Page 46 of Chosen By Swift

He wanted to argue with her, but he trusted that she knew something that would turn his stomach and put him off roasted chicken or scrambled eggs. “Probably.”

“How was your meeting?” She gazed up at him, and he momentarily lost himself in her dark eyes. “Swift?”

“It was fine. Mostly just the general and admiral reminding us that if we misbehave, we’re going straight to the brig.”

“What’s a brig?”

“The ship’s prison.”

“That sounds serious.”

“It is. And your meeting?” He stroked his hand down her long braid, enjoying the feel of her silky hair under his fingers.

“It was interesting, but mostly I enjoyed meeting Hallie and Ella.” She glanced up at him with a curious look. “Ella said you’re a good man. She made a point of meeting me and telling me that. Why?”

It would be easy to lie or wave off the question, but he wanted to be truthful with Alys even when it was uncomfortable. “I tried to steal her from Raze.”

“Excuse me?” Alys pulled away from him in shock. “You tried tostealher?”

“It wasn’t the smartest decision I’ve made.” The elevator reached their destination, and he led her off and over to a private area where they could talk. He nodded at three passing airmen and then turned his attention back to Alys. He traced the white collar around her neck and asked, “Did they explain the rules?”

“About men taking wives with white collars?” She nodded. “Hallie said those rules have been suspended.”

“For the moment,” he clarified, “but it likely won’t last. It's a tradition that goes back centuries, and we aren’t the sort of people who let go of tradition easily.”

“So, you stole Ella after Raze collared her?” Alys seemed hurt and disappointed.

“No, in fact, he stole her from me after I had claimed her.”

Alys shrunk back from him, and he realized he was making a complete mess of this. “You wanted her?”

“I did.”

“I see.” Her voice was small, and now he knew he had fucked up. Again. “She is beautiful.”

“So are you,” he insisted, and she rolled her eyes. This time it wasn’t as adorable as it had been when they were talking about farm animals.

“You and I both know I’m no Ella.” She stepped around him and walked toward the grocery store, leaving him with a sinking pit in his stomach and the sneaking position that he was about to get a taste of what Tirade had been eating the last few days.

Chapter Eleven

Alys ignored the painful throbbing ball of dread in her belly as she wandered the aisles of the store. She didn’t want to think about the implication of what Swift had revealed. Taking a woman from another man seemed to be a rather low and downright mean thing to do. It must have been terrifying for Ella to be fought over like that!

Not for a single second did Alys believe there was anything underhanded in the way Ella made sure to tell her that Swift was a good man. Ella was probably worried that someone else would tell her about the fight between Raze and Swift, someone who wasn’t there, someone who would embellish and make it sound so much worse than it was. Ella had wanted to reassure her that Swift was someone she could trust and who would be good to her.

But those sticky details aboutwhySwift tried to steal Ella were the ones that hurt the most. They were the ones that touched on her deepest insecurities. They were the ones that made her question whether Swift would ever truly be happy with her.

Acutely aware of Swift’s presence behind her, she glanced back to find him holding a small basket. His face was an emotionless mask, and it worried her. She had seen that look on her father’s face more than once, and it never ended well for her.

Swift won’t hurt me.

Still, feeling a bit nervous, she asked, “Why is there no haggling?”

He seemed surprised by the question. “Haggling?”

“You know,” she gestured to the nearby piles of root vegetables, “bargaining about the price.”

“Who would you bargain with?” Swift pointed out there were no sellers anywhere to be seen.

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