Page 46 of Wretched Heart
As she turns back to face my stony expression, her smile doesn’t falter. If anything, her lips curve even more, pinching her rosy cheeks.
“He’s sixty-four, Hunter. And as much as I love him, I don’t think I’d get used to the reek of tobacco. The man’s a walking ashtray.”
My gaze remains cool. “And why should that interest me?”
Maddie rests her chin on her hand. “Sorry, my mistake. For a minute there, I thought you were jealous.” She’s still fucking smiling.
“The next time you see him, you’ll be mine. Why would I be jealous?”
“Yours?” she challenges.
“For the duration,” I qualify.
Her smile slowly fades. “What is it with you and your brothers? Mace said something about you all agreeing never to get married. Is it some weird pact you’ve made?”
I take another swig of water. “It’s not a pact,” I reply. “More like a realization that the three of us came to together.”
“The three of you? So, you’re not including Reid?”
“In case you hadn’t noticed, Reid comes from a different mold. He might reach the same conclusion as us one day, but if someone has to continue the Griffin line, I’d rather it were him.”
“You don’t want kids?”
“I just think Reid has better genes.”
Maddie stills for a moment and I feel exposed under her gaze. “You have good genes, Hunter. Take that from someone who knows what bad ones look like.”
There’s a flicker of a thought that takes me unawares. It’s an image of Maddie wearing my ring as she rests her hand on her swollen belly, followed by one of me holding a newborn. I run a hand over my face, rubbing at my creased brow. She’s not just under my skin, she’s in my head too. All the fucking time.
“You don’t know me, Maddie,” I say a little too harshly. “And I’m not going to hang around long enough for you to find out. Now that Hugo’s willing to make a deal, it won’t be long before our business is concluded. This could make for a very short marriage.”
I don’t like how she winces at my harsh words, but I have to continue. If I’m going to justify my actions to Ash, I need to establish that we’d explored every option.
“Of course,” I add, forcing the words out. “If you’d like to agree to the takeover here and now, you don’t need to step off the plane. With both yours and Hugo’s consent, we don’t have to go through with the wedding to make the deal happen.”
Maddie’s face goes pale, then crimson. I can feel the anger radiating off her, but instead of answering back, she presses her lips into a tight line. My pulse picks up a beat. Is she going to agree? I know I could never keep her, but I’d wanted to know what it would be like to call her my wife, if only for a short while.
Panic rises up through my chest. The wedding is all arranged. We need to go through with it. Iwantto go through with it. I just don’t want to admit why.
I meet her hard stare. “Or are you going to follow through with your threat to veto the sale unless I marry you?” I prompt her.
Say it, Maddie, I silently plead. Tell me I have no choice. Give me a rational explanation for my actions.
“You want me to force you into marrying me?” she asks, her voice rasping as if I’m the one holding her by the throat this time.
I keep my expression neutral, but I don’t like how she cocks her head as if she sees right through me.
“Fine then, Hunter. I’m forcing you into this. But just so we’re clear, it’s not a husband I want,” she says, her jibe aimed straight at my heart. “It’s the prenup that guarantees I have a role to play in the future of the mill once you get your divorce.”
I don’t believe her for second, but lying to each other is how it has to be. Being angry with each other is how it has to be. Sometimes I hate my life.
“Ourdivorce,” I correct her. I might want to marry Maddie for my own twisted need to claim her, but the divorce is for her sake. “And afterwards, you’ll be free to make a life of your own with someone who’s worthy of your…” I stall on the word love.
“Virginity?” she asks, hurt sharpening her words.
I return the scowl she gives me. “That too.” My stomach twists at the thought of another man fucking her, and I speak without thinking. “Although, given your history, I might need to vet any potential suitors.”
Maddie’s jaw moves as she chews the inside of her cheek. “I doubt I could do worse than my last two choices.”
