Page 90 of Gilded Locks
“But I wasn’t…” She looked away. Why was she telling him this? “Never mind.”
He caught her chin and forced her to meet his stare. “What then?”
Her lips pressed tight. “Ash. We were together earlier today, and he…”
Understanding dawned and his expression hardened. He drew back, now standing at his full height. “I see.”
“You’re upset.”
“No.”
“You are.”
“You belong to all of us.”
That might be what they agreed, but he was still pissed. Hunter was more territorial than the others. “I did it for you. You said you didn’t want me after them, that I should be…” She recalled how much she needed to get clean when she returned to her room. “I felt filthy.”
“You regret being with Ash?”
“No, but I wanted to be fresh. For you.”
His nostrils flared as he studied her face. “For me?”
She nodded. Pride warred with need, but need was winning. “I don’t know why. You’re not even nice to me.”
“I’m not easy like my brothers.”
“None of you are easy. But I’m trying, Hunter. Truly, I am.”
He stepped closer. “That is why you want to speak Russian.”
“I’ll never speak it like you, but I’d like to understand it better if I’m staying here.”
“You honestly plan to stay?”
“You’ve left me little choice.”
“There’s always a choice, Lisichka.”
“Well, I prefer this prison over the one my family chose.”
“Not a prison. A fortress. It’s a privilege to be our guest.”
“I believe you. But not if you want to hurt and punish me.”
“You’re braver than you realize.”
Her lashes lowered.
“Marigold.” He delicately traced a finger over her cheek.
For the first time, she truly felt the loss of herself in the mix of surrendering her family and past. “When this is over, that might not be my name.”
“But it is your name. Don’t let them take it from you when they’ve already stolen so much.”
“How did you…?”
“Ash.”
