Chapter 54: ⁵⁴: spoiled brat

Athena’s POV

"Well, we don’t know each other well enough for either of us to say that we don’t get along," I replied to Kael as I swallowed the last bite of my delicious breakfast.

I had to admit one thing, Kael was a really good cook. And having such a good cook make you breakfast after... umm... whatever we had done last night was definitely a blessing. I mean, only when you have a full belly can you function properly.

"Then why do you always behave as if I’m talking about some huge spoiled brat whenever I mention him?" Kael asked.

He walked around the serving counter and stopped directly in front of me, folding his arms across his chest as he looked at me with genuine interest, as though he really wanted to hear what I thought about his brother.

I didn’t back down. I refused to let his intense gaze intimidate me.

If I didn’t like his brother then I didn’t, and Kael couldn’t force me to like that annoying little brother of his.

I simply shrugged. "I don’t necessarily think he’s a spoiled brat," I said, turning the chair toward him until I was facing him directly. I held his gaze without looking away.

"Then what do you think?" He asked before he bent slightly, bringing his face closer to mine.

My heart immediately skipped a beat. What I could not understand was why did my heart kept acting so strangely whenever he did this.

I had made up my mind in the bathroom only minutes ago that I would appear as confident as possible in front of him.

I wouldn’t let the nervousness I was feeling get the better of me. Last night, I had finally succeeded in setting the deal I had made with him into motion.

Now I had to maintain the same confidence I had shown from the beginning.

I couldn’t let him think that I was nervous around him or scared of intimacy.

If anything, he needed to believe that I was completely prepared for whatever this arrangement demanded of me.

That was the whole point of the deal.

I needed to remain close to him, and I couldn’t afford to let my own nervousness get in the way of that.

But now... He was making that incredibly difficult. He was standing far too close. And the way he was looking at me wasn’t helping either.

"I think..." I began, taking a deep breath before continuing, "that he simply behaves like an immature teenager, and that’s something I don’t particularly like."

Kael seemed about to move even closer, but I immediately slipped off the ridiculous spinning chair and walked away before he could.

I needed some space. I have to admit I am a little nervous around him right now and before he gets any Idea of it I have to go back so that I can deal with this alone and come back when I am ready.

I hurried to look for my clothes which were supposed to be sprawled literally all over the place. Except... They weren’t there. I looked everywhere, near the fridge, on the floor, everywhere. Nothing.

Where had my clothes gone?

"Looking for your clothes, Miss Moonvel?"

Kael’s amused voice came from behind me.

I froze in my tracks. Had he taken them from here? Well obviously, only two of us were here and if I didn’t take them and they weren’t where we left them he must be the one who took them.

So he knew where they were and still didn’t stop me from looking for them and only when I checked everywhere did he decide to intervene.

Slowly, I turned around, forcing a confident smile onto my face as though absolutely nothing could faze me.

"Yes," I replied, crossing my arms. "I need to get them so I can leave before, as you said earlier, your brother or, might I add, anyone else gets up."

I paused before putting on an exaggeratedly shocked expression. "Don’t tell me you have a habit of keeping the clothes of every woman you sleep with."

The words slipped out instinctively. But the moment they left my mouth, I actually started wondering whether such a strange habit was possible.

The world was a strange place. Apparently, nothing was completely impossible.

Kael scoffed at my expression as though my mock expression had worked too well, though I could see the amusement in his eyes. "You really think I’d do something like that?"

I raised an eyebrow. "I don’t know you well enough to rule it out."

His lips twitched. "You’re unbelievable."

"Thank you."

"I wasn’t complimenting you."

"I know."

I gave him my most innocent smile.

For some reason, that only made his expression even more amused.

"You don’t have to worry, Miss Athena Moonvel," he said, taking slow steps toward me. "I don’t have any interest in that kind of thing or in keeping things like that. I gathered your clothes along with mine after you fell asleep."

Despite how slowly he had been walking, he was suddenly standing right in front of me....Far too close.

"Besides..." he continued, pausing deliberately as though he knew exactly how much his proximity was affecting me.

He placed a hand lightly at my waist, drawing me a little closer. "I don’t need to do anything like that to keep your clothes."

His voice dropped, confidence practically radiating from every word. "If I wanted to, I could make you take them off for me, whenever I wanted."

My breath caught. Of course. He was doing this deliberately. Kael was trying to prove that I wasn’t nearly as confident around him as I pretended to be.

And perhaps, in his mind, that meant he was the one who had the command over me. .

I couldn’t let him think that. I had to make him understand that I wasn’t some meek little rabbit who would simply lose her composure whenever he decided to get close.

But before I could come up with a proper response, he pulled me even closer, bending down to bring his face in level with mine.

"Also..." he added, his voice suddenly quieter, "there is no woman other than you with whom I have slept, You are the only one who has come into my room."

My eyes widened. What exactly did he mean by that?

"What..." I swallowed, my confidence wavering despite my best efforts. "What do you mean?"

The moment the words left my mouth, I realised I was getting nervous again. This wasn’t going according to plan. I needed to get away from him.

At least for now.

"Wait," I quickly interrupted myself. "I don’t want to know what you mean." I stepped back, putting some distance between us.

"It’s getting late. I need to leave before anyone notices me."

I turned toward his room where the balcony was through which I had entered last night.

I was almost outside when I suddenly remembered something.

My clothes. I lightly slapped my forehead.

How could I have forgotten them? I turned around to ask Kael where he had put them.

He was standing near the door, leaning casually against the frame with an unmistakable smirk on his face.

"Your clothes are in that basket," he said, pointing toward the corner near the bathroom. "You can leave them here if you want. I assure you, I’m not a creep."

I looked toward the basket. Then back at Kael. That smug expression of his made something click in my mind.

I was letting him control the entire situation. And that was exactly what I didn’t want.

If I wanted to maintain my confidence around him, I couldn’t keep allowing him to dictate the pace of every conversation.

I straightened my shoulders. Fine. If Kael wanted to play this game... I wasn’t going to be the one backing down. I smirked back at him before taking a few slow steps forward.

"You know what?" I asked as I placed my hand against his chest and slowly moved it upward until my fingers curled around his collar.

Then I tugged him slightly toward me by his shirt, never letting the smirk leave my face. "You can keep those clothes."

I tilted my head. "And like a good boy, make sure you wash them and keep them safely in your closet. That way, the next time I come here, I won’t have to look around for something to wear."

I paused, watching his reaction. "Isn’t that convenient?" "Also..." I continued, rising onto my toes so I could meet his gaze properly.

Now that we were face-to-face, I held his gaze without backing down. "I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to keep my clothes as a souvenir."

My smile widened slightly. "After all, that’s what our relationship is, right?" I deliberately let the words linger between us. "Me being here to fulfil your desires."

I released his collar and took a small step back. "So, if keeping my clothes happens to be one of those desires..."

I shrugged casually. "Then so be it. It doesn’t concern me."