Page 14 of Deception & Desire

If I hadn’t been staring at her face, I might have missed the split second that she looked impressed. “A brownstone?”

I make an affirmative noise. “It will be ready in a few days.”

With a small stretch, I reach over to grab a bathrobe and make a beeline for the kitchen. Coffee was certainly in order.

I’m about halfway through brewing it, when there’s a patter of feet behind me.

“Do you expect me to live with you?” she asks carefully.

I consider this for a moment. Part of the deal was that I do everything in my power to ensure her safety, which would be considerably easier if I had eyes on her at all times.

But then again, I doubt such a suggestion would go down well. Considering we seem to have reached a temporary truce, I’m not in the mood to be on the receiving end of her yelling again.

“Eventually, but there’s no pressing need until the baby is born,” I say.

“Right,” her voice sounds distant, distracted, and when I turn to hand her a coffee, her face matches the tone of her voice. She glances down at the offering. “I don’t drink coffee.”

“Noted.”

There’s an awkward pause as I put the cup down. I rack my brain for something to ask her, to put her at ease again.

She looks so lovely wearing my clothes, I realize with a start. Her red curls are the right kind of messy to be consideredcharming and warmth just seems to radiate from her so naturally.

It wouldn’t be a bad thing to make the most of this situation. Perhaps we could even be friends.

I’m about to say as much when she breaks the silence for me.

“I suppose we don’t really need to know each other, do we?”

Her words turn my own to ash in my mouth. Right. Duty. None of this is personal.

“No. We don’t.” I drain the rest of my coffee, though it tastes much more bitter now, and deposit the mug in the sink with a little too much force. The handle breaks off with a small crack.

I ignore it as I storm past her back into the bedroom, quickly finding clothes of my own before gathering my necessities for the day. Suddenly, spending the morning alone with her feels absolutely abhorrent.

“What…what do I do now?” her voice asks quietly from the corner.

I pocket my phone and glance in the mirror. Respectable, professional. Cold. “Stay as long as you want, but I have to go. I’ll send my new address to Teo if you need it.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to exchange numbers?”

“Do what you want.”

“But what about?—”

I turn on her, suddenly very irritated indeed by her incessant nagging. “I don’t care, all right? I’m not your keeper, and, quite frankly, I have more important things to worry about than this. You stick to upholding your part of the agreement, and I’ll stick to mine. Agreed?”

Mia looks somewhat overwhelmed by my outburst, and so frightfully vulnerable in those oversized clothes. I have to look away so that she doesn’t see the guilt in my gaze.

This is decidedly the wrong thing to do, as her voice suddenly takes a harder edge.

“Oh, of course, my dear husband. Let me bend over backward to fulfill my wifely duties. How would you like me next time? Spread eagle or with a bag over my fucking head?”

I refuse to dignify her response with even a glance as I pack up my things. The cold shoulder does nothing to improve Mia’s mood, and she promptly leaves the room.

A second later, the door to the penthouse slams shut behind her.

It takesthe entirety of the drive to the Prince’s Hand’s flagship casino for me to shake the bitterness that threatens to choke me.

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