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“I won’t.”
“We’ll see.” He pushed off the window and crossed the room to the hallway and turned to look back at me. “I’m not leaving for the city for another ten days, so you can stay here and learn to mind your own business. The yard is fenced and guarded so you’re not getting out. But feel free to roam and do as you please so long as you keep your hands to yourself. I expect you in the dining room tonight at seven, dressed for dinner.”
“What if I’m not?” I said.
His dark eyes flashed hot and I could sense the anger beneath his surface. “You will do as I say,” he said quietly. His tone sent a shiver up and down my spine and set my hair on end. “I’m sure Olivia will be up to help you ready for dinner.”
Then he was gone, the crisp sound of his footfalls dying away. I shifted, shocked and a little humiliated to feel wetness between my thighs. Why did my body react to a man like him with such fire? He was arrogant and rude, but as I turned and made my way back up to my room my mind kept drifting back to our night together.
I threw myself down on the bed in frustration and curled up against the pillows. I wasn’t comfortable enough to roam the house or the yard as Duran had suggested so I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do for the whole day. My phone was gone so I couldn’t mindlessly scroll through social media.
I ended up spending the next several hours watching the television above the fireplace and napping. At some point in the late afternoon, I woke with a start to quiet knocking on my door. I sat up, rubbing sleep from my eyes, and got up to answer the door. It was Olivia again, this time holding a tote bag and a pair of shoes.
She wore a slender pink dress that ran halfway down her thigh and a pair of matching pumps. I noticed she seemed to like wearing short skirts that flattered her small frame. I’d never had the courage to wear anything so revealing. The racy pictures on my social media were different. They let me exist under a different name and identity where I was a daring sexual creature, not a virgin with an overbearing family.
“I brought you some of my clothes,” she said, leading the way to the bathroom.
I perched on the sink and watched her take a blue dress from the bag and hold it out. It didn’t look like much fabric. I held it up in front of the mirror and moved to the side, chewing the inside of my lip. It fell to the middle of my thigh and the waist pulled tight, blossoming up to an off-the-shoulder peasant top. I opened my mouth, but Olivia was looking at me with such innocent excitement that I closed it again.
“I thought it would look lovely on you,” she said “Do you like it?’
“I do,” I said quickly. “Let me get dressed.”
“Here are some heels,” she said, passing me the shoes.
I pushed the door shut and changed. As long as I stayed upright and didn’t bend over, the dress covered everything. But it left my legs exposed all the way down to the black heels. Duran would look at me, I was sure of that, and I would feel naked when he did. Naked, but my body reminded me, a little aroused.
I stepped into the bedroom and Olivia jumped up from the bed and clapped her hands together. “You look amazing.”
I laughed and smoothed down the skirt, still uneasy about stepping out of the comfort of the bedroom. Olivia went to the door and I followed her out into the hall and down to the main floor.
The dining room was lavish with a long, dark wood table in the center. There were covered plates of food and empty glasses at the far end. Duran and Lucian were already seated at the corner. They both rose when we entered and Lucien drew back the chair beside him and Olivia sat down, suddenly shy. It made me wonder how well she really knew him.
Duran looked up at me, not moving to pull out a chair. His dark gaze glittered as it ran over me and then he reached over and lazily indicated the chair beside him. I hesitated and then sat down. His fingers hovered over the bottles of wine before he selected a Merlot and filled my glass.
There was something so casually dominate about him choosing my drink and pouring it for me although I wasn’t sure why. Normally that kind of presumption would have annoyed me. I looked down at his masculine hand, laying on the table, and remembered how his fingers had rested on my belly as he sank between my thighs. I shivered, my nipples puckering beneath my dress.
“I trust you’ve found everything comfortable,” Lucien said.
I glanced up and met his cold gaze. “Yes, thank you.”
“How long is she going to be here, Duran?” Lucien asked, switching his attention to his brother.
Duran glanced up as he filled our plates from a steaming dish of potatoes and steak. “I’ll go back into the city in a little over a week,” he said. “Her family isn’t expecting her to be back from vacation until then. I’m sure you can find something to occupy yourself with until then, princess.”
Lucien turned his attention back to me. “Your father is a fine man,” he said. “Send my regards when you go back. I don’t get around to his office very often.”
“If Duran ever brings me back I will,” I said, unable to keep the insolence from my tone.
Lucien studied me and then leaned back. “I can see your father’s liberal views have rubbed off on you. I always thought he gave you far too much free rein.”
I opened my mouth to retort and met Olivia’s horrified stare as she shook her head at me. Lucien noticed and caressed her arm, sending her an appreciative look. The interaction made my blood boil and I cut my steak in livid silence. I couldn’t believe how condescending Lucien was and how infuriating it was that Olivia just caved to him and went along with it. It was no wonder my father had tried to protect me against this archaic world.
Chapter Four
When dinner was over, Lucien swept off with Olivia on his arm. I got to my feet and made a beeline from the dining room to my bedroom upstairs. My body was still warm and angry and I didn’t want to risk being alone with Duran. Despite still being furious with him, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to risk him working his charms on me. The rational part of my brain didn’t want to end up in bed with him again.
Once I was back in my room, I stripped off my dress and curled up under the covers. I was exhausted from the day and overwhelmed by my situation and unfamiliar surroundings. The sheets were cool against my skin and my eyelids grew heavy, the far off sound of the water lulling me into a stupor. I reached over and pulled the cord to the bedside lamp and let the darkness wrap around me like a warm blanket.
