Page 55 of Cruelly Fated
“How’d you know?” He shot me a curious glance.
I shrugged, playing it cool. “Just a guess… People like OJ with breakfast. And you didn’t make coffee, so…”
He spun toward me so fast. “Would you prefer coffee?”
I blinked. “No… OJ is perfect.”
He filled two glasses and slid one my way. Then he settled across from me at the island, loading my plate before servinghimself. Fork in hand, he started eating with the intensity of a man who hadn’t had a real meal in days.
I watched him for a beat. His face, his shoulders, remembering the way my hands had roamed those same lines just hours ago. My fingers tightened around the fork. I needed to focus on something else before I got too carried away.
I swept my gaze around the penthouse, taking in the view of the Plaza glowing in the soft blush of morning. Gorgeous. I could get used to waking up to this.
Then my eyes landed on the couch. A pillow and a deep blue sheet lay tossed over it like someone had spent the night there.
“You slept here?” I asked, bewildered. I hadn’t even thought to check the living room last night before I passed out. I’d been convinced he’d left.
A corner of his mouth lifted. “It’s my apartment, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but…” I swallowed, suddenly realizing I might’ve made a huge mistake accepting his offer to help with my housing situation a few days ago. “I thought you didn’t stay here.”
“This is my primary residence.”
“But the place feels so sterile. There is nothing here that says the space is lived in.”
He paused mid-chew, then leveled a mildly confused gaze at me. “Ouch?”
I slapped a hand over my mouth. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that…” I bit my lip.Way to open your mouth and insult your host.
“I guess I’m a minimalist,” he said after a beat, his brows drawing together in quiet reflection. “I was raised in a lavish lifestyle. None of it ever made me happy.”
Oh…I pinched my lips. I thought the dragon prince was all abs and arrogance. But every time he spoke, Kyon drifted further from the image of a self-indulgent billionaire to that of a man simply chasing something real. He was still a billionaire, sure… Just not the kind I’d imagined.
I chewed a few more bites of food, which was prepared exactly how I liked it. Kyon polished his plate within a minute like he hadn’t properly eaten in weeks. Based on Grandpa’s description of prison food, he probably hadn’t.
I nudged my plate toward him.
“I’m full,” I said.
He huffed softly through his nose, the corner of his mouth twitching into a small smile, then finished off my food in a few large bites.
I slid off the stool. “I’ll pack my things.”
“Why?” His brows pinched together into an angry V.
“You live here?” It came out as a question. “I can’t stay.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m no longer a guest here?”
Kyon’s lips thinned. “I’ll find a new place for me.”
What? My eyes widened.
“No, you can’t. This is your place. You’re staying, I’m going.” My breathing quickened.
Kyoncrossed his ink-covered arms across his buff chest. “I’ll stay if you stay.”
