Four Of A Kind - Chapter 186: [4.4] Checkmate

Chapter 186: [4.4] Checkmate

The screen illuminated my tired face as I responded to Cassidy.

Goodnight.

My thumb hovered over the send button when a pale hand snatched the phone from my grip.

“Sabrina, what the—”

“Checking on my sister?” She stood at the edge of my bed, my phone dangling from her fingers like contraband. “How considerate of you, Isaiah.”

I lunged for the device, but Sabrina was faster, stepping just out of reach. The darkness of the guest room made her look like a ghost—pale skin, wine-red hair loose around her shoulders, purple eyes watching me with that unnerving intensity only Sabrina Valentine could achieve.

“Give it back.”

“Make me.”

Her voice was soft, almost a whisper, but carried a challenge that made my pulse quicken. This was dangerous territory. Vivienne had just left my room a little while ago. Cassidy was out there somewhere, probably planning my murder. And now Sabrina was here, playing games I couldn’t afford to join.

“It’s almost one in the morning,” I said. “You should be in your own room.”

Sabrina tilted her head, studying me. “Yet here I am.”

Before I could react, she moved forward and settled herself directly onto my lap. Her legs wrapped around my waist, and her cool hands came up to cradle my face, forcing me to look directly at her. My hands instinctively grabbed her waist to stabilize us both.

Bad move, Angelo. Very bad move.

“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice embarrassingly hoarse.

“Ensuring I have your full attention.” Sabrina shifted slightly on my lap, and I had to bite back a groan. “You were texting Cassidy when you should be focused on our conversation.”

“Our conversation about which Valentine sister supposedly kissed me on the steps?” I kept my voice level despite the situation. “The one you’ve been teasing me about for twenty minutes without actually telling me anything?”

Sabrina’s mouth curved into a small pout. It looked wrong on her face—too calculated. Too playful for someone who treated emotion like a foreign concept.

“Focus on me, Isaiah.” Her thumb traced my bottom lip. “Don’t you want to know who kissed you that night?”

I swallowed hard. “You know who kissed me?”

“Mhm…” Sabrina leaned closer, her wine-red hair falling forward like a curtain around us.

“Okay, who did?”

Her eyes glittered in the dim light. “First, describe the kiss to me.”

“Why?” I frowned. “You already know who it was.”

“I want to hear how you experienced it.” Her voice dropped to a whisper, forcing me to lean closer to hear her. “Every detail.”

This was a trap. Obviously a trap. But with Sabrina’s weight on my lap and her face inches from mine, my brain wasn’t firing on all cylinders.

“It was… unexpected,” I began cautiously. “Quick. I was leaving, heading down the front steps. Someone grabbed my wrist, turned me around, and kissed me.”

Sabrina’s fingers played with the hair at the nape of my neck. “And then?”

“And then nothing. It was over before I could react. When I opened my eyes, no one was there.”

“How did it feel?” She was so close now that her breath tickled my lips.

“Soft,” I admitted. “Hesitant at first, then not.”

“What did it taste like?”

Jesus Christ. “I don’t know. Strawberries, maybe?”

“Did you like it?”

My hands tightened on her waist. “Sabrina—”

“Did you?” Her purple eyes were hypnotic up close.

“Yes.”

Her lips curved into a smile. “Did it feel like this?”

Before I could respond, Sabrina closed the distance between us. Her mouth pressed against mine, soft and warm and tasting faintly of strawberries.

My brain short-circuited. Sabrina Valentine was kissing me. Quiet, mysterious Sabrina who watched from corners and said more with silence than most people did with speeches.

And she was kissing me like she meant it.

Her lips moved slowly against mine, exploring rather than demanding. Her hands slid from my face into my hair, fingers threading through the strands with deliberate care.

I should stop this. I should absolutely stop this.

I didn’t stop it.

Instead, I kissed her back, my hands sliding up her spine to pull her closer. Sabrina made a small sound against my mouth that sent heat rushing through my veins.

With a gentle push, she pressed me backward until I was lying on the bed with her above me. Her hair fell around us like a curtain, shutting out the rest of the world. She never broke the kiss, just changed the angle, deepened it.

The taste. Strawberries and something else—something uniquely her.

The same taste as that night on the steps.

I pulled back, looking up at her with sudden clarity. “You,” I said, breathing hard. “It was you who kissed me that night.”

Sabrina’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “Very good, Isaiah.”

“Why?”

She traced my jawline with her finger. “Why did I kiss you then, or why am I kissing you now?”

“Both.”

“Because I wanted to.” She said it simply, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I studied her face, trying to reconcile this Sabrina with the one who barely spoke three sentences at a time. “Why disappear afterward? Why the mystery?”

“Would you have preferred I stayed? Announced myself? Made a scene?” She raised an eyebrow. “That’s Cassidy’s style, not mine.”

She had a point.

“And tonight?” I asked. “Why come here after everything that happened with your sisters?”

Sabrina’s expression shifted, becoming more serious. “Because Vivienne kissed you at the museum. Because Cassidy had you in her room. Because Harlow looks at you like you’re the sun.” She paused. “And because I didn’t want to be the only one left wondering what if.”

Her honesty knocked the air from my lungs.

“So you’re making your move,” I said, the reality of the situation hitting me. “All four of you are actually…”

“Interested in you?” Sabrina finished my sentence. “Yes. Unfortunate timing on our part.”

I couldn’t help it—I laughed. The absurdity of the situation was too much. Four identical quadruplets, all deciding I was worth their attention.

“This isn’t funny,” Sabrina said, but her lips twitched slightly.