Page 35 of Tamed for Her Pleasure

“You will join me for breakfast. I will have your maid tend you early, daughter.”

“Of course, Father,” she murmurs, all fake sweetness… I suppose this is a way for him to save face.

I am led out of the room. This woman could lead me into hell, and I would not hesitate to go.

It is only when we enter the aptly named green room that I question whether I would have preferred hell. It is very green and makes me feel a little queasy, truth be told—green and gold. They seem to like gold here and use it fucking everywhere… on the edges of the chairs with the plump green coverings… on the swags at the windows, that are so high, I question how they close them… and on the great canopied four-poster bed, which is likewise green and gold.

There is a touch of mustard here and there, just for variety’s sake, I presume, but I do not like mustard well and less so when coupled with the twenty-seven shades of green.

“Gods,” I say thickly. “It is very fucking green.” How the fuck do people sleep in here? And there is not a fur in sight.

“I will sleep in your room,” I announce as the door clicks shut on us.

“You cannot sleep with me,” she says. “You will cause a scandal.”

I gesture towards myself. “I am a barbarian, lass. I am a walking, breathing scandal.”

She snorts a laugh. It is adorably cute and distracts me for all of a second.

“I cannot be parted from you,” I say softly. “Not while we are newly mated. Even afterward, it would be hard. But especially now, and while we are yet new to one another.”

I don’t mention how I fear the bond has not yet been taken for her… She is a beta, and they do not imprint as an alpha and omega do; at least, it takes considerably more time.

“Would you feel better if I snuck back later?” she says casually.

I arch one brow. “No, I would not feel better. You are my woman. You should be in my bed with me. There should not be any fucking discussion about it. We are mated. I have put my marks all over you and filled your pussy with my seed. We have not yet built up to the knot. But that is only a matter of time.”

“I’m not sure I can take another—ah—mating session tonight,” she hedges.

My blood pounds. Gods, why does the thought of her being all sore from my rutting make me want to plow her again? “This is exactly why we should be together. I cannot tend to your soreness while you are on another side of the fucking castle. It islike being in another country. How many rooms does the castle even have?”

“Dozens,” she says, then shrugs. “More if you consider the lower chambers, which are rarely used.”

Why the fuck does one family need so many rooms?

I am building up to full alpha bastard rampage when she leans up onto her tiptoes and presses her lips to mine, silencing me.

My arm circles her tiny waist, and I yank her into my arms. My fist is in her hair, and I slant my mouth over hers. Through the kiss, I seek to imprint upon her the magnitude of my feelings.

I ask myself how she can bear to be away from me. How can this be reasonable to her?

Then I remember she is a beta. She doesn’t feel the same pull that I do. An alpha always knows when he finds his one, but betas have no such compulsion. I will need to thoroughly scent her for weeks before the bond begins to form. This is a dangerous fucking time when another bastard could poach my claim.

It did not escape my notice that she did not declare her love when I did. For me, it is already set forever. Yet I am all too aware of those rare occasions when a beta has turned away from her mate and when another male, be their alpha or beta, has lured her away—and not in the way of her taking a second mate, which should be discussed and agreed upon by all.

The thought of Penelope with someone else, even being near another male, stirs my rage.

I tear my lips away from hers and stare down at her, breathing hard. “I cannot be parted from you. Not for a night.”

“I will sneak back,” she says. “I promise.”

I growl. “I do not like fucking sneaking.”

“I know,” she says. “But it is only for a little while. I shall do all I can to progress the wedding.” Eyes searching mine, she cups my cheeks. “But please, I beg you, give me time to bring my father into this. We have been at odds for as long as I can remember. I am rebellious and sometimes difficult. I didn’t know why until I met you. It is strange how someone can change your perspective. You are so steady, while I feel like a bird always poised for flight. I do not wish to be at odds with my father anymore. I see how you are with your family and your people, and I want that. It is hard for Papa to look at me when I look so much like the woman he lost. He can be overprotective in some ways, and, in others, overindulgent. I cannot fix the past, but I would change my future with him if I can, be a better person for him, but also for you.”

Her words soften me and also give me hope. I slide my hand to the front of her throat and press a kiss against her temple. “Do not be gone long, or I will be searching the fucking castle for you.”

“Yes, I am getting the idea.” She grins and wriggles out of my hold, moving to the door, where she pauses and looks back. “I will return soon,” she says, then slips out.

---