Sinful Purity (Sinful Series) by K.A. Standen Page A

the sun is shining. You don’t even seem to mind that you’re still a prisoner here. If something so miniscule can make you this happy, I can’t imagine your enjoyment at actually being somewhere, well, nice. And I would get to see your rockin’ body in a bikini, which would be fantastic for me.” Brett’s sincerity gave way to his ever-present seductive nature as he shot me one of his patented winks, making me laugh.
    “I think I would like the beach,” I confided with a smile.
    “Well, then, it’s settled. You’ll have to come and visit.” Brett’s voice was firm and resolute.
    “Visit? Where?” The words were difficult to form in my confusion.
    “I wanted to tell you sooner, Liz. But you were so upset yesterday. I didn’t want to make it worse. Kelly and I are moving to California. Kelly’s been accepted to a university out there and I’m transferring too. I was only here because Kelly was trapped here. We never intended on staying so long. I’m sorry, we’re just West Coast people. It’s what we know and love. This is my last visit. We’re leaving on Wednesday.”
    Stunned, I didn’t know what to say. If this visit was supposed to be my blow-off, then why did he stay? Why didn’t he just get it over with, fast, like ripping off a Band-Aid? Just r-r-rip and it’d be done. Why did he have to stay last night? It only made me love him and need him more. Now he’d be gone forever, taking my best friend with him. I could feel the anguishonce again rising into my throat and into my eyes. I didn’t want to cry. Not in front of Brett, not again, not so soon. Seeing my pain, Brett grabbed me, pulling me close and wrapping his strong arms around me again. I was sure he thought I was going to have another breakdown like last night, but this time right in the middle of the courtyard, in public view.
    “It’s okay, Liz. Liz, it’s okay. I want to you to come and visit. We want you to come—Kelly too. Hell, I don’t even care if you come and live with us. You’ll be out of here soon and you can go anywhere you want.” Brett spoke firmly but lovingly, as if trying not to escalate the situation.
    “I’m okay.” I wiped the tears from my eyes, not sure whether I was trying to convince him or myself more.
    “All right, sweetheart. Let’s concentrate on the mission at hand,” Brett replied lightheartedly as he began to hum the
Mission: Impossible
theme song. I let out a little laugh and a smile, assuring Brett that the crisis had been averted.
    Because it was Sunday, most the staff of MIQ were either off for the day, or, like the sisters, at Mass. The warm spring day also acted in our favor, offering a made-to-order distraction that allowed us to slip into Mother Superior’s office unnoticed.
    Once inside the confines of Sister Christine’s inner sanctum, an unrelenting uneasiness swept over me, making my stomach do flip-flops under the pressure.
    “Are you right, Liz?” Brett asked. “You’re turning greener by the second.”
    “Yeah, I’m okay. Thanks for asking.”
    Honestly, I was a bundle of raw, frayed nerves, afraid of the slightest creak of the floorboards or shadow cast from the dancing sunlight outside. The truth was that I had always feared this office most of all, more than any other room at MIQ. This was the one place I felt the most insignificant, the most frail and vulnerable. As a child I would frequently be brought here to be chastised and reprimanded for my very being. The small, wobbly chair sitting unassumingly in the corner only reminded me of the times I had sat in that very spot, throwing my adolescent soul on the mercy of the court. Only there never really was any court, just Sister Christine, who sat as judge and jury to my poignant demise. My emotions were conflicted. As much as I feared this place, I despised it even more for keeping my meager origins a mystery. I reviled Sister Christine for her reprehensible decision.After all, who had given her the right to keep my