Page 103 of Vengeful Princess

When I finally made sweet,sweetlove to my future wife, it wouldn’t be after tackling her to the ground in a snowy wood. Hell no. I had standards.

I planned to whisk her away to a luxury hotel and treat her like the queen she was. The future wife of Landon Rothmore deserved the whole world handed to her on a gold platter.

And I’d make sure she got it.

57

Thea

What was I doing? I shoved Landon away and hurriedly pulled my leggings back up.

“I need to get back,” I repeated. “I assume the tour is over?” God, what must I look like? Thank God there wasn’t a mirror up here. I had a feeling my face was beet red and my hair a bird’s nest.

Once was a mistake. Twice? Yeah. I had no excuses.

I blamed the cake. Eating two slices of chocolate cake had dulled my brain. It was the only explanation.Jesus.I’d only just recovered from Kyril, and now I was letting Landon go to town on my pussy? Did that make me a slut? Asking for a friend.

Landon grinned before wiping his face on an old tee shirt hanging off the nearby sofa. “I have lots more to show you,” he purred, edging closer again. But I wasn’t falling for his crap a second time. Nope. It was obvious Landon Fucking Rothmore needed a lesson on boundaries. Because he had none.

“Does it involve your dick?” I sniped.

“Well, seeing as how you’re—”

I shoved him away. Hard.

“Ouch!” He pouted. “There’s no need for violence!”

“Yeah, there is. Now let’s go.”

“So grumpy,” he muttered, and I fought to hide my smile. It was hard not to like Landon. He reminded me of a bouncy golden retriever. The sort of dog that would hump your leg while woofing happily.

The kind of pet I would have loved as a kid, only my father didn’t allow it. So the closest I got to having a pet of my own was caring for a stray cat that used to sleep in the barn. I loved that cat. Even though he was flea-ridden and had half an ear missing, he was a survivor like me.

The cat hung around all winter while I snuck food out and made sure he had warm blankets in a box, then come spring, he vanished, and I never saw him again. I had a strong suspicion Torrance had something to do with his disappearance but could never prove it.

I made my way back downstairs, with Landon behind me. Outside, it was beginning to snow once again, but college wasn’t too far away and Landon’s SUV was an all-wheel drive, so if we left now, we’d be fine.

“Florrie has some cake for you,” Landon said when we reached the reception hall. “Give me five and then we can head off.”

He disappeared down a side corridor, leaving me alone.

Just as I wandered across the room to look at some photographs on a console table, the front door opened and an older couple walked in, shaking the snow from an umbrella. The man had gray, closely cropped hair and appeared to be in his 50s, whereas the woman looked younger, with beautifully coiffed blond hair in a smart chignon.

They talked in low voices as they entered the hallway but went silent the moment they saw me.

“Who are you?” the man snapped in a voice almost as icy as the temperature outside.

I straightened my back. Dad had always told me to look a predator in the eye, so they understood you weren’t prey.

“Thea. I’m with Landon.”

The woman smiled warmly. “Oh, you must be the girl Florrie mentioned. Lovely to meet you, dear. I’m Landon’s mother, Isobel.” Landon’s green eyes stared back at me, only hers had a touch of blue to them. It was easy to see where he got his looks from; Isobel Rothmore was stunning.

“Lovely to meet you, Mrs. Rothmore,” I said, feeling horribly awkward and wishing Landon would come and rescue me.

“Please, call me Isobel. Now, where is my son?”

“Yes, where is the boy? He’s been avoiding my calls.” Landon’s father didn’t bother introducing himself. Once he’d dropped his briefcase and umbrella on the floor, he stomped away, muttering something under his breath while looking at his phone.

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