Chapter 25

Sierra’s door swings open moments after I press my finger against the scanner, and I walk inside with my arms overflowing with snacks.

“Raven?”

She sits up on the sofa and closes her laptop, frowning.

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be all loved-up with Ares?”

I huff as I sink onto the sofa, and she immediately opens her arms for me.

I throw myself into her embrace and hold on tightly, unsure what to even say.

“That bad, huh?”

I nod and tighten my grip on her.

“He’s with her right now.”

Sierra pulls back just enough to look me in the eye.

“He’s what?”

“He’s having dinner with her tonight.”

“You’ve got to be kidding,” she snaps, her voice sharp.

“He went to dinner with her one day after marrying you? What the hell?”

She immediately gets to her feet.

“Where are they?”

“Don’t,” I warn her quickly.

“Don’t do anything crazy today.”

I take a deep breath.

“I came here because I didn’t want to be alone in the Hannah shrine he calls a home.”

I force a tired smile.

“Can we just watch some stupid reality show and eat snacks I absolutely shouldn’t be eating?”

Sierra narrows her eyes before snatching the bag of chips from my hands and tossing it across the room.

“Now is not the time for snacks, Raven.”

She folds her arms.

“You spent years quietly loving my brother.”

Her gaze hardens.

“You’re his wife now, Rave. In the Windsor family, that actually means something.”

She points at me.

“All we need to do is make sure Grandma finds out where he is right now, and I guarantee he’ll never even attempt to see Hannah again.”

She takes a deep breath.

“You’re Grandma’s eldest daughter-in-law. There’s no way she’d ever allow Ares to disrespect you.”

I hesitate for a moment, tempted to take the easy route while knowing it’s the wrong thing to do.

“Sierra…”

I shake my head slowly.

“Let’s not do that, okay?”

I wrap my arms around myself.

“Forcing him to stay away from her won’t work in my favor.”

I look away.

“He’ll only want her more.”

My voice weakens slightly.

“And the last thing I need is for him to start sneaking around behind my back.”

Sierra presses her lips together, clearly irritated, but somehow manages to hold back whatever argument she wants to make.

“Come with me.”

I sigh and follow her into her bedroom.

Judging by the tension in her posture, she’s definitely plotting something.

And honestly?

I’m not entirely sure I should get involved in any of Sierra’s criminally insane ideas.

“Here.”

She holds up a department store bag.

“I bought this for you earlier today.”

She grins slowly.

“I had a feeling you’d need it.”

I peek inside the bag, my eyes widening the moment I realize what I’m looking at.

I pull out the lacy lingerie and laugh.

“This is…”

I glance at it again.

“This is outrageous.”

I burst out laughing as I stare at the scraps of fabric in my hands.

“I’ve done plenty of lingerie modeling, and even I think this is ridiculous.”

I pull one of the thongs out of the bag and hold it up.

“What exactly is the point of this?”

I frown.

“It doesn’t even have a crotch.”

Sierra wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.

“Easy access.”

She snatches the bag from me and starts digging through it, pulling out two nightgowns.

One white.

One red.

“These are both going to look incredible on you.”

She holds up the red one.

“They’re revealing enough to make it impossible for Ares not to notice your body.”

I bite my lip as I reach for the red nightgown.

“I’m not sure…”

I look down at it.

“Hannah and I have completely different body types.”

I exhale slowly.

“She’s a little shorter than I am, and when she’s not crash dieting for a role, she’s much curvier too.”

I lower my gaze.

“I’m not sure Ares would find me attractive after being with someone like my sister.”

I glance back at the gown.

“I’m not sure highlighting my body is a good idea.”

Sierra immediately snatches the gown back out of my hands, outrage flashing across her face.

“You’re an idiot,” she snaps.

“You’re one of the most beautiful women in the world.”

She points at me accusingly.

“And I’m not being biased. Multiple magazines have literally said that.”

She folds her arms.

“Start using the same confidence you have on the runway, Rave.”

I bite my lip and lower my eyes.

“Look, Sierra…”

I inhale deeply.

“There’s something I never told you.”

She frowns as I sit down on her bed.

“Remember that night we went out and Ares came to pick us up because we were completely drunk?”

She nods and sits beside me.

Then I tell her everything.

How I climbed onto his lap.

How I tried to seduce him.

Everything I said that night.

“He wasn’t even remotely tempted, Sierra.”

I laugh bitterly.

“A small part of me genuinely thought I could make him fold if I gave it everything I had.”

My voice weakens slightly.

“But I couldn’t.”

I stare down at my hands.

“He wasn’t affected at all.”

Sierra looks away and shakes her head.

“I seriously doubt that, Rave.”

She looks back at me.

“And even if that was true, things are different now.”

Her gaze sharpens.

“You were unattainable to him before.”

She smiles slowly.

“But now you’re his wife.”

She picks up the white nightgown again.

“If he keeps seeing you half-naked, he’s eventually going to want you.”

She shrugs.

“Even if he doesn’t right now.”

Her smile turns wicked.

“He won’t be able to stay away from you for three years.”

She arches an eyebrow.

“And he won’t cheat on you either.”

I fold my arms and nod hesitantly.

“Yeah…”

I let out a small sigh.

“I honestly don’t think he would cheat.”

She smiles triumphantly and lifts the nightgown again.

“If you two end up sleeping together, he’s going to fall for you.”

She says it with absurd confidence.

“I know you think he’ll never stop loving your sister, but honestly?”

She lets out a short laugh.

“I call bullshit.”

She leans closer to me.

“Ares has always looked at you differently.”

Her voice softens.

“And there’s always been this really intense connection between the two of you.”

She smiles.

“He just needs a push.”

She tucks her legs beneath herself on the bed.

“Ares is a man with strong morals.”

She pauses briefly.

“As long as he believes staying away from both you and Hannah is the right thing to do, he’ll keep doing it.”

She points the nightgown at me.

“So give him a reason to give in.”

Her eyes sparkle mischievously.

“Honestly, if you just straight-up told him you wanted him to take care of your physical needs…”

She starts laughing.

“He’d collapse like a house of cards.”

I stare at Sierra, trying to figure out whether this is all just wishful thinking on her part… or if maybe she’s actually right.

Because honestly?

I feel like I already played all my cards the night Ares drove us home.

And I lost.

I’m terrified of putting myself out there like that again.

“Trust me,” she says.

“I know my brother.”

Her gaze intensifies.

“He absolutely does not see you as just Hannah’s sister.”

She folds her arms.

“If you’re not comfortable actively pursuing him, then just do this much, okay?”

She points toward the bag.

“Wear the nightgowns I bought you and pay attention to how he reacts.”

Her smile widens.

“Slowly seduce him until he gives in and comes to you.”

She shrugs.

“Watch his actions, Rave.”

Her voice turns firmer.

“I’m telling you, sooner or later he’s going to expose himself.”

She smiles knowingly.

“He wants you.”

Then she tilts her head.

“And the line between lust and love is a lot thinner than you think.”