Four Of A Kind - Chapter 188: [4.6] What’s Easy vs. What’s Right

Chapter 188: [4.6] What’s Easy vs. What’s Right

Sabrina’s lips pressed against my neck, leaving a trail of fire along my skin. My hands found her waist automatically, pulling her closer while some distant part of my brain screamed that this was a terrible idea. Her teeth scraped gently against my pulse point and rational thought became a foreign concept.

“Still thinking too much,” she murmured against my throat.

“One of us has to.”

Her hands slid down my chest, nails dragging lightly over my abs. I sucked in a sharp breath as her fingers toyed with the waistband of my pants.

“Do you want me to stop?” She looked up, purple eyes almost black with desire.

Did I? Hell no. Should she? Absolutely yes.

Her hand dipped lower, cupping me through the fabric, and my hips jerked up instinctively. Fuck. The satisfied smirk on her face should have annoyed me, but it just made heat pool in my stomach.

“You’re making this very difficult,” I ground out through clenched teeth.

“That’s the point.” She squeezed gently, and my brain temporarily short-circuited.

Sabrina leaned up to whisper in my ear. “I want to feel you, Isaiah.”

Her fingers hooked into the waistband of my pants, tugging downward. The reality of what was about to happen crashed into me like a freight train. Sabrina Valentine—quiet, mysterious, brilliant Sabrina—was about to take my virginity.

And I wasn’t stopping her.

Why wasn’t I stopping her?

Because she was gorgeous. Because her body felt perfect against mine. Because she wanted me, and god, I wanted her too.

But.

Four sisters. One mother who could destroy my future with a phone call. My actual sister sleeping down the hall.

Iris.

The thought of my sister snapped something back into place in my brain. What the hell was I doing? If Camille Valentine found out I’d slept with one of her daughters, she wouldn’t just fire me. She’d make sure all of my future generations suffered.

And then there was the other complication. The three other identical sisters who all apparently had feelings for me. Who all apparently wanted the same thing Sabrina was currently trying to make happen.

I caught Sabrina’s wrist just as her fingers slipped beneath my waistband.

“Wait.”

Sabrina froze, her eyes flicking up to meet mine. For a moment, confusion crossed her face—an expression I’d never seen on her before. Then understanding dawned, followed by something that looked almost like respect.

“So you are capable of self-control.” She didn’t move her hand.

“Barely.” I took a deep breath, trying to ignore how good her body felt pressed against mine. “We can’t do this.”

“We absolutely can.” She leaned forward, her lips brushing against mine. “We just need to be quiet.”

My resolve almost crumbled. Almost.

I sat up, gently moving Sabrina off me. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

Sabrina sighed, tucking a strand of wine-red hair behind her ear. “Your sense of honor is inconvenient.”

“Trust me, I’m aware.” I ran a hand through my hair, trying to calm my racing heart. “Look, this situation is already complicated enough. Your mother threatened to tank my sister’s future if I get involved with any of you.”

Sabrina’s eyes narrowed. “When?”

“At the gala. While Vivienne was in the bathroom.”

“What exactly did she say?”

I shook my head. “Does it matter? The point is, I can’t risk Iris’s future. She deserves better than that.”

Sabrina studied me for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then she reached out and touched my face, her fingers tracing the line of my jaw.

“You put her first,” she said quietly. “Always.”

It wasn’t a question, but I answered anyway. “She’s my sister.”

“Even when it means denying yourself something you want.”

I caught her hand, pulling it away from my face before I lost my resolve again. “Even then.”

Sabrina tilted her head, considering me with those piercing purple eyes. “What if I told you my mother’s threats were empty? That she couldn’t actually prevent Iris from getting into Hartwell if she earned it on her own merits?”

“I’d say you don’t know what she’s capable of.”

“I know exactly what she’s capable of.” Something cold flickered across Sabrina’s face. “I’ve been watching her my entire life.”

The intensity in her voice made me pause. There was something there—something deeper than just this moment between us.

“What are you not telling me?”

Sabrina smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Many things, Isaiah. But none of them change the fact that you’re right. This—” she gestured between us, “—is too complicated right now.”

She moved away, creating space between us on the bed. The absence of her warmth was both a relief and a disappointment.

“There’s something else bothering you,” she observed. “Not just Iris.”

I let out a hollow laugh. “You mean besides the fact that I’ve somehow found myself in the middle of four identical sisters who all apparently want to jump my bones? Yeah, there’s something else.”

“Tell me.”

I looked at her, this quiet, observant girl who saw everything and said so little. “Your sisters. I can’t do this to them.”

Sabrina raised an eyebrow. “Yet you kissed Vivienne tonight.”

“That was—”

“Different?” She supplied when I faltered. “How?”

“It wasn’t planned. It just happened.”

“And this just happened too.”

“That’s not the point.” I stood up, needing distance from the temptation of her on my bed. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on between me and your sisters. But I know that if I sleep with you tonight, it would hurt them. All of them.”

“Since when do you care so much about Valentine feelings?” There was genuine curiosity in her voice.

“Since I started tutoring Cassidy and saw how hard she tries even when she’s convinced she’ll fail. Since I watched Vivienne drop her corporate mask for five seconds and actually laugh. Since Harlow hugged me like I mattered to her.”

I paced the length of the guest room, frustration building in my chest. “And since you started slipping poetry into my bag and pretending you didn’t.”

Sabrina went still. “You knew that was me?”

“Process of elimination. Cassidy would’ve signed it with a middle finger. Harlow would’ve drawn hearts all over it. Vivienne would’ve typed it and color-coded the stanzas.”

A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Fair assessment.”

“The point is, I can’t do this. Not like this. Not when it would hurt people I…” I stopped, not sure how to finish that sentence.

“People you care about?” Sabrina supplied.

“Yeah.”

She nodded slowly, accepting this. “So what happens now?”

“Now?” I ran a hand through my hair. “Now you go back to your room, and I spend the rest of the night staring at the ceiling questioning all my life choices.”

Sabrina stood up, smoothing down her nightshirt. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re making the right decision.”

“Then why did you come here tonight?”

“To see if you would.” She stepped closer, looking up at me with those unsettling purple eyes. “To see if you were the kind of man who would choose what’s easy over what’s right.”

I blinked. “You were testing me?”

“In a manner of speaking.”

“That’s messed up, Sabrina.”

“Perhaps.” She reached up, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “But now I know.”

“Know what?”

“That you’re worth it.”

Before I could ask what she meant by that, she rose up on her toes and pressed a soft kiss to my cheek.

“Goodnight, Isaiah.”

She slipped out of my room like a ghost, leaving me standing there confused and frustrated in more ways than one.

I collapsed back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. What the hell just happened?

Did Sabrina seriously come to my room, nearly seduce me, then act like it was all some kind of character test?

The Valentine sisters were going to be the death of me. Literally, if their mother had anything to say about it.

I pulled out my phone, checking the time. 1:37 AM. My lock screen showed a photo of Iris from last summer, grinning with ice cream dripping down her chin. The sight of her face centered me. Reminded me why I couldn’t afford to screw up.

A text notification appeared—Iris asking if I was still awake. I replied immediately.

Me: Yeah. Everything ok?

Iris: Harlow and I are watching anime. She says it’s fine but I should ask permission because you’re “weirdly strict.”

Me: It’s almost 2am.

Iris: So… that’s a no?

Me: That’s a “why aren’t you sleeping?”

Iris: Because anime is more fun than sleep?

I could almost see her grin through the phone. Another text came through before I could respond.

Iris: Harlow says to tell you we’re bonding and it’s important for my emotional development.

Me: Harlow is a terrible influence.

Iris: She also says you look hot in a suit.

I nearly choked. What the hell?

Me: Inappropriate. Both of you go to sleep.

Iris: Fine. Party pooper. Oh btw did you know the walls in this house are super thin? Like I can hear everything in the hallway from Harlow’s room.

My stomach dropped.

Me: What exactly did you hear?

Iris: Enough to know you’re in BIG trouble 😂

Well, shit. That complicated things even further. If Iris had overheard the argument in the hallway, she knew about the kiss with Vivienne. And if she knew about that…

My phone buzzed again.

Iris: Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone you’re a player. But you owe me ice cream. LOTS of ice cream.

Me: Go to sleep, brat.

Iris: Love you too 😇