Series: Fever Falls Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 96260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
An equally attractive look on him.
Although, really, when didn’t Keegan look sexy as hell?
“Daddy, I’m hungry,” Cassie said as she hurried to Lucas.
“Come now. I’ll fix you a plate,” Mère said.
We settled at the table, Keegan eyeing some of the royal guard dispersed around the garden, as if reflecting on his previous experience with them when they’d taken him down in the square before taking him prisoner.
“These guys with you all the time?” Keegan asked Lucas, who looked at him peculiarly.
“Certainly not,” Lucas said. “But throughout most of my day, yes.”
“Usually there aren’t this many,” Cassie said, and Keegan looked worried.
As I added some sausage to my plate, I noted, “Sometimes he likes to keep a few more around to intimidate people, and it seems he has an interest in intimidating my boyfriend.”
Cassie giggled and glanced between me and Keegan, then asked Keegan, “Are you guys going to get married?”
My mouth dropped open at the question.
“What?” Lucas asked. “Where did that question come from?”
She shrugged, her gaze wandering as she acted innocent, even though she was anything but.
“Now, Cassie, you know as well as I do that we can’t marry in Parlaisa,” I answered.
“But you could marry where Keegan is from.”
Lucas stared at her blankly, like he was horrified I might have considered such a tactic.
“Cassie,” Lucas said. “I don’t think this conversation is appropriate for breakfast.”
“Yeah, that’s a little…lot…soon,” Keegan told her. “We just started seeing each other. Like just just.”
He gazed at me as we shared a knowing look, reflecting on our conversation the night before.
Lucas seemed to take notice before he said, “What sort of enterprise is your family involved in, Keegan?”
An apparent subject change.
Although, I suspected he already knew the answer to his own question. Just like with Frederick, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that Lucas had hired some private investigator to run a background check on my new boyfriend, scoping him out, surely trying to find any sort of dirt on him that he could.
“My brother’s a firefighter, and my mom’s a retired teacher.”
“And your ambitions? I hear you’re in school.”
“Yeah, community college right now. Plan on transferring after and going to veterinary school.”
“And what university are you considering? I believe I’m familiar with the more prestigious Ivy League universities in your country.”
“Oh, wow. Nothing like that. There’s a really good university that has a great veterinary program, and I was considering it, but it’s in Georgia, my home state.”
“Keegan, we have a wonderful university here in Parlaisa with a veterinary school,” I mentioned. “Wouldn’t be so bad if you went there so that we could be closer together.”
Lucas narrowed his eyes as he stared me down.
“At least he has a backup if Parlaisa doesn’t work out,” he said.
“Oh, really? And what would a man who was born heir to a throne know about backup schools?”
He snarled, obviously not appreciating how I challenged him. Although, I didn’t particularly care for the way he was interrogating my boyfriend.
Well, fake boyfriend…
Formerly-fake-boyfriend-but-now-heading-toward-the-boyfriend-department boyfriend.
Hmmm…we had a lot of things to figure out.
“How old are you again?” Lucas asked, changing tack once again.
“Nineteen.”
“Yes, that’s right,” Lucas said. “I’m sure there’s so much you have in common with my thirty-two-year-old brother.”
“I have a lot in common with Keegan, and I’m much younger than he is,” Cassie piped up.
“Really? Is that so?” Lucas couldn’t have fought back his grin if he’d tried.
“Yes. He likes playing tag too.”
Keegan laughed, then just as quickly tried to make a serious face, as though realizing he wasn’t supposed to be enjoying himself while being interrogated by the king of the country. This only seemed to annoy my brother.
“Yes, he does enjoy playing tag. Is that what you enjoy, Owen? Playing kids’ games with him?”
“No. We have other games we play together that I’m far more interested in. But I’ve found he does enjoy being tickled.”
“Well, if you both will recall, I am fifteen years your mother’s senior,” Mère chimed in, “and I can attest to the fact that age is just a number.”
“And here I was hoping for the support of my mère,” Lucas said with an arched brow.
“You both always have my support,” she said. “But sometimes that comes in the form of guidance from wisdom rather than mirroring one’s predetermined viewpoints.”
“It’s funny to think I am in the minority at this table,” he added, “when I’m sure in most circles I would be the voice of reason.”
“I doubt anyone would be so presumptuous as to accuse you of being the voice of reason.”
Despite my attempt to slight him, it was evident that Lucas had decided to just ignore my interruptions and addressed Keegan once again. “So tell me, Mr. Kruse—”
“You can just call me Keegan.”
Lucas flinched, his expression shifting in a way that made him look as though he’d just smelled something repugnant.