Page 34 of Cruel Dynasty

“That’s easy.” He shrugged his broad shoulders and penned a piercing look on me. “Because I’ve kept your secret this long.”

My heart began to pound again, beating inside me like a trapped prisoner desperate to escape. “What secret?”

“Okay, I won’t shamelessly flirt with you, but you have to stop acting like I’m an idiot.”

“I’m not acting like you’re an idiot,” I said defensively. “I’m just not sure—”

“I know.” He didn’t need to clarify what he knew. The truth was written across his face. “I might not know everything, but I know you’re not Kerrigan Belmond. So, do me the courtesy of not acting like I’m stupid.”

I paused, considering what my next move was. Part of me wanted to double down and convince him that he was mistaken. But I knew that was a desperate and ill-conceived play. Holden knew the truth. I could continue to deny it, or I could see exactly what he planned to do with the information.

I made my choice. “Shut the door.”

A smile as slow as honey spread over his lips, but the moment he opened his mouth, he shut it again. Instead, he went to the door and closed it quietly. The whole while looking like it was physically difficult to not say something.

“That looked painful, but I’m proud of you for not shamelessly flirting,” I told him, relaxing a little into the pillows again.

“I’ll be cured in no time,” he said with a snort.

It was counterintuitive to feel safer with Holden behind closed doors, but I did. Leaving it open, meant that anyone could hear something as they passed. We would have to be careful later, so that no one saw us leaving the bedroom together, but for the first time I felt I could be myself with him. No one was watching. No one could hear. And he already knew the truth.

It was actually a relief.

“What’s your name?” he began as he resumed his seat on the lounger.

“Kate,” I told him. I felt a weight lifted from my shoulders as I said my name.

“Nice to meet you, Kate,” he said. “Are you seeing anyone?”

“Holden,” I said in a warning voice. He’d made it less than a minute without flirting.

He raised his hands in surrender. “That’s a genuine question. I’m curious about who you are.”

“You know who I am,” I said.

“Not really. You're claiming to be Kerrigan Belmond. You look just like her, by the way, so you’re nailing it,” he said in an oddly complimentary tone.

I hesitated. “Thank you?”

“Yeah, I don’t know how to feel about it either,” he admitted. “You're living in her house. You’re engaged to my brother as her. You’ve slept with him. How far are you going to take this thing?”

Within thirty seconds, he’d managed to get to the heart of what plagued my every waking moment. “Just until she comes back.”

“What? I don’t understand.”

“Kerrigan is traveling. I’m just pretending to be her until she comes home,” I explained. “It’s all part of an arrangement.”

“So, you’re not some con artist?”

“Con artist?” I choked on the word. Is that what he thought of me? “No, Todd Belmond found me and asked me to do this.”

Holden’s eyes widened in surprise like this had never occurred to him. “And you said yes? What, were you bored or something?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but it’s a job.” I crossed my arms over my chest, refusing to feel guilty for thinking about myself and my own future. I had made my choice. People like Holden never had to worry about paying rent or electric bills. They never went hungry because the money had run out. He couldn’t understand.

“You’re getting paid?”

“I know you don’t have much experience with these things,” I began flatly, “but that’s usually how a job works.”