Page 69 of Unwillingly His

I expected him to take me back to where the rest of the team was going or maybe give me a ride to the clubhouse while they were setting up for the award ceremony, but instead, he rode away from everybody else.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Somewhere no one can hear you scream.”

I laughed nervously while trying to hold on to him, hoping that it was a joke.

He didn’t smile.

My skin pricked with nervous tension, and I expected to feel that cold ball of fear in my gut, but I didn’t.

I never felt cold when I was touching him.

He rode harder, and I held on to him as tightly as I could with my arms.

We rode to a small path towards the back of the property. It was surrounded by trees so densely packed that it reminded me of the forest that I would read about in fairy tales.

I had the sinking suspicion that these were the type of trees that hid secrets. They could hide witches, monsters, and women like me who would never be seen again.

“Please, tell me where we are going,” I begged.

“I told you,” he whispered into my ear, “we are going somewhere that no one can hear you scream. You were a bad girl today.”

“I wasn’t,” I tried to argue. “I did what you told me to do. I stayed with your family. I stayed with Amelia and Charlotte. I didn’t talk to anyone else. I didn’t say anything that would embarrass you. I didn’t talk about the situation that we are in. I was good.”

“You talked to another man. You let another man encroach on what is mine.”

“What? Who?”

My answer must have pleased him. There was a satisfied, almost smug grin on his face, but I still had no idea what he was talking about.

“You were drinking.” He said it like an accusation.

“Of course, I was drinking. You never said I couldn’t. And your daughter pushed a drink into my hand before I could say anything. I didn’t get drunk.”

“Did I say you could drink?”

“You didn’t say I couldn’t. You never said I couldn’t drink. You’re changing the rules on a whim, and it’s not fair,” I whined.

It was annoying even to my own ears, but I couldn’t stop it.

Tears prickled in the corner of my eyes.

I held back my tears as he rode to a small stable nestled into the little wooded area, perched right in front of a picturesque lake.

It was so beautiful. The grass was a lush and vibrant green, and the lake was reflecting the gray sky. It was gorgeous, but something about it wasn’t quite peaceful and joyful—it almost felt like a warning. Like there was danger just beneath the surface. There weren’t even any sounds of wildlife.

No buzz of insects, chirping of birds, or even scurrying of squirrels.

Wasn’t that a sign of an alpha predator nearby? I just knew the world wasn’t holding its breath for a wolf or a bear.

They’d silenced themselves for Lucian.

I didn’t say anything as we headed through to the stables or when he helped me off the horse before getting off himself.

“We are going to talk about what else you were doing during the match,” he said, his back to me as he walked over to a wooden bench with brushes and other things to take care of the horses in this secluded stable.

“But I already told you I wasn’t doing anything I wasn’t supposed to. I’m sorry if you didn’t want me drinking. I didn’t know that.”

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