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“I felt lonely.”
“I don’t know how to be a husband,” he said.
“You were doing a pretty good job a minute ago.”
“The last thing I want in this world is to hurt you, Minerva. I have done my best to protect you when I could. I owe a great debt to your father for all that he did for me. I would never want to harm what was most precious to him.”
“Is that the only reason you don’t want to hurt me?”
“No,” he confirmed. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t. You have to be careful with men like me.”
“You keep saying that. But the man that you are for the rest of the world... He’s not the man that I’ve seen.”
“You have such faith in me, Min, and I fear it is misplaced.”
“I don’t think so,” she said, smoothing her hand up his chest.
His body reacted. Violently.
He pushed her back, the motion reflexive. Like he’d been burned.
“Sorry,” he said. “I see David Carmichael back there.” Thankfully, that was true. “Your father wished for me to speak with him before we leave.”
“Oh...okay.”
He took her hand and led her from the dance floor and was summarily stopped by a floppy-haired blond man in a suit that looked intentionally askew. It took him a moment, but he recognized him.
Chad Rothschild. A spoiled asshole he knew from his years in boarding school. Someone who had been friends with Maximus until Dante. Then he’d made an ass of himself pretty routinely all the years since.
“Dante,” he said. “What a surprise to see you here.”
To see he wasn’t back in the gutter, Dante imagined. Though Chad had to know he was not, as his reputation was legend. Chad’s, on the other hand, consisted of many instances where he’d had to say, But my father’s a lawyer.
“I don’t see why it should be,” Dante said. “This is, after all, where I do business. I am not sure what it is you do.”
“Investments.” A code for nothing. Chad’s eyes flickered over Minerva. “Well, your ugly duckling certainly cleans up well.”
“Excuse me?” Dante asked.
He felt Minerva begin to tremble then. “I’m teasing. But surely you’ve seen that old picture of the two of you. I have to hand it to you, you seemed quite chummy with Maximus in school. I had no idea you were messing with his sister.”
Dante’s lip curled. “I was not.”
“If I were going to do that it would have been the other one.”
“I’m sorry,” Dante said. “Am I having a stroke? Are we back in boarding school?”
Chad kept on as if he hadn’t heard the warning buried in each of the words Dante had just spoken. “She’s not exactly the fabled beauty of the King clan, but I suppose if you have access to Robert King’s millions and influence you’re going to take what you can get. Though I thought that your own wealth exceeded that.”
“My wealth is not in question. Neither is the beauty of my wife. I think it’s apparent to all here that she is the most beautiful woman in the room.”
“Undoubtedly, she is compelling,” Chad said. “But I’m surprised you didn’t marry her sister instead.”
Dante saw red. And not just the red of Minerva’s dress. A red haze of rage covered his vision. But Minerva’s gentle hand on his arm stopped him.
“I appreciate that money is the only reason you can think that someone might marry you,” Minerva said. “But that isn’t the way it is for everyone. I care about Dante. We have a child together. I care about him more than anyone will likely care for you unless you do something to fix your repellent personality. Undoubtedly, someone will marry you for your money. But if I were you I would aim for more. It’s quite sad.”
And with her head held high, Minerva released her hold on Dante, and began to walk away. Dante went after her.
