Page 72 of Vicious Kingdom

Too distracted, I didn’t catch it right away. “Keep your enemies close.”

“I’m your enemy?” She arched a brow.

“You’re not my friend,” I countered.

“Well, however are we going to survive this marriage if we aren’t at least friendly?” she scoffed.

“Easy. I’ll show you.” I bent and kissed her.

Her lips were soft, yielding beneath mine. She made a small sound in her throat—half surrender, half demand—and pressed against me, her nearly naked body molding to mine. I tangled my fingers in her hair, destroying what remained of her elegant style as I angled her head to deepen the kiss. The pins scattered across the floor like forgotten promises.

Mine.

She was going to be mine—and I didn’t hate that thought.

Her lips parted on a gasp, and I seized the opportunity, claiming her mouth with a hunger that surprised even me. This wasn’t the calculated kiss of a business arrangement. This was primal, desperate. My tongue swept inside, tasting her. The promise of something more made my blood burn hotter.

My other hand slid down her bare back, fingers digging into the soft flesh of her hip. I wanted to mark her, claim her, erase any memory of anything but this moment between us.

“Leonard,” she breathed against my mouth, the word vibrating between us like a confession.

It was too sweet, too pure.

I pulled back. In my struggle to regain my composure, the words came out harder than I meant. “I didn’t want this. And I don’t forgive you for what you did.”

Annaliese gasped, body going taut beneath my touch.

“But now that you’ve left me no choice,” I added, “I’m not letting you make a fool of me.”

“Don’t worry, Baldwin, that was never my intention,” she said with a bite. “Thank you for your help with the zipper. I can take it from here.”

I stepped away. Not because she asked, but because otherwise I would take her right here, right now in this closet.

Leaning against the doorframe, I watched as she tugged on another dress.

“We should get our story straight,” she said, tone businesslike. “There’s been a thousand questions already, and I’ve been as evasive as possible.”

This dress wasn’t as supportive. Her full breasts moved under the material, but I could still see her pert nipples.

My mouth watered for a taste.

“Baldwin?” she demanded, freeing her hair and giving it a fluff before she captured it high in a ponytail.

“What story?”The one where you lied? Your father prevented me from taking his company, and now the best option is to marry you?

But I didn’t say any of those things. I didn’t enjoy seeing her hurt, and my words had already done enough damage tonight.

“Where did we meet? When and how did you propose? What’s the wedding going to be like?” She rattled off an inane list of inconsequential details.

“I proposed at dinner, we’ve been secretly dating, and now we’re having a wedding. Everything else isn’t up for discussion.”

Annaliese snorted. The sound was cute.

“Clearly you’ve never been engaged before,” she said.

We went downstairs and began society’s song and dance. I shadowed her through the throng, unwilling to let the pack of scavengers pull her away and sink their claws into her. The whisper of the engagement was enough to stir intrigue, and I could see the curiosity sparking in their eyes. Everyone wanted confirmation. Her father was investing heavily in this affair,ensuring all the right people were in attendance. Every trust fund brat with an Ivy League education and designer suit inched closer to hear the details themselves—then took a healthy step back as I approached. Every Wall Street tycoon with a reputation appeared eager to ask the question on everyone’s mind—then withered under my scowl.

Annaliese was forced to answer the inquiries with little more than a few words and a nod, as the rest of the crowd lost its nerve and scattered when I cut in. She glanced my way, an amused edge to her expression as if she found all this entertaining. I wasn’t about to surrender her to this brood of vultures, no matter how light she made of it. As self-interested as any stock she’d shorted, they were here to collect details, inside information on the biggest merger of the year, and I wasn’t about to give them a tip.