Page 28 of Darkest Sin

“And?” Krista prompts, knowing there’s more here.

I press my lips into a tight line, wondering where the hell I’m going with this. “She doesn’t seem to fear me.”

“Have you given her a reason to?”

“My name alone should be enough to terrify her.”

“And yet, she rises with the sun just for the chance to sneak into your room.”

I let out a heavy breath and raise my gaze to meet Krista’s. “I seem to be very intrigued by her.”

“And so you should,” Krista tells me. “Have you taken the chance to speak with her? While she is dazzling and breathtaking in her beauty, she also has a personality worth getting to know. She’s stronger than I think you know.”

“She talks back to me.”

“Well,” Krista laughs. “I said she had a personality worth getting to know, not that she was overwhelmingly clever. I believe she’s just trying to understand where your boundaries are and just how far she can push them.”

I scoff. “She’s delusional.”

“No, she’s strong.”

“This morning she insisted that she was my equal.”

“Oh, okay. Perhaps she’s a little delusional, but it’s not as though that’s a crime,” she teases before a seriousness creeps into her tone. “I know you weren’t asking for my opinion, but if I dare be so bold. As an outsider looking in, it’s clear that she’s just trying to understand her place here, and I think you should allow her the chance to do that.”

My brows furrow as I stare at my chef, not understanding what she’s getting at. “How do you mean?”

“She’s a young, impressionable woman, Killian. Despite how you claim to not be her savior or her hero, that’s exactly what you are, and I see it every day in the way you interact with her. You treat her like the queen you’ve always deserved to have. You claim that she belongs to you, and I think she’s trying to determine if this is a two-way street where she will be the woman who stands proudly at your side and you will be her man and protector, or if she will simply exist as a dirty secret.”

I shake my head. “I see.”

Krista fixes me with a hard stare. “Do you?” I watch her a moment, waiting for her to continue. “Last night you asked me to steam her gown for the annual DeLorenzo Family Gala, an event that’s been going on for longer than I’ve known you, and not once have you ever taken a date. But tonight, for some reason, you are.”

“And? That doesn’t mean anything.”

“By turning up with her on your arm, you are making a statement. You are telling the members of your family that you have found someone worthy of standing at your side and giving you an heir. Is that your intention?”

I lift my coffee to my lips and take a quick sip, unsure how to respond to that, but there’s no denying that she’s right. Bringing a date tonight is making a statement to my family, and the second I walk in with her on my arm, I am making a formal demand that my family shows respect to this woman, that she is important to me, and yet, I still can’t figure out why.

I think I’ve already come to the conclusion that she will bear my child. Seeing that boldness in her this morning only cemented the fact that she would make a great mother. That strength and courage I’ve seen in her are the traits I require of my offspring in order to be successful as the next ruler of this family. My sweet angel is not timid or shy, and she certainly isn’t afraid of speaking her mind and going after what she wants. Any child would be lucky to obtain those traits, and along with my demanding nature and leadership, we could create the strongest ruler this family has ever encountered.

Excitement bursts through my chest, and I do what I can to mask the emotions brimming in my eyes as I fix Krista with a stare, unsure of what to say. “You might be right,” I tell her. “However, she will never be my equal.”

Krista rolls her eyes and slides my breakfast toward me. “No, she won’t, but I think you can learn to love the idea of having her standing at your side and being the woman you come home to. Everybody can see it, Killian. There’s a spark between you every time you’re in the same room. It’s electrifying, and I think you’d be foolish not to see where it goes. Who knows, you might even allow yourself to love her.”

I clench my jaw and drop my gaze.

That’s the problem with Krista. She has a way of forcing you to see what’s right in front of your face, and she’s not afraid to call you out on it either.

She’s right.

The electricity that sparks between us is like nothing I’ve ever felt before, and because of it, I am constantly seeking her out. I want to be around her and see the way her face lights up with happiness when she smiles, but mostly, I want to claim more than just her body. It’s a long road we must travel before we get there first. While she claims to understand who I am and what I do, it’s not the same as accepting it, and I don’t believe that will be easy for her.

Can I love her? Possibly.

But is she capable of loving me in return? That, I don’t know.

She has been hesitant during the week. Nervous perhaps. It’s hard to tell. She faked an illness earlier in the week to remain locked away in her room. I figured she required a few days to adjust to this new life, and I willingly gave it to her. Coming into my world isn’t an easy adjustment, and that much was obvious when she hid in the library yesterday during my meeting. She insisted she wasn’t hiding, but I felt the nervousness coming off her when I first walked in. She might trust me not to hurt her, but she does not trust the company I keep, and that is fair enough. She will soon learn, and after I introduce her tonight, they will all know that she is off-limits.

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