Page 30 of The Unwanted Wife

"I assume you’re talking about my brother?" Knox smirks.

"Who else?" I place the spatula aside and, with the help of a rubber scraper, pour the cake mixture into a cake pan. I slide it into the oven, set a timer, and turn to him.

I haven’t been formally introduced to Nathan’s family, but Knox came by the day after Nathan’s first visit and introduced himself. He told me Nathan had no idea he was coming, but he was curious about the woman his older brother was going to marry and wanted to welcome me to the family. I thought that was a sweet gesture. Especially since Nathan himself shows no signs of inviting me over to meet them.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d drop by and see how the wedding preparations are coming along." His lips curl. It’s not exactly a smile; more like a smirk. An expression which emphasizes the scar he wears across his face. The 'deformity' only adds to the general air of danger this man wears about him. It shouldn’t amp up his sexiness, but it does. In fact, I’m sure some women find him irresistible. Not me, though. I worship at the altar of another alphahole. Since I met Nathan, I’ve never found another man to match up to him when it comes to sex-appeal. Knox comes close, but he doesn’t have the charisma that Nathan does. That allure, that something about him which draws me. The chemistry between Nathan and me is a living, breathing thing which stretches and throbs and thrums, and given a chance, would pull me in and swallow me whole.

"No, that’s not true." He tilts his head. "What I told you earlier isn’t the complete truth.’

"It’s not?" I turn to face him.

He shakes his head. "I’m here because I wanted to get a rise out of my brother."

"You did?" I blink slowly.

"I don’t know if he mentioned it to you, but Nathan has only recently come into the family fold."

"No, he hasn’t actually." He hasn’t told me anything about himself. Though, I gathered a fair bit about his childhood from Ben. Nate’s association with the Davenports, though, is still something of a mystery. Except for the part his grandfather plays in his wanting to get married, of course.

"I’ll be honest, I don’t exactly trust the guy," Knox drawls.

"O-k-a-y?" Why is he telling me all this?

He must see the confusion on my features, for he gestures toward the tables. "Shall we sit down, and I can tell you more."

I hesitate, then nod. "Would you like a coffee?"

"A coffee would be wonderful." He steps back and gestures. "After you."

I head for the front of the shop and set about readying the espresso machine. "How do you take your coffee?"

"Black, no sugar."

I prepare it, pour it for him, along with my cup of tea, then walk over to take a seat at the table he’s occupied. I slide his coffee over.

He takes a sip of his, and an expression of delight flits over his features. "That’s excellent."

"Thank you." I sip my tea, then gesture with my chin. "You were telling me about Nathan?"

He takes another mouthful of his coffee, then sets down his cup. "As I was saying earlier, I don’t know him very well. He’s a virtual stranger, and while he may be blood, our grandfather deciding to make him the CEO of the company was, understandably, a blow for me."

I lower my chin. "Because you were being groomed to take over as the CEO?"

He nods. "As a result, I keep close tabs on my half-brother. And when he produced a fiancée out of the blue—no doubt, spurred on by my grandfather’s condition that he marry before his position is assured—you have to understand, I was suspicious."

"Of course you were," I say lightly.

"What became clear, though, is that he’s very possessive about you."

I choke on my next sip of tea, then reach for my handkerchief and pat my lips. "Nathan, possessive?"

He looks at me with surprise. "Surely, you're aware of the feelings he has for you?"

"Umm, we are getting married. Of course, he has feelings for me." I can’t say otherwise. Not when he’s told his family we're getting married. I can’t tell Knox the marriage is a farce. If Nathan wants his grandfather to believe our wedding is the real thing, I need to play along with his brothers, as well. In fact, Knox being here might well be a test to find out if our relationship is genuine.

"There are feelings and then there are 'feelings.'" He makes air-quotes with his fingers. "My half-brother takes on the persona of a caveman when he talks about you. And then, there’s the speed with which he proposed to you—with a little bit of prompting from our grandfather, of course."

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