Page 48 of Reckless Promises

“You’re giving me a knife?” She hitches an eyebrow as I secure the lower strap. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll stab you with it?”

“That’s your prerogative.” I slip her dress back over her leg and stand to face her. “But one suggestion if you do. Aim for an artery.”

Odette tries to bury her smile but fails.

“Why did you give me this?” Her fingers trail down, over where the knife is secured to her leg.

“Because I’m not your father.” I graze my finger over the scar on her throat. “I don’t need you to be weak to make me feel stronger. Your safety is more important than that. I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe, Odette, but if I’m ever not around, I don’t want you to be afraid that you can’t take care of yourself. I told you I’d protect you, andI meant it. Even if that means arming you and knowing you might be smart enough to use it against me.”

She blinks up at me and a sheen coats her beautiful green eyes. Softness she rarely reveals. Not even the night she admitted to me how she got that scar on her neck.

She didn’t flinch. She held tight to the strength she cherishes.

But ever since she told me how she got that mark on her perfect flesh, it’s kept me up at night. I want to find him and peel his skin from his bones.

Part of me hopes her father wasn’t man enough to put him in the ground because I’m going to enjoy doing worse.

“Thank you,” she whispers, blinking back her emotions.

She’s a fighter, even if her father didn’t want her to be one. And the spark that lives inside her makes my ribs tight.

“You don’t need to thank me for taking care of my wife,” I remind her. “It’s my job.”

One I never saw myself doing because I didn’t think I’d be any good at it. It definitely wasn’t something I wanted. Marriage was a chore I witnessed my parents suffer through. Mom with her resentment and Dad with his mistresses.

And from what Odette told me in my office, I’m sure she experienced the same.

But marrying Odette changed everything. She’s all I see, all I think about. And the thought of not being there to protect her has me gritting my teeth.

Stepping back, I turn to walk away.

If I don’t get some distance, she might see the defenses coming down inside me. She might notice I’m slowly failing in my attempts to push her away.

“Cillian.” Odette grabs my hand, stopping me. “Just say you’re welcome.”

She smiles up at me. It’s small, barely brushing her cheeks, but it’s there. Playfulness I’m sure goes a lot deeper when she isn’t scared.

“You’re welcome,” I say for her sake, even if it goes against all my instincts.

“See, being human isn’t so hard after all.”

“Depends on the person.”

“Fair enough.” She looks up at me, releasing my hand. “Can I ask you a question?”

I nod.

“Your parents were an arranged marriage, right?”

“Yes. Why?”

She sighs. “So were mine.”

Most marriages are in this world. Mergers, business deals. Planned to ensure the survival of both families—or in my case, for one to destroy the other.

Sex is sex, and marriage is business.

“I didn’t want that.” Odette drops her gaze to the ground. “Even if I knew it was inevitable, part of me thought I’d find a way out before it happened.”

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