Page 41 of Deceit
He turned, ready to head out the door, when I stopped him.“That’s it?”
“What do you mean,‘That’s it?’”
My mouth opened and shut, not knowing what to say, but not ready tobe left on my own yet.“What about the staff, do I get to meet them?”
A malicious smirk spread over his lips.“I hate to disappoint you, princess,but there are no staff. I don’t like people in my space. Cleaners will be here twice a week, but that’s it aside from my men outside. No maids to make your bed each morning, no chefs to cook you dinner. You’ll have to learn to fend for yourself.”He paused before sneering,“You never know, it might do you some good.”
It was my turn to scowl. He was yet again assumingthatI was a pamperedprincess who had people to wait on her hand and foot. Joke was on him though, my mama taught me how to cook, and after she died, I grew up enjoying the company of the family chef who continued teaching me how to make a variety of meals.
And I was more than capable of making my own bed.
Asshole.
“I’m sure I’ll manage,”I replied, giving him a saccharine smile.
He glowered at me before schooling his features.“I’ve got a shit load ofwork to catch up on, so don’t expect me to be home any time soon.”
“I’ll try not to miss you too much.”
A mumbled curse left his mouth before he stormed to his car, slamming thedoor and wheel spinning out of the drive. As soon as his car was out of sight, an overwhelming feeling of loneliness rolled through me, as I knew it would do.
Figuring I may as well explore the house and work out where to put my stuffwhen it arrived, I headed to the living room first, freezing when my feet crossed the threshold.
It wasn’t the stunning glass fireplacethatcaught my attention, or the view ofthe city from way up high. What caught my attention was the beautiful black grand piano standing in the far corner.
Drawn to the instrument like a moth to the flame, I crossed the room and rana finger delicately over the closed lid, my gaze roaming over its sleek curves. The exterior had been polished to perfection, to the point where I could see my reflection, and my eyes caught on the brand, one I recognized instantly, and knewwould have cost a small fortune.
Or rather, asignificantfortune.
As if the piano had shocked me, I whipped my hand away as asinking feeling cascaded through me. I didn’t know if Miles knew how to play the piano, but it didn’t matter. It wasn’t mine to touch, and it wasn’t mine to play.
Disappointed, I turned away and headed back to the stairs, ignoring the urgeto go back to the piano and tap the keys to hear the beautiful melody it would make.
It was yet another thing in my new lifethatI wanted, but couldn’t have.
Chapter 12
Sofia
Three days ofalmostbliss passed. Almost, because any time I went into theliving room, the piano stood taunting me, tempting me like forbidden fruit. I craved to play it, to hear the sweet tunes I could make, yet I didn’t dare touch it. Not until I’d asked Miles for permission. It felt like the right thing to do.
On the topic of the asshole, I hadn’t seen him since he walked out on me theday after our wedding. He was gone by the time I woke each morning, and he returned home long after I’d gone to bed. The only reason I knew he came home at all was because the rumblings of his car trundling up the track woke me. Oh, and the fresh scent of leather and woodthatwould greet me every morning when I came down the stairs to make coffee.
I didn’t mind. I was quite enjoying the peace. At least to start with. It waslike having a place to myself, but with the lingering question of when my reluctant housemate was going to grace me with his presence again.
A few hours after Miles left on the first day at the house, my belongingsarrived, as promised. I spent the next few days exploring the house and unpacking, finding places for my things. Most were kept in my bedroom, but I’d decided to add some life to the house by sprinkling a few possessions around; a photo of me and Rafe here, a cute figurine there. If Miles didn’tlike it, tough shit. If I was being forced to live somewhere, damn straight I was going to make it my home.
But after I unpacked, I was at a little bit of a loss for what to do. If I’dbeen at my old home, I’d have bothered the staff, keeping them company as they carried out their chores, or going for walks in the grounds.
If there was one thing I didn’t like about my new home, it wasthatthere wasno garden. Yes, there was a swimming pool on the roof, but I wasn’t a fan of swimming, and it wasn’t as if I could aimlessly walk around the Olympic-sized pool for hours on end.
By day three, boredom had well and truly set in.
So, I was pretty darn glad when on the fourth morning, Riley showed up andinsisted we went into the city for a spot of shopping. I hadn’t plucked up the courage to speak to my new bodyguards, let alone ask them to take me somewhere, and cabin fever was hitting hard.
Needless to say, I snapped Riley’s hand off at the chance to get out of thehouse.
Arm in arm, we strolled along the street, ignoring the stores despite thereason we were in the city in the first place, surrounded by eight—I kid you not—big, beefy bodyguards.
