AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Have a seat, Tawn. And a drink,” Caine says, happy to see her. “Come meet my fiancée.”
Tawny turns to me and grins. “Killian told me Caine’s marrying a biker, but you don’t look like white trash. Thank god.”
Of all the horrible things I’ve endured in the last twenty-four hours, being called white trash is the worst.
“Who the hell are you?” I retort.
“My sister,” Caine explains. “Tawny O’Connor, Aurora Locksley.”
“That was a compliment,” Tawny says, rolling her eyes. “No one wants to look like trailer trash.”
“It’s so nice to meet you too,” I say sarcastically. Caine squeezes my knee in warning. Guess he wants me to be nice to his bratty sister.
Tawny unleashes a warm and genuine laugh. “Sure is. I’m a goddamn delight.” I’m inclined to believe her. Must be losing my mind.
“Language!” Jacob snaps.
“I believe dinner is ready,” Caine interrupts smoothly. “Why don’t we make our way to the dining room?”
???
I hate Caine’s dining room. It’s stiff and formal and if I have my way, it’ll be the last time I set foot in here. I’m so uneasy I don’t taste the food. I shoot glances between the door and the window. I’m desperate enough to think about jumping out the window and making a break for it. Consequences be damned.
The only thing keeping me in place is Caine’s hand on my knee. Throughout the entire meal, he doesn’t break contact. The longer his hand stays there, the slicker I become with desire. My nipples harden at the feel of his rough palm. I fantasize about stabbing his hand with my salad fork, not caring if I end up stabbing myself. Anything to make me stop feeling this way.
The meal drags on and I notice the subtle ways Jacob’s children defer to him. It’s the same small gestures of respect that dad gets from his men. In the mafia like the MC, it’s the little things that speak the loudest.
Tawny talks Killian’s ear off about school. Somehow she makes him laugh with stories about finance.
It’s also the first time I get to see a very human side of Caine. Like Killian, he obviously dotes on Tawny. He appears comfortable and at ease with his siblings. Their easy bond only occasionally interrupted by a remark from Jacob, who gives the impression that he enjoys lording over his children.
The first time my wine glass runs low, Jacob refills it. The second time, Caine takes the wine bottle from him.
“You’re a guest, Da. Here, allow me.” Caine fills Jacob’s glass and places the bottle out of Jacob’s reach.
That’s the moment I realize Jacob is hoping I’ll become inebriated. It’s the oldest trick in the book. Ply your enemy with food and drink. Wait for their tongue to loosen. I’m not some damsel in distress, and I’m not an idiot. I don’t touch my wine glass again.
“Miss Locksley, tell us about your family.”
Whysoyoucanfindtheirweaknesses? I think, but don’t say. “Not much to tell. You probably know more about them than I do.”
Jacob puts his knife and fork down, giving me an appraising look.
“I like your dress,” Tawny says, as if the mere idea of finding common ground with me is abhorrent. “Where’d you buy it?”
“You should know better than to interrupt, Tawny,” Jacob scolds.
Tawny shoots him a look out of the corner of her eye.
“Da,” Killian says in a low rumble.
Caine’s hand on my knee tightens. Earlier I was clinging to him for support, but now I think the tables are turned. Is it possible Caine dislikes the tension in his family?
“Lighten up, Da,” Tawny says. She rolls her eyes and sulks. The perfect picture of a mob princess. Spoiled and sulky. “If Aurora is here, the MC is in check. There’s no need to interrogate her. She’s a guest, not a prisoner.”
I quirk a brow. “I’m a guest?”
“Of course. Arranged marriages are common among families like ours,” Tawny says dismissively. Arranged marriage? That’s not necessarily the term I would use. “It’s nothing new to us. Didn’t Uncle Paddy kidnap Aunt Lily?”
