Page 43 of Princess of Pride
“Lucky for you, I’m not offering any of those to you ever.”
He snickers and straightens away. “We’ll see.”
Small laughter escapes through my nose. I’ve lived a life of forced chastity. I’ve had years of practice cooling my raging hormones. If he thinks he can seduce me into his bed, he’s in for a surprise.
“What was that snicker about?” he asks like I assumed he would.
“None of your business.”
“Everything you do from now on is my business.”
So smug.
We take an off ramp following signs to a private airport.
“If you think you can cage me, you’re wrong.” This marriage meant I was free.
“Call it what you want. A cage. A castle. Either way, it’s your penitentiary for the next month.”
That draws my glowering face from the window. My pulse climbs. “I’m not going to Scotland. That’s not part of the plan.”
It might have been an idea of mine to join him on his travels to get away from my controlling mother but not under these circumstances. Not when I know he wants to fuck me and is confident he can. As strong as my resolve is, I figured I’d stay away from him. Out of sight, out of mind and loins. Being a virgin, my first time—especially if its mind-blowing—will put me at risk of falling under a love spell. Nothing good comes from love in a marriage.
“You can’t make me go.”
He arches a brow in challenge. “I can make you do anything with one word. Raphael. I can either leave him alone or ruin both his life and his dad’s.”
Dread settles in my chest. He knows he helped me. Of course, he knows.
“How quickly you forgot about my warning to stay away from him.”
“He’s innocent,” I blurt. “I forced him to help me. Just like you forced me to flee when you threatened to expose my breasts at our wedding.”
“I threatened to do more than that.” A smirk dances in his eyes.
Why does he look and sound like a sexy villain from a fantasy romance book? Worse, why do I find it hot? I hate that I’m as turned on as I am scared by this twisted side of him.
“You understand, don’t you?” he asks, his tone serious. “If you behave. I’ll behave.”
Meaning if I go with him, he’ll leave Raphael and his dad alone.
I nod in agreement, aware of another fact. Even if I disagreed, he would carry me kicking and screaming onto the plane and enjoy doing it.
10
TRUST ME
We pull up to the brightly lit covered entrance of the private airport. Darkness surrounds the area with minimal lights illuminating the surrounding industrial buildings.
“You have two choices.” Lachlan’s fingers and thumb touch at the tips from where they rest between his spread legs. “Wait in this car with Connal as your chaperone.” As if on cue, the partition separating the driver from us rolls down, revealing the hulking man. “Or you can accompany me into the airport and wait for my guests to join us.”
“What guests?” Just as I ask, another Mercedes limo pulls up next to ours.
Lachlan’s brother gets out, along with the other man at the wedding who looked like he wanted to slit my throat.
“Who’s the guy with the blonde hair?” I lift my chin in his direction.
Lachlan’s gaze darkens. “Why?”
