AllFreeNovel
Share Us
After drawing in a full breath, she continued, “But am I going to make the best of this and do my duty as your wife? Yes.”
Not once during that pretty speech did she falter. Determination flooded her voice. She wasalmostconvincing. And yet, no matter how much her mouth protested, I wasn’t letting my guard down. Ever. It would be my death.
I dropped my hold, telling myself I wouldn’t make a habit of touching her. My reasons were twofold. First, in the last few seconds of this tense exchange, I’d realized something. I thought I could lie to myself that Talia could be resisted. She couldn’t. A woman like her was meant to bring men to their knees. If I accepted that fact, I could work with it. Admitting the potential danger she served would stop me from doing something stupid...like fall into her clutches.
Second, and probably the more ridiculous assumption but still a risk nonetheless, was that I didn’t want to give Talia or her father more fuel to destroy me. I would never hurt a woman. But if it was their plan to spread false claims of abuse, then no, I would sooner cut off my hands. A fucker who hit or did worse to a woman was worthy of death. Plain and simple. This belief was at the core of my being. I would never go against it, but slander needed to be avoided.
“Is that all?” Talia snapped.
“No.” I slipped my hand into my pocket. “You’re my bride; you’ll wear my ring.”
Talia blinked hard, confusion drifting over her features. She looked at me, then at the box I’d flicked open in my hand. This move on my part wasn’t scheduled as part of our union, and I could see it threw her off. Especially after my hands-on display of dominance.
Good. I wanted her disoriented. I needed her pliable. To catch her moves, I had to ensure I was ten steps ahead of her.
Talia chewed on her bottom lip. Whatever goop was painted there stayed in place, because even those sharp fangs didn’t break the crimson layer. My heart stopped at the totally arresting move.
“You didn’t ask,” she finally blurted out.
It was my turn to be taken aback. I narrowed my eyes, searching her blistering gaze. “You want me topropose?”
She shrugged. “You’re the one wanting me to wear the ring.”
“All right, princess.” I dropped to my knees. The action felt unnatural. Never having bowed to another man, this woman was getting a first from me. Luckily, she didn’t know it. I snatched her outstretched hand. As those firm, elegant fingers jerked in my hold, I turned her hand over so the palm faced up. Looking up at her, I leaned in.
Her breath caught, those dark eyes widening. It only lasted a moment; she was too quick to school her features, but the tell was there, and I knew she wasn’t immune. Not by a long shot.
I pressed a kiss onto the inside of her wrist. It was supposed to be a simple gesture, but as desire simmered in her eyes, I felt myself get caught up in the moment too. My tongue darted out, licking a line over the tender, sensitive flesh.
Talia gasped.
My dick pulsed painfully. A sucker for torment, I grazed my teeth along her skin before turning her wrist back and slipping a ring over the tip of her ring finger. “Marry me.”
Talia swallowed hard. “Yes,” she finally managed to say.
Shoving the ring over her knuckle, I surged to my feet, and before I could stop myself, I dove in for a kiss. Seizing her mouth, I kissed her hard.
Talia stiffened against me, surprise and disdain keeping her straight-backed. But as my lips moved against hers, demanding obedience, she melted against me, and a sweet moan escaped her. It lit a frenzy in my blood, especially as she began to return my kiss. Those long, strong arms clasped me tight, her purse brushing against the back of my skull. Her soft tongue slipped out to taste me. With a groan, I opened my mouth, letting her tongue slide in. My body pressed against hers, molding every lush curve to my solid frame. I bent her over, the kiss consuming us. Our lips were damn near bruised. Something—a noise from the golf course yards away, or a subconscious kick in the ass—broke the kiss.
I pulled back, suddenly breaking the connection. She would have fallen if I hadn’t been holding her. I righted her, and then stepped back. My breath was coming hard and fast. She was equally affected, damn her. Reason surged to the foreground, and my brain scrambled to make sense of what I’d done.
That cannot happen again.
Angry with myself, with her, with the whole situation, I bit out, “I’ll see you tomorrow, my bride,” before sharply turning to stride away from Talia. It was more than time to leave.
