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Her chin lifted, tugging up the sling. Fire. Vulnerability. Remi didn’t want to be touched by either but he was explicably drawn to both.
‘You’re assuming a lot, aren’t you?’ she said.
‘Am I?’
She remained silent but her defiance abated.
‘Shall I call your bluff and show you the door?’ he pressed.
Uncertainty flickered in her eyes before her long lashes swept down, hiding her expression yet again. ‘You really came here to bring Jules back?’
‘That was the main purpose of my trip, yes.’
‘Then why aren’t you following him? Earlier you said you’d be gone in twenty-four hours.’
‘No, I said I’d be available to you for twenty-four hours. That was how long I was prepared to wait to hear your side of the story. When I made plans to come here I anticipated meeting some resistance from my brother. I gave myself ample time to get the job done.’
‘You managed to dispatch him in twelve hours. So you want me to do what? Fill up your free time like a court jester?’ she demanded, with an hauteur that would have impressed his etiquette instructors.
‘Was that the role you agreed to play for Jules?’
Her lips pursed and her gaze fixed warily on him. ‘I... I’m—’
‘Spend the evening with me.’
He froze. Those weren’t the words he’d intended to say, but now they were out there he didn’t take them back.
She was shaking her head. ‘I can’t. I’m...busy,’ she said, her free hand rising to cradle her arm.
He dragged his gaze from that little helpless gesture, fought that bolt of protectiveness. ‘Cancel your plans.’ He hardened his voice. ‘Didn’t you have a similar arrangement with Jules?’
‘No. I didn’t meet him till ten—sometimes eleven.’
He despised the fact that his curiosity swelled even larger. ‘That’s too late. I wish to see you earlier. And you should come prepared to grant me certain assurances.’
She frowned. ‘What kind of assurances?’
‘The kind that require you to sign a confidentiality agreement.’
‘And if I don’t?’
‘Then be prepared to have your life turned upside down until I’m satisfied you mean my family no harm.’
She inhaled sharply. ‘Harm? Why would I...? I never meant them any harm in the first place!’ she exclaimed hotly.
The affront in her tone would have reassured Remi had he not been taught a cruel lesson never to take anyone at face value. For decades he’d trusted every word that fell from his father’s lips, had blindly followed where he led, right up until his true character had been revealed.
And even after that cruel betrayal he’d trusted Jules when he’d given his word that he would help protect the family legacy in danger of being ripped apart following the revelation of his father’s infidelity.
Bruised and devastated from one betrayal, he’d been too grief-blind to mitigate against the possibility that he was being played again.
Jules had shown his true colours within days of being accepted into the Montegovan royal family. And then the final blow had come when he’d least expected it. All those assurances that Celeste was safe...that the worst wouldn’t happen. False promises and betrayal. They had pitted his life, eroding trust until it wasn’t a commodity available to him any more.
This woman, with a body that would tempt even the staunchest saint, wasn’t going to sway him from what needed to be done.
‘How much did Jules promise you?’ he asked, in a voice spiked with ice.
The moment she inhaled sharply, he knew he’d guessed accurately. Money. His insides twisted with distaste. ‘Tell me how much and I’ll triple it.’
