Page 13 of King of My Heart

“Hm.” His eyes were back on mine. “And you’re here because…”

Here we go.

“Because Julian asked me to check on you.”

Yet.

Another.

Lie.

“He keeps on talking about you, and we saw the interview.”

His brows raised. Nothing I was saying to him made sense.

And, truthfully, nothing was making any sense to me either. Not after all these lies and made up stories.

My mind was all over the place.

“My son—who never cared to call or text me back all these years—asked his girlfriend to drive all the way from Burlington to this shitty place…to check on me?”

I nodded slowly. Very slowly.

My heart skipped a few beats.God, I wanted to run and never look back.

I never should’ve come here.

His eyes didn’t leave my face as he continued to study me, letting my words linger between us.

Instead of questioning my being there, he narrowed his eyes and changed the subject.

“You’re strange looking.”

I raised a brow. “Excuse you?”

He scoffed as if I had been the one saying something rude about his appearance, and he waved a hand before turning back around to head inside. “Take off your shoes.”

“You just called me ugly!”

My feelings were slightly hurt, and despite his invitation, my feet didn’t move.

He was letting me in. I didn’t expect him to.

Hell, I didn’t think he’d even talk to me.

Yet, here I was, staring at his back as he walked toward the couches in his small living room.

“I didnotcall you ugly. Close the door on your way in.”

I stepped inside hesitantly, shutting the door behind me as Caspian’s deep voice ordered. The house was dimly lit, the curtains mostly drawn, but the faint smell of coffee and woodsmoke gave the place an oddly homey vibe. The furniture was mismatched and well-worn, and books and papers were scattered on nearly every surface.

It looked as if he kept busy.

Not in a way I thought he would.

Caspian didn’t wait for me to catch up to him. He dropped into the sagging armchair, gesturing vaguely toward the couch. “Sit. Talk. Whatever this is, make it quick. And don’t lie again.”

“What do you mean?” I asked with a nervous laugh.

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