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“If she has malicious intentions, that is,” I muttered, mistrust already blurring the filthy plans my body ached to enact with her. Because that was the piece of the puzzle that eluded me. She would marry me because her father said so. What I needed to find out was if she was an active participant in his schemes or merely a pawn to be pushed around.
Part of me wished she was in on her father’s plots. Because the alternative—that she was just a victim in this mess—grated me. No one deserved that fate. If she was a competitor, well...that could be interesting. My blood warmed at the challenge.
I headed straight for the shower, images of Talia dancing through my head. Ripping my clothes off, I slipped under the hot spray and dropped my head against the shower wall. Yes, Iwasconsidering this.It’s only to keep an eye on Beaumont. Let him think he’s winning.
Lies. There was more to it than that. The ache in my balls and my stiff arousal were testaments to that fact.
I ground my teeth. I needed to know her part in this. And to do that, the best move was to keep the game playing.
Chapter 7 – Talia
Itrailed downstairsto the dining room for breakfast, my muscles still tingling from my morning workout, even after showering and changing.
“Good morning, frère,” I said to my brother with a smile, slipping into my seat in the middle of the long table.
Claude grunted and shoveled another spoonful of greasy meat into his mouth.
I went straight for the coffee, poured a cup from the carafe, and took a tentative sip. The dark aromas soothed my soul. It was too hot to drink properly, but I needed the hit of caffeine sooner than it could cool.
A step sounded outside in the hall, and I quickly set the cup back. Our father entered, and both Claude and I rose. A servant followed my father and delivered his plate and mine. The dish of egg whites and steamed spinach was set beside the grapefruit and coffee already on the table in front of me.
“Sit, sit,” my father intoned. He didn’t move to his chair at the head of the table.
Too tired to wonder, I obeyed. Claude resumed eating, taking a large bite out of his pastry. He must have slept poorly, because his breathing was hard, airways clearly congested. I folded a napkin across my lap and waited for my father to take a bite before reaching for my utensils. It was the respectful thing to do. Because I was gazing longingly at my coffee, I didn’t realize my father’s approach until he was right beside me.
“Talia, I knew your beauty was not given to you for no reason!”
“Excuse me?” I breathed as he clasped my face in his hands. Clutching my napkin tightly, I hid the rush of fear that shot through me. This was highly unusual. I searched his lined face for an explanation.
“The butcher has accepted!” My father tapped my cheek firmly, the slap stinging only slightly. “Eat, eat! We have work to do—full preparations for your wedding.”
My chest tightened as the meaning of his words took over. The butcher had agreed to my father’s peace treaty, which meant I was going to marry our enemy! And how soon I became a widow would be determined later.I’m going to survive this.
Digging into the pulpy flesh of my fruit, I felt something wholly unfamiliar spark in my chest. It took me a moment to realize what it was. My father, who’d sat down to his breakfast, was smiling. At me. It unhinged me. My hands trembled as I attempted to remove a second slice of fruit.
Claude said something about a shipment, taking my father’s attention. It didn’t matter, I’d done it! The butcher had taken the bait. All the sweat and agony of keeping my body perfect, all the hours of study, both physical and mental, it was all beginning to pay off. The nagging urge in the back of my mind for a cigarette to calm my nerves was easily pushed aside. That was another first.
