Page 59 of Kinks of a Billionaire
“Or maybe I set it up so you could finally learn the truth.” Asher’s voice came from behind us—the fucking creep—and Willow whimpered, jumping closer to me. This pirate would have to learn not to sneak up on my wife or he’d find himself in the bottom of the sea.
Slowly turning around, we came face-to-face with him. He stood with a glass of rum in his hand, his freakishly blue eyes flickering to the photo.
“Who’s the baby in the photo?” I asked, holding my breath for what I already knew.
Tension clicked in the air, and we stared each other down.
“I am.” I waited, knowing he wasn’t done dropping bombs. “And Senator Ashford is… pardon,wasmy father.”
The silence stretched so long I worried that if I broke it, I’d cause irrevocable damage.
“Holy shit.” Willow ended up being the one to cut through it. “Your father sure got around.”
That he did, and for some reason, the old man never learned to use a fucking condom.
Chapter 28
Willow
For a moment, I was too stunned to process any of it, but then I had to blurt the first stupid thing that came to mind.
Your father sure got around? I was such an idiot.
I instantly regretted the words. I should have shown some compassion, or at least waited to see how Royce would take the news.
“Does Winston know?” Royce demanded, his expression neutral, but he wasn’t fooling me. There was an undercurrent of merciless rage in him, the visible tic in his jaw telling me he waspissed.
Asher shoved the hand that wasn’t holding the rum into his suit pocket, an air of indifference swirling around him. Yet, I got the distinct feeling the opposite was true.
“Not that I owe you any explanation, but no. He does not.” Fury emanated off him in waves, but to his credit, he kept a lid on it.
I swallowed, but neither man paid any attention to me. Their gazes were locked in a silent battle of wills.
“And how long have you fucking known?” Royce hissed.
Asher’s expression remained neutral. “I don’t answer to you—we’ve been over this.” He took a casual sip of his drink, then placed it on the table next to him. “But in case you haven’t noticed, my name is Asher. It was the closest she could come to giving me the nameyourfather denied us. Asher… Ashford.” He waved a hand in aLet’s go, catch upkind of gesture.
“Where is your mother now?” Royce growled. “I want to know why she was spreading her legs for my father under my mother’s roof. Has she no shame?”
My eyes widened, flying between the two men. Royce was easygoing and less intense than his brothers. Until he got pissed off. Then he let loose the wrath he had bottled up in his gorgeous body.
Asher’s big body slammed into my husband’s, making the frames behind them rattle from the impact. I squealed, trying to insert myself between them, and pushed at Asher’s chest. The man was pure muscle.
“Stop it, both of you,” I hissed. “Or you’ll have a pregnant psycho on your hands.”
The threat seemed to work because they straightened up, Asher taking a step back and putting some distance between them.
“Ever occurred to you that maybe my mother had no choice?” Asher finally said. “Your father was a pig.”
The meaning behind his words sunk in, and I could feel Royce’s body burn with that familiar anger he reserved for his father.
I cleared my throat, squaring my shoulders before my husband could do something he’d regret.
“Well, technically, Asher, he’syourfather too.” His eyes twitched, but I didn’t back down. I turned to Royce, tugging on his arm. “And you, my dear husband, can’t blame Asher for who his parents are. He had no control over any of it.”
They seemed unmoved, but at least the temperature had somewhat eased. I didn’t want to be caught in the crossfire of whatever was developing here, but I also didn’t want to pretend it wasn’t my problem. Just like Royce always had my back, I was determined to have his.
“Asher, where is your mother?”
