Heaven And Hell novel Chapter 111

And Colton.

"Michael's reputation had been abominable before getting together with Keller," the dowager admitted with a delicate sniff.

Keller laid a hand on top of mine and squeezed. "You ready?"

"This is all just pretend, right?" I said huskily. I cleared my throat and repeated what I said. "This is just to help Colton?"

If I hadn't been so desperate for reassurance, I might have actually seen the brittle smile she had on her beautiful face, her green eyes kind of apologetic. She nodded.

"Okay," I said, standing up. "Let's get into our bathing suits and surf, then."

I seriously needed to relax myself. Surfing was the only answer.

Cole and Michael propped up their surfboards on one side of the cottage's wall, before washing their feet to get rid of all the sand. Once that was done, they went inside the area and found the dowager sitting primly on a wingback chair, wearing an appropriate dress that had a light fabric that was perfect for the hot weather. Cole noticed that Keller was nowhere in sight.

"There's my favourite girl!" Michael said, coming up to his grandmother to give her a kiss on the cheek. Cole leisurely strolled toward her, with his hands in his pockets rather boyishly, leaning over to give her the same treatment.

"Where's Keller?" Cole queried, looking around the room.

Michael didn't seem to be interested on the whereabouts of his wife, though. He was busy staring outside the wide window in front of them. "Bloody hell," he then said, whistling low.

Lady Cutting barked at him not to swear in her presence, but the next words simply buzzed in Cole's ear and went out the other side. He knew Michael was staring at Keller, who was swimming toward the water, laughing. She was in a white one-piece swimsuit that hugged all her curves in the right places, her dark hair swept back by the water. But she truly wasn't the one that caught his attention. It was another girl.

A girl with wet, golden hair, and a wide grin on her face but intensity in her narrowed blue eyes as she hit the waves and balanced on her feet on top of the surfboard. She cruised by the waves, followed by Keller, who was skilled but not as skilled as Olivia, who seemed to have been born on the surfboard all her life.

He deepened his fists in his pockets and followed Michael outside into the back patio, staring at Olivia's lean and toned body, her muscles flexing. Her tanned skin was a perfect contrast to the two-toned bikini she wore that looked appropriate for her body type, and not at all skimpy.

She laughed as the waves finally caught onto her and she crashed rather comically into the water.

She was beautiful and carefree.

And he didn't like the way the feelings stirring within him fluttered around.

He didn't like it one bit.

"Oh, but you are." Lady C leaned over and held on to her teacup and saucer. She raised her eyebrows at him through the rim, then took a sip of her tea. "You're no fop, but your inheritance is just as hanging as Michael's was."

"I can make my own bloody way."

"That, I have no doubt, dear nephew of mine."

"I have done a damn good job being Havenhurst and taking care of Dad's title," he clipped.

"I know, my boy. But this is tradition we are talking about."

"I don't care."

"Let me rephrase that: you will lose everything you have worked hard for as the Marquess of Havenhurst," Lady C bit off. "Really, Colton! You and I both know you have worked hard enough to build your own empire, but it tripled due to your title and your being heir to the dukedom. And I certainly know for a fact that you honestly, and secretly, take pride in being a marquess. You have done wonders, my dear boy. It's a miracle for someone so young as yourself, at the tender age of twenty."

"Olivia agreed to this?" Cole pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. At his grandaunt's affirmative, he resisted the urge to growl. "I knew she was a scheming social climber." He sounded almost tired, but Lady Cutting knew better than to mistake his eyes for surrender.