Page 23 of The Explorer
With an irritated sigh, Aubri brushed her hands through her long red hair, pumping it up in volume. “What if my husband and I aren’t compatible sexually and I never get to experience good sex? Why can’t we be more like the French and just have fun? Who says sex has to be this serious thing? Don’t you want to try more partners?”
Taking a last look in the mirror, I walked back into the bedroom. “Sure, I fantasize about it, but I’m smart enough to know it would be a disaster in real life.”
“Why?” Aubri had placed two outfits on the bed and was now trying to decide between them.
“That one.” I pointed to a dusty-green pantsuit that I knew would go well with her gorgeous hair color.
Picking it up, she moved to the bathroom and left the door ajar so we could continue talking. “Why not have fun while we’re here? I promise I’d never tell your future wife what you did while we’re in Old Europe.”
I scoffed. “That’s probably what Mason thought.”
“What?”
“That Belle could be an experience and that it would be fun.”
“Who said they didn’t have fun?”
“No, I’m sure they had fun, but look at the disaster that came of it. We’re here because of his actions, and he has let down your family.”
The door to the bathroom opened and Aubri stood with the pantsuit on. “Are you serious? Belle is the sweetest woman Mason could have married. I’m so tired of all the politics and the expectations that because we’re from the Aurelius family, wehave tomarry Northlanders. What if I don’t want to marry at all?”
“You have to. You promised your parents.”
She turned around and pointed with a thumb over her shoulder. “Can you help?”
Walking over I closed the back of her pantsuit that fit her snugly and showed off her hourglass figure. “I’m serious, Aubri. You promised that you’d marry a Northlander when we return.”
“I was buying time. I’m hoping that Thor and Freya have married before we get home. If both of them get hitched with some ideal candidate then I’m off the hook, don’t you think?”
“What’s wrong with Northlander men that you don’t want to marry one of us?”
“Oh, you mean someone like Walker?”
I turned her around. “No, of course not. That guy was a jerk and the way he treated you had nothing to do with you.”
Her gaze lowered from my eyes to my neck where a large scar told a story of a fight that had almost cost me my life. With a sad face, she trailed my scar with her index finger. “I still feel bad about what happened. He could have killed you. Why would you go up against a Huntsman? You know they’re trained to kill in seconds.”
“He insulted and hurt you. I couldn’t just look the other way.”
“I’m a big girl and I have dealt with worse than Walker.” Aubri lowered her hand from my neck and returned to the bathroom with a few beauty items we’d picked up earlier.
For a while we didn’t talk. She made herself pretty while I plunked down on the bed and placed my hands behind my head, thinking back to one of the worst days in my life.
Seven Months Earlier
It had taken years of persuasion, but finally Aubri had managed to convince her brothers to let her come along to a training camp with the Huntsmen. When I heard that she got to train with the elite soldiers in our country, I’d been green with envy.
Huntsmen were respected and admired by all of us Northmen. If I weren’t part of the business empire I was running with my father, I would have loved to join the unit.
After a night of drinking and intense pressure, I’d managed to convince Mason to let me come as well.
Our friend, Sparrow, kept badgering me and Aubri to make Mason invite her as well, but even though Aubri tried, he wouldn’t budge.
On the day we left, Sparrow said too much and accidentally revealed to me that Aubri was interested in one of the Huntsmen, called Walker.
From the moment I met him, I hated that fucker.
Walker was the kind of man who felt superior to others and acted as if everyone wanted to be like him.
