Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 107660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
“Then it’s something we agree on and it’s no big deal to share.”
“It’s a huge deal,” I shrieked.
“How?”
“Because we’re getting married, and it’s going to raise a lot of questions because we hate each other.”
“It would raise more if we didn’t move in together.”
My fists clenched, and I barely choked back the need to scream in frustration. While he rebounded with easy answers, I wanted to stomp my feet and demand he listen to me. The problem was that I didn’t even know what I was saying.
Except I did. One thing stood out among the rest, and I latched onto the clarity. “Regardless, you do not get to turn down my friends. If I wanted to go to dinner, that was my choice, and you don’t control that.”
“Friends,” he scoffed.
“What does that mean?” I asked. I’d embraced his aloof reactions and his perturbance threw me for a loop.
“What it means,” he said, his eyes darkening under lowering brows. “Was that you seemed pretty intimate with your friends and overly eager to see Ash again after having him over to your place for dinner.”
I couldn’t help it—I laughed. I barely knew Ezra. Parker was madly in love with his wife, and Ash was…
Well, Ash was complicated, but not an issue. Besides our past, we were still friends above everything else.
Lucian’s jaw clenched, unappreciative of my laughing. “I’ll remind you of our no cheating clause in the prenup.” The warning was so useless, I rolled my eyes. “If I want someone else to touch you, then that will be up to me to allow.”
The laughter died in my throat. “You—you would let someone else touch me?” I asked softly. My irritation dimmed under the heavy weight of…of something I didn’t want to acknowledge, but something that sank low between my thighs.
“You marked it as an option,” he stated with his chin held high. “So, would I allow someone the honor of touching your body, knowing damn well it’s mine? Yes.”
My body heated at his sure answer, melting under his gaze, turning from the angry cool to seductively hot. I looked away to try to collect myself, trying to imagine a situation where the scene would play out.
He stepped closer, stroking his fingers down my cheek to grip my chin and bring my gaze to his. “Would you trust me to let someone else touch you under my control, princess?”
Part of me recoiled, remembering the past. Remembering being held down by the person I thought I trusted while his friend touched me.
But that was the past.
And my agreement with Lucian all began when I decided I wanted to let go of those memories—let go of their hold on me.
I agreed to be with Lucian to find release from everything.
And not once have I regretted it. Despite the unexpected turn to where we were, I didn’t regret it.
“Maybe,” I conceded, unwilling to completely give in. I was still pissed about how he acted with Parker.
“Hmmm…Interesting.” His lips quirked as his gaze dropped to my lips. Just as quick, they moved back to my eyes, and he dropped his hand. “Either way, no one touches you without an agreement between us. If they do, then everything is off, and I will make sure I gain majority of QMG only to break it apart and sell it piece by piece.” All warmth and playfulness vanished from his stare until the cold, hard businessman glared back. “Understood?”
I stepped back and leveled him with a cold glare of my own. With narrowed eyes, I reminded him of the words I said before. “I don’t cheat.”
He blinked, all hard, frozen edges gone, and smiled. “Good. So how does Sunday at noon sound for the movers to come collect your things?”
I blinked, struggling to recover from the number of times our conversation jerked me back and forth since I first walked into his office.
Had it only been fifteen minutes?
How had I experienced so many emotions in that small amount of time?
Being with Lucian was supposed to help me let go of the strong emotions controlling me.
However, he continued to be the one to hold me over the edge while simultaneously yanking me back.
Watching him round his desk without a care in the world, I had to wonder if that was part of his plan all along.
CHAPTER 26
ASPEN
“Who am I supposed to marry now?” Oren complained.
I leaned over the back of the couch and leveled a deadpan stare at his prone position. He glanced up with a smile before returning his attention to the Rubik’s cube.
Where the hell did he find that?
“Oren, we all know you’ll never find someone you’re willing to be trapped in a marriage with,” Ash joked beside me.
“It’s not a trap if they’re just as wild and carefree as me,” he defended.
Ash scoffed as Brogan exited the hallway, carrying two large boxes. “Where should I set these?”