Page 10 of Cruel Heir

A funny look crossed his face. His eyes were the same, but something seemed different about him. I just couldn’t place my finger on what changed.

“I came here as soon as I returned. Is that how you treat me now?” He pouted and leaned against the door frame.

I almost rolled my eyes. “No, of course not,” I replied, forcing myself to stay calm.

The first time I got angry with him, a shootout happened. The second time I snapped, I had almost been kidnapped. When my emotions took over the third time, we ended up with our tongues down each other’s throats. So, yeah, that’s not necessarily the desired outcome.

“You just disappeared.” I was surprised and kind of proud of myself at how casual I sounded. I opened the door wider, and he walked in with a smirk on his face.

“Yeah, it was sudden. Uh, I was called to deal with the family business.” There was a hesitation in his voice as Keith turned to look at me, as if waiting for me to shut the door.

I stared at him with a raised eyebrow. As much as I wanted to throw away every single thought in my head and just kiss him, I didn’t. I liked him, but I wasn’t desperate. If Keith wouldn’t give me a better explanation, then he could leave. For good.

“Isabel’s pregnant,” he blurted out.

I frowned, trying to recall if he mentioned any girlfriend named Isabel before. “Who?”

“My father’s wife.”

Oh, that made more sense. “Congratulations, I guess? I mean, that’s a nice thing, right?”

Keith only nodded, his eyes never leaving my face. I didn’t know where else to look, so I stared right back at him as well.

“Yeah, it is. Why are you still standing there?” he asked, amused.

“So, you’re not leaving? I thought you were just gonna say hi and go,” I responded, not trying to hide my sarcasm.

“Come here.” He held out a hand, beckoning me towards him.

This is what I’m dreading the most.If I had known Keith was knocking on my door, I wouldn’t have even bothered to open it, especially now that there was no Allison to rescue me.

I eventually took Keith’s hand. I didn’t see another way out without creating a scene. More importantly, I wouldn’t let him know that his absence bothered me.

“What?” I asked, looking up at him.

Again, there was a look in his eyes that I didn’t really recognize. Keith was not teasing or flirting with me. He was not even angry. He seemed more conflicted than anything.

“I’m sorry for leaving you hanging. While I was away, though, I couldn’t help but wonder about one thing,” Keith uttered. He let go of my hand and cupped my face.

My brain wanted to tell him to leave, but my heart didn’t want that.

“Can I trust you?” he asked.

Those were not the words I expected to hear from Keith, but it made me realize that this wasn’t about me at all. His lips were inches away from mine as our foreheads touched. His hands slipped to the back of my head so that I couldn’t look away.

“What’s this about?” I muttered.

“Just answer the question.”

I nodded, though his question confused me. I was so far away from the politics – I didn’t even wish to hear about it when my family visited me.

“Did something happen?” I asked.

His green eyes darkened for a split second, and his jaw clenched. Then, Keith shook his head. “No, nothing at all.”

With the way he was acting, it seemed like something happened.

“Are you okay?” I couldn’t help but ask. I tried to step away from him, but he didn’t let me go.

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