Free COVET: Deceptive Desires by Amarie Avant Page B

nana…” He paused. Estella, the ’60s supermodel, had made his life a living hell. If he thought Elise tortured him because of his weight, she was nothing compared to her mother.  “Other than one of them coming or going, it was just me in Château Delacroix, and hundreds of servants. After begging and pleading, my mom arranged for me to be transferred to Brinton Prep for my junior year. You already know I spent almost all the holidays with Shawn’s family.
    “I know I could have called when I got back.” This was the part that he hated. Looking at the stream of water, he admitted, “I’d assumed I’d been gone too long. You were in love with Chris when I left…” and I asked an old friend about you when I came back to town. They told me you still belonged to Chris…
    Now she stood in front of him. Pushing up as high as she was able to reach on her tippy toes, Raven stroked his face. This wasn’t the time for words. Her mouth locked onto his.
    His strong arms wrapped around her waist, allowing the kiss to deepen.
    “Nothing on earth can come between us again, Liam.”
    He nodded, needing to believe it was true. Nothing on earth but his own doing.

 
     
    CHAPTER 12
     
    When Raven got home, Grandpa Otis sat in the living room watching a basketball game. He had to be concentrating, because the clatter coming from the kitchen was ear-shattering. Looking back and forth from the kitchen door to Grandpa, she wondered what was going on.
    “Hey, Re,” Otis said, tossing more potato chips into his mouth, not taking his eyes off the television.
    “Hi, Grandpa…uhhh… What’s wrong with Granny?” How can you tolerate this ruckus? A slight ache was blossoming at her temple.
    “What’s wrong with me? Yes, Otis, what is wrong with me!” Annette walked through the swinging kitchen door with red-rimmed eyes. She twisted a towel in her hands so tightly, her knuckles were gray.
    “Annette,” Otis huffed. He looked at his granddaughter, then at his wife, then back at the TV. “I made a mistake.” Face void of expression he rose, clicking the power button on the remote. Tossing it back onto the couch, he ambled up the stairs.
    “Granny, what’s wrong?” Raven asked, on the verge of tears when Annette started crying. The scene unraveling before her was foreign. They never fought.
    “It’s your grandfather’s business. Ask him.” Annette spun around and stalked back into the kitchen.
    Raven stood in the center of the living room, alone. The wheels of her mind spun.
    ~~~
        “I think my grandpa is cheating.” Raven looked at the grass as she walked to Alvin’s house with Liam. Once more, they were on a mission to resolve Alvin’s place in her life. She was unable to force the tense scene from last night out of her head, no matter how hard she tried.
    “They’re old . Besides, Otis loves Granny. Why would he cheat?”
    Raven felt like a child as he guided her up the steps of the house and made sure she saw the hole in the porch. He knocked on the door.
    Seconds later, Alvin opened the door. “Hey, my mom told me y’all came by a few weeks ago. What’s up?”
    “Can we come in? We’ve got a personal matter to talk about,” Liam said.
    “Come on in. Want a soda pop or something to drink?”
    They nodded, taking seats on the tattered sofa. Alvin rummaged around in the kitchen, coming back with two plastic cups with ice and two cans of soda. He sat across from them on a rocking chair. “So what’s up?” He rocked slowly, making a creaking sound.
    “How close were you to my mother?” Raven asked, not sure how to phrase her questions. Her eyes were zeroed in on his. Not that she wanted to seem like one of those intense private investigators, but only the truth would do.
    “Well,” Alvin began, “we ran in the same crowd.”
    She reflected over Alvin’s response. “Okay, ummm…”
    “Are you Raven’s father?” Liam blurted out.
    The creaking stopped. Alvin stammered, “No–no. We were