Page 27 of Indecent Villain

He brings his mouth to my ear and whispers, “They think we’re related.”

I’m surprised he would so openly admit the question of my paternal parentage to me. I don’t have time to respond to him as Maureen dashes over.

“Oh, you poor girl.” She pulls me into a tight embrace. “I am so sorry for your loss, Kinsley.”

Tears threaten to fall at her kindness. As she steps away, I step close to Tiberius, who once again puts a hand to the small of my back.

“That means a lot, Maureen. Thank you.”

She glances at Tiberius, who looks irritated. I elbow him in the stomach.

“We’re here for sandwiches and cakes,” he says. “Soda too. Kinsley knows what she wants.” He raises a brow at me.

“I do, as a matter of fact.” I head toward the deli counter and give Maureen my order. “Tiberius, should we get Salem something?”

He nods. “Edgar too.”

“Okay.” I turn to Maureen. “Can you package those you’ve made into one box and the next into another?” I continue to select food and which box they should be placed in while Maureen flickers her gaze back and forth between Tiberius and me.

Once everything is nicely packed into the two boxes, she asks quietly, “Is everything okay, Kinsley? You’re not in any trouble, are you?”

“Everything is good, Maureen. Thank you for asking.” She doesn’t look convinced.

Oh well.

Tiberius carries the boxes to the car. Salem smirks when he sees us. “Don’t worry,” Tiberius says, “Kinsley ordered enough to feed an army.”

I roll my eyes. “One box is for you and Edgar to share.”

Salem steps forward. “I’ll take it. There will be nothing left if Edgar gets it first.”

After the food is sorted, it takes us twenty minutes to arrive at the gate to Tiberius’s house. The gate is unmanned, and Tiberius uses an electronic device to open the gates. We drive through, and as we round the bend, I gasp in surprise. From what I can see, his home is a black structure made of glass and steel. The modern architecture stands out starkly against the lush greenery surrounding it. I can't help but feel a sense of awe as we approach the impressive building. It looks familiar. I glance at Tiberius, who watches me.

"You live across the lake from the Lake House.”

"I do." His jaw ticks.

"How long?"

"When Jude and Anna married, my mother asked me to live elsewhere. She didn’t think it appropriate that I be around a child, which, considering she ran the family while Jude and I were children, was a bit condescending.”

“The Lake House is huge. I don’t understand. Why would your mother do that?"

"My mother always did what she wanted, regardless of who she trampled all over."

I reach across and take his hand. He watches me in surprise as our fingers intertwine. "I'm sorry she did that to you."

He searches my eyes, but all he'll see is me wanting to take his pain away. I tell myself that I'm too young to truly understand what is happening between us. My young heart beats heavily to be close to this man. It's sudden and shocking to me, but it's there. I thought I imagined it, but I didn’t. He feels it too. This pull is unique and unexpected. I like being close to him. Even when he gives me his dark, penetrating gaze, he sees right through me, and yesterday, I didn’t want him to ever let me go.

Breaking the spell, he clears his throat and sighs. "Come on. We will eat on the patio."

As we place one foot inside the house, another car comes racing up the driveway. This one is a white SUV with tinted windows.

Tiberius curses. "What the fuck does she want?" he mutters under his breath, an apology in his eyes, before he focuses on the woman being helped from the car.

“Ugh!” I hiss.

Tiberius looks back at me. "I'll get rid of her." He winces and faces Veronica. "This is not a good time," he says firmly, his jaw clenched.

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