Page 10 of Avenging Azalea

“I told you. It’s not what you all think it is.”

“Don’t start with me. You’d sell our mother if it suited you, let alone sell out a cousin.” I waved my hand at him. “Father crushed the deal, so I’m not going to fight with you about this again.”

Ronan burst from the chair, his hands balled into fists as he glared at me. I sat calmly and watched him as I would any dangerous animal but gave him no aggression in return. Fuming, he grabbed his drink and stomped across the room to stare out the window.

“What about you,” he asked.

“What about me?”

“Are you going to agree to an arranged marriage?”

“I’m sure I will when Father decides it’s time. We’ve always known that our marriages would be business arrangements.” Polishing off my drink, I locked my desk and stood. If he was only in here to complain that he needed to choose between twelve stunning princesses, then he could mope on his own. I had things to do.

“Who are you dating,” Ronan asked, and I crossed my arms.

“No one. Why are you suddenly so interested in my love life? We’ve never spoken about our relationships before.”

He shrugged. “Just curious. I mean, you’re not married, and you dragged some homeless girl into your life. What are you doing with her?”

Fuck him for mentioning Fawn. Keeping her away from my father had been easy. I paid him the money he was owed and said that I wanted her. He clapped me on the shoulder and smiled, believing I shared his lecherous impulses. It was better that I didn’t correct him. If she was only around for my amusement, then she was inconsequential. On the other hand, if he thought that I cared for her, then he would pluck her out of my home with a snap of his fingers.

“What about her?”

“Are you fucking her?”

I squeezed my phone tighter. “She is none of your business.”

“Why so defensive? It’s a simple question. Are you getting your dick wet?”

It took all my willpower not to march across the room and beat the shit out of my brother before tossing him out the window.

“She’s sixteen,” I said, my voice tight with the restraint.

“And?”

“I’m not talking to you about this. You and Father make me sick. I need to get going, so take your drink and get out of my office.”

Shadow and Sheba stood and followed me, sensing my sudden tension.

Rather than strangling my brother, I held the door open so he could exit.

“So touchy. Please don’t tell me you love her or something,” Ronan said as he came closer. His eyes searched my face for any sign of weakness.

“Ronan…I’ll say it once more. She’s sixteen, and if you ever touch her, I’ll feed you to my dogs.”

“Fuck, man. What is your issue? She’s old enough to get married.”

“Get the fuck out right now,” I growled, and my girls followed suit, their gums pulling up threateningly.

Ronan smirked, and I hated that he finally got a rise out of me. He would log that away and now knew what buttons to push at another time. Fuck. Luckily, my phone rang. Naji’s name came up on my display.

“We have a no-pets policy at the office,” he said, giving the dogs a wary glance. I rolled my eyes.

“Well, then you better leave before someone rounds you up as a stray and neuters you.”

“Ouch, you’re fucking feisty tonight,” he grumbled while my phone continued to ring.

“I need to take this.”