Page 52 of Where the Wicked Reign

“This wasn’t on your known list of holdings belonging to Camlann Corporation.”

“It’s not the only thing.” I folded my arms across the chest of my hooded black leather jacket. “Speaking of that sort of thing, my known assets won’t be accessible to you when we marry. I’ve made sure of it.”

“You met with that sleazeball, Peter Hall, a few days ago. I assumed you were doing something along those lines.”

So that was why he hadn’t displayed any surprise.

“He might be a sleazeball, but he’s very good at that sort of thing.”

“Hiding assets from husbands?”

“Not hiding them. Protecting them.”

“Was he a sleazeball withyou?”

“You don’t seem bothered by me telling you any of this.”

“Why would I be? They’re your businesses, not mine. You built your empire from scratch in spite of setbacks and no support. They’re all you, all yours. Very well earned.”

Before I could process that odd… sweetness, he stepped closer. “I asked you a question about Hall.”

“What question?” I’d been focused on the actual important part of our conversation.

“Was he asleazeballwith you?”

I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. We won’t be meeting in person again. A brief exchange of contracts and forms and our business will be concluded.”

His eyes narrowed, and he stepped even closer until he was right in my personal space, just shy of our clothes brushing together. “So he touched you?”

“No one touched me. There were a couple of slimy looks at my thighs and cleavage, but that was the extent of it.”

Truthfully, it had only been the extent of it because I’d managed to get a careful introduction to him in the form of his son, Mason Hall. Unfortunately, I’d had to do something for Mason in return that hadn’t sat well with me, because it had involved crossing Levi, one of his best friends. It hadn’t been that severe, but it had still felt like shit doing it. I just hadn’t had the time to go about things another way, not with everything moving so fast here. I couldn’t lose everything I’d built to this fucking marriage.

Nico growled low in his throat.

“Stop getting possessive. You don’t have the right.”

“I don’t have the right, hmm?”

“Exactly. You don’t.”

“You’re to be my wife.”

“A business arrangement. It’s not real.”

His eye twitched.

And then he surprised me as he actually stepped back and gave me some breathing room. The surprises kept on coming when he announced, “We should go on a date.”

I choked. “Excuse me?”

“A date. You know when two people—”

“I know what a date is.”

“You’ll come to my place. I’ll make you dinner. Complete with your favorite dessert. Gelato. Pistachio, yes? Sometimes lemon, if you’re in the mood for it?”

“Uh… yes, you got the dessert right, but—”

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