Page 6 of The Unwanted Wife

“Of course you do.”

My sarcasm is lost on him, for he looks me up and down. “Marry me.”

3

Nathan

"You asked her to marry you?" My half-brother, Knox gapes at me.

I glare at him. He clamps his cigar between his teeth and flashes me a shark-like smile. He might be my half-sibling, but he’s made it clear, when it comes to splitting the family fortune, he’ll fight me on both my claim to the title of CEO and to my share of Arthur’s wealth. Not that I want either, but Arthur wants me to head up his group of companies, and when I saw how royally it ticked-off Knox, I accepted the role. Just for the pleasure of watching him stew. Also, because it's rightfully mine.

"Of course, you did." Sinclair Sterling snickers. He’s done business with Arthur, and over the years, my grandfather has grown to trust him and rely on his business acumen. At some point, that turned into a close friendship. Not being close to his grandsons, Arthur seems to have sought out Sinclair as a replacement. Now, Arthur likes to have him around at his weekly poker games to referee any possible run-ins the rest of us Davenports tend to favor. It helps to have someone who is not family be the neutral party. You’d think a bunch of grown-ass men could spend a few hours together without coming to blows. Sadly, our track record points to the contrary.

I take in the gleam in his eyes. "What’re you cackling about, Sterling?’

"Nothing." He coughs, then slides a couple of chips forward.

I glance at my cards, then slide all my chips in.

Knox blinks. "You sure you want to do that?"

"You sure you don’t want to fold?" I sneer.

Knox scowls, then, without taking his gaze off mine, moves all his chips into the pot. "Raise."

Ryot, my other half-brother who’s joined the game for the first time, shows no indication he’s affected by the goings on at the table. He slides his cigar between his lips, then throws down his cards. He makes a sign indicating he’s out. Fucker tries not to speak unless he absolutely must.

"You’re out?" Knox side-eyes his brother. "What’s the matter, lost your balls?"

Ryot doesn’t react. The man has a poker face—no pun intended—which reveals nothing of his thoughts. And I thought I perfected the art of being emotionless. It's the way I navigated a childhood where I was part of a one-parent home.

My mother never kept my father’s identity a secret. She also made it clear she had no respect for him; not after he discarded her after finding out she was pregnant with me. They were sixteen, and he was worried his father would disinherit him. When my grandmother found out, she insisted on paying my mother enough for us to lead a comfortable life. Her only condition was my mother take me far away and not have any contact with my father or the rest of the family. She also insisted my mother not give me my family name.

My mother signed the contract, then took the money and moved to the other side of the country. She deposited the check, then promptly broke her promise by naming my father on my birth certificate and giving me the Davenport surname. She never did contact my father’s family, and my grandmother never did follow up to ensure she complied with the stipulations of the contract. While I had a passing curiosity about my father’s family, my mother’s contempt for him and his family rubbed off on me. I had no desire to contact them. Then my mother passed away, and I enlisted. What got me through my tours of duty was my ability to lock down my emotions and focus on the task at hand.

I was very good at blocking out the world and concentrating on the job I had to do. Which is why I climbed the ladder of the military quickly. Which is why I gave orders for that last mission in which I lost my team. If not for Ben, I wouldn’t have survived, either. That error in judgement is what prompted me to leave the Marines. And now, I’ve proposed to Ben’s sister—not a real marriage, but still… It’ll mean involving her in my messy family situation. What the hell was I thinking? Or not thinking.

The sight of little Skylar all grown up with those rosebud lips, those spectacular tits, and that voluptuous body made me want to grab handfuls of her butt and squeeze. It evoked memories of that kiss, which kept me company on many a night in my spartan quarters in whichever hellhole of the world I was serving in. I wanked off to that kiss, the feel of her flesh under my fingers, the give of her mouth against mine, that cherry blossom scent of hers, which has haunted my dreams.

And which I smelled under the aroma of her freshly baked desserts. All of it was a sensory overload. Not to mention, I looked into her features and was reminded of Ben. I remembered my promise to him to look out for his sister, and realized I could deliver on it by helping to rescue her business.

Of course, in return, she’ll have to marry me. But this way, I’ll be able to keep her safe. Further, it’s also the incentive needed for Arthur to confirm me as the CEO of the company. I’ll have the title and controlling interest and use it to have my revenge for how this family treated my mother.

I glance around at everyone, then slap my cards on the table face-up. "Royal flush."

"What the fuck?" Knox growls.

"You mean what the Royal Flush, don’t you?" I allow myself a smirk.

He glowers at me. I lean over and slide all the notes in my direction.

"Not bad," Sinclair drawls.

Ryot does a chin jerk in my direction.

The door to the den opens, and paws patter on the wooden floor. There’s a woof, then Tiny, the Great Dane who’s adopted G-Pa as his dog parent, lumbers into the room. The mutt pushes his head into my shoulder. When I scratch him behind his ear, he pants happily, then drops down to the floor with his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth.

"What are my favorite men in the world up to?" My grandfather, the reason we're all here and in one place—under one roof, despite most of us not wanting to be in this situation—saunters into the room. If there was a personification of someone having a spring in his step, then it’s him. He beams at us.

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