He shrugs. “You chose to take the pill, knowing it’s for only me to know what I did with you.”
“Did you get what you wanted?” I ask softly.
He surprises me with his response, pressing a kiss to my temple. “I got more.”
I look at him, confused by the tenderness in his voice.
He must be joking. I laugh once, sharply. “You’re such an asshole.”
He smirks. “No, I’m worse.”
God help me.
He turns away from me, picking up his own coffee like we’re just...two people. Normal. Sharing a quiet morning.
But it’s not quiet. Not for me.
His back is to me, but he’s not dismissing me. Not exactly. Just withholding, like he always is. Hayden, in soft lighting, barefoot and brewing espresso, is still Hayden, his teeth bared.
“This is obscene,” I say, watching him closely.
“What is?” he says, in his expert way of feigning innocence under the disguise of control.
There’s a strange openness to him this morning, but it’s not soft. It’s unnerving. Like a storm that’s calmed just enough to make you think it’s passed, even when the worst is still circling overhead.
He finally looks at me.
A ghost of a smile twitches at his mouth. Gone in a blink.
I set the mug down. “I was expecting my uncle at the meeting with the attorney. Do you know what happened to him?”
His gaze shifts to me again, sharper now. Still calm, but with edges.
“He didn’t show,” I say. “No call. No message. Not even his assistant.”
Silence.
“Hayden.”
“That’s not something you need to concern yourself with.”
I scoff. “It’s not like him to not show up after staking claim to my entire estate.”
Another beat of silence. He sips his coffee. Casual, detached.Toodetached.
“You know something,” I say. “Don’t you?”
“I know a lot of things.”
“That’s not an answer.”
He tilts his head, studying me. “You want an answer, or do you just want something to be upset about?”
That stings more than it should. And we’re back to the beginning, before I even realize we’re here.
“I want the truth.”
He sets his cup down. The softclinkof porcelain on marble sounds far louder than it should.
