Page 78 of Rosabel and the Billionaire Beast

Or like he’d never see me again.

Banter had always helped oil his hinges. I decided to try that particular tack.

“She made it sound like your friends know.” I added a smile for good measure. “Maybe I’ll call in a favor of my own.”

Duncan’s chin jutted to one side. He rose just enough to tower over me like always. “Don’t you dare.”

I lifted my face. “I helped Maddox with his auditions. He would fill me in if I asked him.”

“No, he wouldn’t.”

“Oh, no? I bet he would.”

“He values his life too much.”

He was being way too serious about this. I laughed and bopped his shoulder with my fist.

To my surprise, Duncan caught my hand in his and held it so gently, so tenderly, it disarmed me. He stared at my hand,guiding my fingers to open until we stood palm to palm. The sensation sent off a riot of tingles up my arm.

“Just tell me,” I said. The words were almost a whisper. “What is it? What did you sign that you’re so ashamed of?”

“I was young,” he said, cradling my hand between his. “It was a stupid fraternity agreement that’s coming back to bite me over ten years later.”

“I’d gleaned as much. What exactly did you agree to?”

Mischief slid into his eyes. “I agreed to hire annoyingly persistent assistants.”

My nose crinkled. “You like my persistence.”

For whatever reason, that killed the mood. His shoulders fell.

He released my hand, exhaled, and the words, “That’s my problem,” slipped out.

I wasn’t going to let him deflect this time. “What was that? What’s your problem?”

He straightened, lifting a single brow before dropping his head once more. “My problem…is that I don’t know what to get for my grandma for her birthday now.”

He really wasn’t going to give in. Duncan was keeping this secret close to the chest.

I watched him. No, he hadn’t opened up to me about his college days, but he had shared something else. Something personal and seemingly heartbreaking.

Everything made so much more sense. Why he was so snappish, so nasty all the time. Clearly, he wasn’t responsible for the heart attack. His arguing might have contributed to it, but he couldn’t claim full responsibility for whatever state his grandpa’s health had been in before the argument.

But he’d believed himself to be at fault for years now. What an intense burden to haul.

I decided to let this one go.

A thousand thoughts tumbled in my brain. I couldn’t believe he’d opened up to me like he had. Maybe he would tell me more about this pact thing if I gave him time.

Leaning my arms on the trunk and feeling the warmth emanating from the black surface, I nudged Duncan with my shoulder. I wanted to lighten the mood between us. I wanted to help him smile again.

“How about a normal present like some flowers or a nice figurine for her mantel?” I suggested.

He shook his head and gestured toward the house. “I wanted to dothisfor her.”

“For her? Or for you?”

There was that line between his brows again. “What does that mean?”

---