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I glanced around, perhaps looking for a dead body. Was she okay? She seemed chipper. "Um, everything is good. I was thinking maybe we could go out and grab dinner."
"Sure. Good day at work?"
I blinked at her. "Okay, I know you've seen the old man."
"And?"
"You don't look upset."
"You two are really going to have to give me more credit. It takes a lot more than that man to upset me."
"He purposely tried to upset you?"
"Of course, he did. He didn't manage it though."
"Okay, you seem rather calm for someone who had to deal with that bastard. What happened?"
"I mean, the standard. He came here to test me and epically failed. I asked him to leave."
"Did he hurt you?"
Her eyes went wide. "No. I'm tougher than I look."
My father was my size. He could have hurt her. That was one of the things I used to tell myself about my father and Elise. That he had forced her somehow. That she hadn't wanted to be with him, but he was powerful and she had no other options. Even though my brain knew the truth, I let the lie prevail. "Okay, I was worried."
"You shouldn't be worried." She pushed up from the couch. "Where are we going? Is it fancy, or can I wear leggings?"
"Come as you are. I know this spot around the corner. Best burgers in the city."
Her stomach grumbled, and I smiled. I liked this. This ease with her. There was still an edge to our conversations though. So much I wasn't sure what to say and a lot of secrets.
"Before we go though, can you explain to me the wholeJasper needs to get married in the next three monthsthing?"
I froze. "What?"
"Yeah, your dad was talking about how you are using me to get your inheritance, blah, blah, blah. And you know, he let it out that you needed a wife. Which honestly, it would have beennice to know. But I understand, of course, that you would want something for saving my ass."
"Kaya, I already told you, I don't want—"
"No, it's fine. I just wish I'd known because I honestly felt like I'd been hit in the chest."
Fuck.
I reached for her, and she stepped just out of reach. "No, if we're going to have a conversation, we're going to have a realconversation. You're going to explain to me what the fuck we’re doing here. Are you my fiancé for the sake of my safety or your money? Which is it?"
"I'm sorry. Fucking hell, I wanted to tell you. I did. But things were already complicated between us, and I didn't want to add to that."
"So you lied to me on purpose? Bloody brilliant. I hate being lied to. I mean, I knew why your father was here and what he was doing. I figured he was here to either offer me a check, use my past against me, or try and sleep with me."
I growled low at that. "Did he fucking touch you?"
She shook her head. "No, relax. He didn't scare me. Made me laugh, actually, because he was so very predictable."
Just the idea that he would try that stopped me from breathing.
Kaya stepped forward then. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Nothing is wrong."
