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I have no idea what my father has done to put us into this situation, but I need to figure it out soon. I’m not sure if there is any way for me to stop the marriage to Adali, but I need to find out. Otherwise, we may be dealing with far more than Eric Gale.
Finding out why Gale is dealing with us will be difficult. Maybe someone else knows. My gaze trails up the stairs. Would Eric have told his daughter? It’s doubtful. But maybe she listened in on Gale’s conversations. Maybe she knows.
I take one last swallow of my coffee before heading upstairs. God, my father has put us all in a bind.
My feet drag on the carpet as I head up. Adali could be reporting everything back to her father, but he hasn’t come over yet. Gale would be here in minutes if he knew his guard had been shot.
Before knocking, I hesitate. She’s beautiful, no doubt. But I’m not ready for marriage. Many in the Scorpio Society make advantageous unions. They learn to love each other, or at least put up with each other. I want more from life than just putting up with my wife. I can’t believe I’m in this position.
Silence greets my knock. I don't want to barge in, but I can't stand out here forever. I need information, and I need it fast. I reach for the door handle right as she pulls it open. Her eyes narrow, and her lips thin.
“Were you going to barge into my room?”
Her accusation hits me square in the chest. Yes, I was going to barge in. Shit, I’m an ass.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know if you were in there or not.”
Her lips thin. “What do you need?”
“Can we talk?”
Her eyes narrow as anger flashes. “Speak.”
I should call her on her rudeness, but we've all had a bad twenty-four hours. I'm stalling, which isn't like me. It's the marriage looming over me. I'm not myself. I could blame stress or the threats from yesterday, but it's more. There's something about this woman that sets me off. The moment I saw her, the world tilted. I pushed that feeling away before when I thought Dad would marry her. Now I know she'll be mine.
“Maybe we should go somewhere we can sit? I’d like to discuss a few things with you.”
She crosses her arms over her chest then turns her hand so she can stare at her nails, acting like none of this affected her. "You find me abhorrent. I don't know what we have to talk about."
“You’re not—”
Her gaze flies to mine, and I'm silenced by the rage I see. She isn't going to give me an inch. The challenge sparks something inside that makes me want to push just to see her fight come out. I love a good challenge, but I can't toy with her. Our lives are at stake, and I need to know what her father holds over my family.
“I just want to talk.”
“You aren’t interested in me. The no shouted at the top of your voice was enough to convince me.”
My stomach drops at her words. No question, I should have held my tongue. “You don’t even know why I was saying no.”
Pain rolls over her face, morphing her into pure sadness. “It’s because I’m ugly.”
My mouth drops open in shock. There’s something inside this woman that needs to be excised. “You are beautiful.”
She rolls her eyes. “Stop lying.”
I take her arm and step closer so I’m staring down my nose at her upturned face. Fear registers on her features before she blanks her expression. My cock hardens at the sight of her fear. Lust pumps through me, and I want to push her to the floor, but she needs to be gentled into exploring the darker side of passion.
“I may be a lot of things, but a liar I am not.”
She rolls her eyes, and my cock thickens even more. “You lie for a living.”
She’s got me on that. I do lie all the time, but not in this. She doesn’t know me and shouldn’t trust me.
"I creatively arrange things for a living. It's not lying. But when it comes to beautiful women, I never lie."
She rolls her eyes again. "Well, since I'm not beautiful—"
I shut her up by capturing her mouth and forcing my tongue in. She doesn't fight me. Maybe I've stunned her, or maybe she wants this as much as I do. I have her pressed against the wall, my tongue demanding she play, my hands on her ass, and I'm ready to move them to her breasts.
