and olive skin that led to his shoulder.

My pulse didn’t quicken. It soared. It pounded against the base of my throat, begging to burst free. All because of a fucking collarbone.

I quickly looked away.

Sinclair was completely oblivious. He circled the foyer, staring at the walls and floor with a critical eye. “What do you think?” he asked.

“It’s beautiful,” I replied and I meant it. This home was truly my dream house.

Sinclair moved down the hallway, toward the kitchen, but I stayed put. I wanted to follow him yet I was terrified of Wes seeing us together.

I went back to my spot at the front door and a few minutes later Sinclair walked back down the hall. He stepped outside the house and looked around. “How are you doing?” he asked casually, not looking at me once.

“I’m good.”

“Just good?” He grinned.

Every time I talked to Sinclair I felt he was searching for something. I stayed perfectly straight when all I wanted to do was relax and slip into an easy conversation.

“What are you doing here on the weekend?” I asked him.

“I thought I would take a day off.”

“It’s not a day off if you’re visiting a client,” I pointed out.

“Since the house is finished, you’re no longer a client.” He lifted a brow. “We’re friends.”

Friends.

No, that didn’t sound right. Friends shouldn’t look at each other the way we were doing.

Nothing between us was friendly, but I nodded and gave him a weak smile. “Don’t you have a family?”

He smirked. “No. No family.”

I already knew that, but I wanted to hear him say it.

Since I’d found out he was Renee’s brother, I’d casually asked her about him. I wanted to find out all I could. It was wrong, but I couldn’t ignore my curiosity. He was the middle child out of three. He was single. No ex-wives. No children. No nothing.

And all my mind could think was, How? How was this incredible man not taken?

“Why not?” I said before I could think twice.

“Why don’t I have a