Page 13 of Liar's Heart
I’m inclined to let him.
And there’s a clever little fox in the ballroom we both would be very happy to catch.
Roman leadsme around the dance floor in a simple waltz, something easy that lets us talk while we dance. “You know, I don’t think we’ve technically met,” I point out as he maneuvers us away from another couple.
“We haven’t,” he agrees. “Which is why we’re here now, dancing and getting to know each other.”
“Is it?” I muse. “I thought it had more to do with the murderous rampage your best friend was about to start.”
Roman laughs, warm and deep. “No, I’m distracting you from that. Obviously. But, since I was going to ask anyway, what was up with that guy?”
Revulsion rolls through me, and I shudder. “Just some creep who doesn’t know how to read the room.”
Jonah had wasted no time approaching me as soon as Ender left my side and was… pushy, to say the least. It quickly became clear that he wasn’t so much interested in me as he was getting his hands on something he shouldn’t.
And he wasverypersistent, all the way up to the point where he grabbed my wrist and pulled me in, whispering in my ear that he was going to take me to a back room and makegood on all the teasing he’d endured tonight. He wasn’t asking either.
Roman side-eyes me as he turns us again, his expression suspicious under his mask. A fox dancing with a hound, both literally and figuratively, with his line of questioning. Roman Kincaid is handsome, and he knows it. Those sable eyes are full of devilment, easy smiles constantly painting his smart mouth. And he’s not above using both his face and his charm to get what he wants. Now that he’s turning the full force of both on me, I see how well that strategy usually works for him. He exudes the kind of energy you think you can trust that makes you want to answer his questions without thinking, which makes this game so much more fun for me.
“Are you sure he didn’t know how to read the room, Mrs. Sinclair?” Roman’s tone remains playful, but I know what he’s trying to sniff out.
Looking him dead in the eye, I say, “No one has ever accused me of being anything less than perfectly loyal, Mr. Kincaid.”
His smile grows wider, more genuine. “Good. Ender is like a brother to me, and despite being a grumpy ass most of the time, he’s genuinely one of the most caring people I know. He deserves your loyalty, and I’m glad to hear he has it. You already have his.”
Interesting. “I would never cheat, Roman. That’s not even a question for me.” And it’s not. Whatever this marriage is or isn’t, I’m not interested in stepping outside of it. It’s not who I am. Besides, I have my whole widowhood to take on new paramours.
Something catches his eye over my shoulder, pulling his attention away briefly before he blinks and looks at me again. “Good to know, but End’s loyalty to you goes well beyond keeping his bed empty. Maybe give him a chance to prove it, yeah?”
My brow furrows as my mouth opens, but before I can geta word out, a voice that sends bile rising in my stomach asks from over my shoulder, “Mind if I cut in?”
Roman’s eyes flick to the man standing behind me before returning to mine. He leans into me and says, “Thank you for the dance. I’ll be waiting for the next one.” The hand that was at my waist moves to my arm and gives me a comforting squeeze. He gives me a final, pointed look, one that says he’s staying close by, just in case, before exiting the dance floor, leaving me alone to face my nemesis.
I turn and find my father-in-law waiting for me, hand extended to accept mine because, to him, there’s no question of whether or not I’ll comply with his demands. Dutifully, I put my hand in his. The other goes to his shoulder, and I successfully avoid flinching when his other hand lands on my waist. Ender’s hands are so warm. Calloused but careful when he touches me. Alec’s are unforgivingly firm, like their sole purpose is to hurt, to mar. Jonah’s vise grip on my wrist felt less malicious than being in Alec’s hold.
Alec begins to lead me into a dance, and while he’s technically just as good a dancer as Roman, my feet feel heavy following his. The iron skull mask he wears glints in the chandelier light as we move across the floor, adding to the unease sitting heavy in my gut. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen or spoken to my father-in-law tonight, but it is the first time we’ve effectively been alone, the music and movement of the dance enough to obscure our conversation. And Alec wastes no time. “You and Ender seem to be settling into married life well.”
I nod. “We’re still getting to know each other, but we’re figuring it out.” Which has been interesting, to say the least. We’ve been settling into a routine that mostly centers around me figuring out how to get away from Ender long enough to ransack his study while he spends all of his free time finding excuses to be near me. Dinners together, working on his laptop in the sameroom I’m in, following me around and chatting—I never considered how much time I’d have to spend with my husband. I never thought he’d reallywantto spend time with me.
Sleeping arrangements continue to be a challenge, both in Ender’s insistence that I stay in his bed and that he sleeps in nothing but the sluttiest gray sleep pants known to man. Every night, he emerges from the bathroom, tattoos decorating the planes of hard muscle he hides under Oxford shirts during the day. Dark hair trails down his lower stomach before disappearing into the waistband, like it’s directing you to look lower to where the soft gray fabric clings to every contour.
And I meaneverycontour.
I can tell he's circumcised in those fucking pants.
And big.
Alec yanks me out of my daydream and back to reality when he says, “I’m glad to hear it.” He spins us around faster than necessary, and I struggle to keep up with his timing. “So, when can I expect grandchildren?”
I blink, taken completely off balance by his question. “I beg your pardon?”
“When are you going to give me a grandchild?” He enunciates each word like I’m slow.
“My sex life isn’t any of your business,” I bristle in response.
Alec chuckles. It feels like ice sliding down my spine. “See, that’s where you’re wrong. Itismy business. You were a rather expensive investment, one I want to see a return on as soon as possible. When we’re talking about heirs and legacy, it’s very much my business.”
I frown. “You have an heir. If we had a child, they'd be Ender’s heir, not yours.”
