CHAPTER 15
Not The Greek God She Thought
'Kira Hewitt!
Austyn gnashed his teeth after he got the burst of coughing under control.
He was glad he'd stopped eating.
Otherwise, his epitaph was going to read "Austyn McCarthy, 30, choked to death on a peanut when his wife asked him an inappropriate question at dinner."
If looks could kill, Kira would be a smouldering pile of ashes right now.
Realising what she just blurted out, Kira almost fell off her chair.
'That's not what I wanted to ask! It's not! Absolutely not!'
Kira had glimpsed that question from her class group chat before she set down her phone.
It just popped into her head at an unfortunate time.
"He must think I'm a nymphomaniac, Kira bemoaned the tarnish on her reputation. 'But I'm really not!! may not be pure as the driven snow, but I'm not a sex maniac! Austyn demanded an explanation with his glare.
"I was just....curious. I mean, you are my husband, after all. It's perfectly normal for me to want to get to know you better, right? You can't blame me for taking an interest in my husband.' Flattery would get you anywhere, including the closed heart of the president.
He didn't know which part of her answer pleased him more.
The fact that she used 'husband' twice, or the fact that she was interested in him?
Her feathery voice set off a ripple of feeling within him.
What that feeling was, he didn't know
But he knew he wasn't averse to it.
He cleared his throat. 'Finish your dinner.'
Later, Kira sat cross-legged on the sofa in the bedroom, towel-drying her hair.
The sound of running water came from the bathroom.
Her phone screen lit up as a ringtone started playing.
The caller ID onscreen made her jump.
She snatched the phone from the coffee table. 'Dr House, what's wrong?"-
""Huh, oh, nothing's wrong. Your father's fine."
Kira breathed out. 'It's kind of late."
"What? Oh, sorry, I didn't notice the time.
It's fine. What's up?
"Um, sorry for calling at such a late hour. It's just that, um, I noticed earlier that the bill is coming due soon, so
Not The Capek God the Thought
Money was always a
2 sensitive subject even after the two had known each other for a year.
In a gentle voice, Zach House brought up the reminder for payment as tactfully as he could manage.
Kira appreciated his consideration.
'I see... Okay, sure... Thank you, Dr House. Good night."
She sank into the sofa and sighed after hanging up the phone.
Her hair was still wet, but that was no longer important at the moment.
Kira's thoughts turned to her father lying on a hospital bed.
He had not woken up since that car accident two years ago.
His injury was in the brain, the least understood organ in the human body.
Doctors did what they could, but Kira's father remained unconscious.
Kira refused to give up and begged the doctors to continue treatment. Whatever it took, she said.
She braced herself for the king's ransom in medical bills, but when the first of many invoices landed on her desk, it still knocked her back on her heels. Kira tapped out her savings, temped when she could, and pinched every penny.
But the bills just kept piling up.
A year later, she was barely able to keep her head above water.
That was when Austyn arrived on the scene,
He got right to the point and threw her a lifeline.
Marry him, and he'll pay off all her father's medical bills.
Kira jumped at the offer.
Kai Scott, Austyn's ever-efficient PA, took care of the marriage registration the next day.
There was no ceremony, no wedding reception, no announcement in the newspaper.
Kira didn't care.
She didn't ask why Austyn had picked her out of all people.
She had sufficient self-esteem, but she knew it was a stretch to call herself the kind of girl men moved heaven and earth to get.
Not to mention, Austyn didn't even know her.
Whatever his motive, whatever he saw in her, it didn't matter.
Her father's life was the only thing that mattered.
Another girl might have baulked at being trapped in a loveless marriage, but Kira just shrugged it off.
Love was a luxury only the cash-rich and carefree could afford.
Speaking of cash...
Kira cast her glance to under the king-sized bed.
She resisted the urge to take out her hoard and count it again.
Nut Tak Greek God the Thought
Austyn was in the bathroom
"What am I sitting on?'
Kira dug out the remote from under her butt and switched on the TV in the bedroom.
She channel-surfed just to take her mind off things.
The pretty entertainment channel news anchor, was back.
It took Kira a while to realise there was no more mention of Austyn and Kayleigh.
They were the hottest celebrity couple in Stamford.
How could the channel pass up on such juicy gossip?
Instead of believing the station had a faster-than-usual news cycle, Kira was inclined to think that Austyn had ordered the news taken off the air.
Once again, she was treated to a front-row view of the man's immense power.
What would it take to browbeat the head of a TV station-no, not just one, all of the local stations and newspapers-into silence?
In the city of Stamford, Austyn McCarthy was the undisputed king.
A while later, His Majesty padded out of the bathroom, naked except for a towel wrapped loosely around
his waist.
Drops of water glistened on his well-defined pecs and biceps, running down in rivulets over his tanned skin.
Years in the military had given him a lean but muscular body.
As he walked, the towel was riding low over his hips, offering a tantalising view of his sculpted abs and the area below....
Kira couldn't help herself as her eyes trailed a dewy waterdrop as it flowed downwards over his bare skin. and disappeared into the towel... She swallowed.
The man was gloriously sexy, like Adonis.
She had been sleeping with him for a year, but still blushed at the sight of the half-naked man.
She wouldn't be surprised if he got a call from People magazine one day, congratulating him for the cover of Sexiest Man Alive.
making
'What are you doing up
Austyn walked over to her.
"Um, waiting for you."
"You can't sleep without me?' Austyn raised an eyebrow
He flashed a crooked smile at his young wife.
'1 was wrong," Kira thought. 'He's not Adonis. He's Narcissus."
She wisely kept that comment to herself and plastered on a smile. I'm used to having you next to me in bed.
Austyn bent down and lifted her in his arms.
Kira hugged his neck and snuggled against his chest.
Not Tv Greek God Shy Thought
Their physical proximity offered her a closer vantage point.NôvelDrama.Org holds text © rights.
After observing his face and assessing him to be in a pleasant mood, Kira spoke up. 'Dr House called.
Austyn saw through her ploy straight away.
'So that's why you were waiting up for me."
'Aargh!' Kira buried her face in his chest. 'Nothing gets by the man! He must have an extra brain."
It was pointless to offer an excuse.
"Yes.' Kira admitted.
She breathed in the scent of his shower gel.
Green tea, aloe vera, with a hint of coconut. "Aaahh!"
Kira squealed as Austyn tossed her on the bed.