I can’t help but wonder if Kao is pretending the scars don’t bother him for my sake.

You wouldn’t care if Kao was disfigured.

I love him so much, and I want to be with him more than anything, but my trust has taken a blow. I guess only time will tell whether he’ll stay with me.

The thought makes my apprehension grow, and my shoulders slump.

I wish none of this had happened.

“Fallon?” I hear Kao call, and then he walks into my room. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, yeah,” I answer, injecting happiness into my voice. “Just brushed my hair. It was all over the place.” I get up and walk to him. “Let’s order food.”

We go sit in the living room, and I place an order with the restaurant, then I ask, “What do you want to do while we wait?”

He lifts an arm around my shoulder and pulls me into his side. “I want to ask you a favor.”

“Yeah?” I glance up at him.

“I have a follow-up appointment with my ophthalmologist on Thursday. Will you go with me?”

I don’t hesitate to answer, “Of course.”

“Will you be okay driving us there?”

“Yes.” I pause for a moment then ask, “Will you be okay with me driving?”

Kao nods. “We have to get back together in a car at some point. The sooner, the better.” The corner of his mouth lifts. “Besides, I trust you.”

My lips curve up, and I snuggle into his side. “What time is your appointment?”

“At ten.”

“I’ll ask Mila to take notes for me,” I say, making a mental note to remember.

“I’m already keeping you out of class today. Will you be okay missing another day? I can always ask my dad.”

“No, I want to go with you,” I rush to answer.

There’s a knock at the front door, and I get up to answer. Collecting our food, I carry it to the counter. “Food’s here.”

While Kao comes to sit at the table, I plate our food and get two bottles of water from the fridge. I place Kao’s plate and water in front of him and say, “I got us roasted vegetables and steak. I wasn’t sure, so I cut your steak into pieces.”

A nervous grin spreads over Kao’s face. “Thank you.”

I sit down next to him and watch as he tries to spear a piece of meat. Watching him struggle, my heart shrinks into a painful lump. Unable to sit still, I reach for his hand and stop him. “Can I help?”

Kao pauses and shifts on the stool, a frown forming on his forehead.

“Don’t be embarrassed, Kao,” I murmur as I scoot my stool closer to him. “Let me feed my man.”

My comment makes the corner of his mouth lift slightly. “This is foreplay for you, isn’t it?”

I let out a chuckle as I spear a square of steak. “Yeah, it’s a total turn-on.” I bring the food to his mouth and say, “Open wide.”

Kao lets out an awkward breath, but he takes the bite. After chewing and swallowing, he mutters, “Not my greatest moment.”

I lean closer and let my breath skim over his ear, then I whisper, “I already felt you hard between my legs. Nothing will make me see you as less of a man.”

Kao’s hand comes up, and he wraps his fingers around the back of my neck. “Now I want to drag you back to my room and finish what we started.”

“Be a good boyfriend and eat all your food, and I might just let you,” I tease him.

“Are you resorting to bribing me now?” He asks a playful expression dancing on his face.

I spear a carrot. “Yup. Open up.”

Movement catches my eye, and I glance to the hallway. Jase is watching us with a soft smile on his face. When our eyes meet, it widens into a grin. Then he turns and heads back to his room.KAOI’m not going to lie, lunch was hard. Having Fallon feed me chipped away at my self-esteem. I didn’t have the heart to tell her it was because she cut the steak into tiny pieces. Mostly I can make out food, just nothing small. Everything blurs together then.

Fuck, my eyes need to come right.

Fallon wanted to take a nap, and long after she’s fallen asleep, I feel way too restless to keep lying in bed. I move slowly, so I won’t wake her and quietly leave my room.

When I walk into the living room, I see Hana, where she’s sitting on the couch.

I take a seat on the other couch. “Hey, can I ask you a favor?”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“I want to do something special for Fallon tonight. Can you help me arrange everything?”

“Of course.” Hana gets up and comes to drop down next to me. “What do you need me to do?”

I tell her what I have in mind, and she helps me make all the calls.


Tags: Michelle Heard The Heirs Romance