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“Yes.” How she managed to distinguish between lust and loathing was no longer clear.

“Regardless. They don’t have to believe it, and don’t worry, neither will Soren and Rafe.”

“What a lovely compliment to me.” She’d like to use her caustic tone to burn that shirt right off of him. He should be forced to argue without a stitch of clothing on.

“We just need the few guests who would gossip about this to believe it.” He had been a few meters away, and now he was only a few feet away. “We’ll make this work.”

Leather, smoke, and sweat filled her nostrils instantly transporting her back to Grice’s office. With the stablehand. With Ash.

“How will we make this work? It’s utterly ridiculous.”

One of his hands came up to rub a spot on her upper arm that she didn’t know needed soothing. “It’s not ridiculous. You’re a beautiful woman—”

“That’s all you see? I’m a beautiful woman. I know I’m beautiful, you don’t need to tell me that.” She just needed to fight him on something. He couldn’t be in control of everything. This argument had to be hers. He’d taken everything else from her control already. “And you’re handsome. That’s enough of a reason to be together for you, is it?”

“You didn’t let me finish.”

Let him finish. More flashes from earlier filled her mind. Like she was completely wanton. Reckless.

“You don’t need to finish. I need to finish.” At that, he smirked. And drat if it wasn’t the most annoying smirk she’d ever seen. “This is how it’s going to play out. You’re going to be besotted with me. Pursuing me. You’ll have been in love with me for a long time.”

“How long?”

“Ages. Centuries. Forever. I don’t care. But let’s get this one thing straight, you’re the one helplessly in love with me. Do you understand?”

“You want me to be in love with you?”

“Play it like it’s a part. You’re very good at that already.” She ignored his wince. “In love, infatuated. Play it up. Like you can’t keep your eyes off of me because lord knows I will not be able to disguise my ventricle well.”

“Ventricle? Is that what you call it?”

When had his voice dropped so low? When had his second hand secured a spot on her waist? God, when had his breath started to warm the side of her neck?

“Yes,” she managed to say in between breaths. “Ventricle.”

“I think,” he whispered gently into her ear, “that this arrangement could work out well for you.”

A herd of questions rampaged through her mind, but all they left was a cloud of dust and a single phrase, “How so?”

“Well, we don’t have to sneak around the stable anymore. We have two bedrooms and a slew of rooms to choose from, should the bedrooms not be enough. From earlier, I gather that you’re a curious bedsport. And, now that we have a cover to be…affectionate…you can…take advantage of it.”

His words shimmered through her ears and tickled down her spine.

He had a point.

She thought.

Though her thinking didn’t seem to be as sharp as it normally was.

“That is an interesting proposition.” Her hands were around his neck, for balancing purposes only. She was still furious with him. “And how would this end? I’ll be the one to walk away from you, obviously.”

She felt his shoulders shrug under her forearms. “Obviously.”

“And in the meantime, you’ll be at my every beck and call.”

“Obviously,” he repeated. This time his lips grazed the length of her exposed neck. And God, if that wasn’t enough to make her legs crumble to dust. “Every.” He took a small bite at her neck. “Single.” His tongue traced up to just underneath her ear. “One.” He nipped at her earlobe.

“I guess I can accept those terms.”