Page 19 of Beautiful Beast

He drops his hand.

“I don’t know what you’re going to do,” I admit.

“Why would you? We’re strangers, after all.” He straightens his jacket. “You know, Anya, you still never answered my other question. Why do you find me disgusting?”

“Why do you care?”

“Why won’t you just answer the question?”

“Because I don’t like being told what to do,” I snap back. God. I can’t help but run my mouth off. It’s gotten me into a lot of trouble with my father. I should know better, yet I can’t helpmyself. Everything inside of me rages against being married to Erik, and a part of me needs to let him know.

He leans back against the window and stares at me for a long, hard moment. “Just answer me this. Do you find me ugly?”

My lips part, and no sound comes out.

“It’s a simple question, Anya. Do you find me ugly? Yes or no?”

“On the inside or outside?”

His own lips quirk into a subtle smile. “On the outside.”

“Yes,” I finally say. “I don’t find you handsome.”

“Interesting. Why not?”

Well, because it’s all a lie. I do find Erik handsome, but I don’t want him to know that. If he were to know that, it would feel like giving a piece of myself over to him that I’m not ready to give.

“You’re not offended?” I ask.

He shrugs. “Why would I be? I’m not an insecure man. You don’t find me attractive. It is what it is. As I said before, I didn’t marry you for your beauty. I married you for your connection to your father. There doesn’t have to be any lust between us … or any love for that matter. This is a marriage of politics. But I am curious what you don’t like about my face. Enlighten me.”

“Uh … your nose,” I say lamely. “I don’t like it.”

He smiles in a way that tells me he thinks I’m lying. That’s because I am.

“Do you find me ugly?” I ask, unsure why I even ask it at all.

He leans in closer to me, and I get a whiff of his scent—pure masculinity. I have the urge smell his shirt, which is ridiculous.

“I find you to be one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

I blink, and slowly, a blush forms on my face. I hope and pray he can’t see it.

The car comes to a stop.

“Ah, we’re here,” Erik announces, opening the door before holding his hand out to me. “Shall we?”

I don’t want to party with Erik all evening long just to go to bed with him later.

But I’m in this marriage now, and I need to learn to accept it. The sooner I can, the sooner I can work toward making sure Nadia is safe.

And for some strange reason, I have the urge to take Erik’s hand.

So, I take it and let him pull me out of the car.

Chapter

Four

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