Page 70 of Unwillingly His

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” he said, still not facing me. “I’m talking about how you were a distraction.”

“What?” I had no idea what he meant. I was sitting quietly, talking with the people around me, mostly Charlotte. How was I a distraction?

“I could feel your eyes on me the entire match.” He turned to face me, a metal tin in his hand. I couldn’t see what it was before he tucked it into a pocket. “Do you know how it feels to have someone watching you so intently?”

“No, you’re mistaken. I wasn’t watching you.”

Heat rose to my face at the lie. The truth was, I couldn’t take my eyes off of him the entire match. The way he rode into battle. It was a game, but he didn’t look like he was playing anything.

Lucian Manwarring didn’t play.

He dominated.

The way he rode on that field was the same way he dominated me in the bedroom or his office. I would bet that it even applied to the way he did business.

He didn’t play at being a CEO or a master of industry.

He didn’t even play at legal proceedings.

Lucian Manwarring only knew how to wage war.

I never had a chance.

I couldn’t take my eyes off of him the entire match.

I was captivated.

The words I told my parents the night they died about me not wanting a prince or a soldier but a ruthless king rang in my ears over and over.

He was a man who took what he wanted because he could.

Seeing him on that horse facing down other men with unbridled intimidation had been spectacular. No one would ever take anything from Lucian Manwarring. No one would ever talk over him, disrespect him, or even attempt to extort or blackmail him.

He was untouchable.

And I was watching him prove that him playing a simple game on horseback had made me weak.

I wanted him, but I didn’t understand why.

I should hate him.

Every fiber of my being should be repulsed every time he touched me or looked at me, and instead, he set my blood on fire. Not with rage, not with hate, but with passion and need.

I didn’t understand it, and I couldn’t control it. No other man was ever going to make me feel like this again, and I had to decide what I was willing to do about it.

There was something else in his hand, something that he held at his side, just far enough back I couldn’t see what it was. He took a step towards me, and I took one back. The way he was looking at me, I understood why the animals outside had stopped making noise.

Turning my head to look outside, to see if there was some escape, some way I could run and get in public before he did anything, was a mistake. In that split second, he was on top of me, crowding me against the wall.

“I…” My voice trailed off.

What was I going to say?

I’m sorry I stared at you. I’m sorry I ignored everyone around me because I couldn’t take my eyes off of you.

I couldn’t say either of those things.

They were more than just an admittance of guilt.

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