Page 63 of The Stranger

I give an exasperated shake of my head. “You may go, but only if Maria invited you to.”

“I will use the intercom to call.” My daughter throws this over her shoulder as she scampers out the door.

“I will take her,” Felix says in a sudden and uncharacteristic burst of brotherly love.

I sigh. He’s a terrible actor.

Very soon, the room falls quiet. But not for long as Primrose pushes back her chair.

“Good night, thank you for a pleasant dinner.”

“Of course.”

She almost turns, but not quite. “May I ask you something?”

I notice how her hands tighten on the chair back as I find myself trying to calculate the direction of her question.

What was I doing in Ardeo?

Did I follow her to the basement?

Why did I kiss her back only to push her away? Or, as she sees it, out the door.

“Only if you’ll return the favor.”

Her mouth twists as though she expected my response. And she says nothing else.

My own reaction feels… anti-climactic. It’s for the best. I should let sleeping dogs lie, as the saying goes.

“Deal.”

“What?”

“You’ve got yourself a deal,” she says, looking none too happy about it. “Tell me what I’m really doing here.”

“You’re here for the children.” Originally. Still. At least, that’s what I’ve been trying to convince myself.

“But you already have an army of people to look after them. Maria, Jose, Sophia.” She folds her arms across her chest, and I try to ignore the perfect frame she makes for her breasts. “They’ve barely needed me because there are people literally everywhere clamoring for their attention, and that’s without their tennis lessons and equestrian undertakings, and sailing. I feel like a spare part.”

She pauses and turns her face away, giving me her profile. My body stirs as I take in the smooth column of her neck. The soft bow of her lips and the elegant slant of her cheekbone. I jolt as his attention swings abruptly back.

“You really weren’t joking about punishing me, were you?”

An unhappy breath huffs into the air. Oh, how little you know. I’d like to punish you until your screams of pleasure shake the mountain range. I clear my throat and sit straighter in my chair. “Maria and her family are happy to see the children. They’re very fond of them, but they all have their own roles on the estate.”

“Sophia, she could’ve⁠—”

“I wasn’t in the market for a babysitter.” Just as well given Felix’s crush. And Sophia works as a stable hand during her summer break, not that I owe anyone an explanation regarding who or why I hire. I tilt my head as I study her. “Are you irritated because you don’t have a lot to do?”

“So not a punishment?” she says, giving me my answer. She lightly grazes her bottom lip. Not for the first time, I find myself staring at that plump piece of loveliness. It’s strange how a man can be jealous of teeth.

“I wouldn’t say that.”

The corner of her mouth tightens before her expression returns to a polite neutrality. But I can feel her annoyance radiating from here.

“I do need you here, Primrose. Emmy’s job is not an easy one and I pay her well—pay you for well for a host of skills.”

“Such as?” she demands as she straightens, her body language suddenly combative.