Chapter 133: Close to Him

Keenan was sitting by the desk in his study room with a lone candle in the middle of the table. His shoulders were hunched over the desk as he wrote on the never-ending documents on his table.

He would have to do something about them. It was easier when he first started but the more work he had, the worse it got. Running an abandoned town took a lot of work but the paperwork was the worst part.

He dropped the quill and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was trying not to think about it but whenever he tried to distract himself, the letter appeared in his memory.

There was an obvious threat in the letter and he was entangled in the sheets with his enemy. He scratched his scar. One would think he would learn his lesson by now but a part of him was thinking perhaps she wasn’t a part of her father’s scheme.

I never learn.

He stiffened slightly as a sound reached his ear. It sounded like two knocks. He frowned as he looked at the side door. He could tell it was coming from his bedroom door.

He was expecting no disturbance. Actually, he would prefer not to be bothered. He forced his attention back to the documents. As he picked up the quill, another knock rang out—it was quieter this time and if the first two hadn’t alerted him, he wouldn’t have noticed.

He didn’t like how quickly he moved this time. He was out the side door before he knew it. It took only three long strides to reach the bedroom door and he pulled it open with more force than he needed.

Her blue eyes widened in the moonlit corridor and he saw the relief in them as he appeared. She brought her hands to her chest as she smiled up at him.

"Your dutiful wife is here, Alpha Keenan."

Everything stopped, and all he could see, all he could sense, was her. Her hair was slightly wet from the bath and he could smell the lotion on her skin, but it didn’t compare to her own honey scent that filled his nostrils.

"I didn’t ask you to come here," he replied as he snapped out of it, angry that for a moment he had been happy.

Her face fell. "You don’t have to." Her grip tightened on the robe and she looked down at her feet.

"You have your bed now. Lie in it."

"We are married," she whispered.

He could hear how loudly her heart was beating. He should chase her away. She was already getting too many ideas. First, she called him to bed and now she was assuming she was to constantly share his bed irrespective of the situation.

She was already chipping at his defenses; it was only a matter of time before he stopped questioning her actions and that was when they would strike. He couldn’t let that happen.

"Come in—tch!" He had meant to chase her off. How could he slip up like that?

"I can?"

She was looking up at him; her eyes were wide again, but he could still see her uncertainty. Keenan narrowed his eyes and stepped to the side.

"Thank you," she mumbled.

Perhaps chasing her wasn’t best. If she wanted to play the dutiful wife, he should let her. It wasn’t a role she could keep playing for long. Sooner or later, her real feelings were bound to show. He would watch her closely to make sure he didn’t miss anything.

Maya could hardly feel her fingers with how tightly she was holding onto the robe. She stepped through the space he had made for her to pass and her arm brushed against his.

She did her very best not to react as she stepped forward but it was a battle she barely won. She could not believe she had announced that as soon as he opened the door but she was so relieved that it was the first thing that she could think of.

He was shirtless as he stood by the doorway and even in the dark, she could clearly see the darker-colored scar on his chest. Her eyes clouded; the scar still had the same effect.

His room was dark except for the moonlight slipping through the cracks of the curtains and the candlelight reflecting from the open side door.

He shut the door, still staring at her while she stood in the middle of his room like a drenched squirrel with no way to take cover. His eyes were merciless as he stared at her and it felt like he was waiting for her to trip.

She barely had any courage to go through with this and now it felt like a very bad idea. His eyes traced her body from the top of her head to her feet, then without saying anything, he turned around and walked out the side door, shutting it.

Maya stood for a bit and looked toward the closed door. At least he didn’t chase her off, right? That was something to hold on to. She clapped her cheeks to stop feeling glum as she walked toward the bed.

She lay right in the middle of the bed. The bed was too big but at least she could be close to him no matter what side he decided to sleep on when he returned.

She underestimated how tired she was, and no sooner did she lie on the bed than her eyes closed and she started to drift to sleep.

It had been a hectic day—the workshop, the letter, Margaret, Arlo, Agnes’s orders, dealing with Alaina, and finally finding the courage to come to Keenan’s room.

Worse, she would have an even more hectic day in the morning. It was best she got all the sleep she could.

Keenan’s also scent helped her sleep even faster. It was impressive how he made her feel anxious and safe simultaneously. She didn’t regret coming and unless he explicitly stopped her, she was going to return every night.

If she couldn’t even do this, how was she going to tell him she was Penelope? That was a thousand times much harder than this.

Maya wasn’t sure what she dreamt about as she slept but it was pretty peaceful. At some point, she felt warmth radiating nearby and an intense urge to get closer overwhelmed her.

She found herself scooting closer until she could rest her forehead and wrap her arm around it. Only then did she relax and fall back into a deep sleep.