Page 44 of Princess of Pride
“He has a crime lord look about him that says,I want to gouge your eyes out.”
“Crime lord? Hmm.” He rubs the dark stubble on his jaw as he studies the man.
Rory talks to him in that easygoing way he spoke to me when he scooped me off the ground at the wedding. The man laughs at something Rory says. My eyes bulge with shock when his naturally granite expression softens with a genuine smile.
“His name is Wesley Hale,” Lachlan says, eyeing me as I stare at the man. “Wes, for short. He’s my business partner and a longtime friend.”
“You have friends?” I ask, half mocking him but half serious. I don’t know Lachlan well enough to know his social life, but from what I’ve seen, he’s all work and no play.
“I should gag that mouth.” He stares at my lips.
Gag? He can’t be serious.
Despite my arguing about our terms, I’ve always been good at memorizing important things. The section in our agreement about sex was important. I branded it to memory.
I raise my chin. “Per our agreement, sex and all sex acts must be consensual by both parties.”
I wouldn’t have signed that section had it stated anything else. I figured it was there regarding Lachlan’s desire for me to carry his child in my womb. Maybe he’d want to experiment and try the natural way to conceive—assuming we bond and share a mutual respect for one another. I also figured we could cross that bridge when we get there.
Continuing, I say, “I do not consent to being gagged or give consent for you to touch any part of my body.”
His lips tighten. I can’t tell if he’s angry or fighting a smirk. “I can touch you in public.”
“We’re not in public. I would also think you’d realize that after my behavior on our wedding day, forcing public displays of affection on me have unfavorable results.”
“You have yet to uphold your end of the agreement. Whatmakes you think I’ll uphold mine?” His aqua gaze tightens in challenge. “Did you forget about the part that states if either party refuses to fully perform the terms of the contract, the non-breaching party may renegotiate the contract per their discretion.”
I remember it now. Dammit. I signed it believing it wouldn’t be used. Why would either of us refuse to play our parts? Little did I know what I was getting myself into. Closing my eyes, I take a steadying breath.
The leather seat creaks as Lachlan leans to my ear, touching me with only his warm breath. “What will it be,Cat-fiadhaich.”
“What is that? Kat-fee-ah-eegh,” I repeat how it sounds to me.
He arches a brow impressed with how well I pronounced the word. Words? “It’s Gaelic and what I named the cat.”
I scowl and reply with my usual disdain. “I wouldn’t have guessed you were a cat owner.”
“Thecastlehad a stray cat. Lorna used to feed it so it didn’t starve, and sheltered it in the winter so it didn’t freeze to death.”
“Used to?”
He shrugs. “It stopped coming around.”
“Who’s Lorna?” Anger darkens my tone, not jealousy. No jealousy at all over here. I don’t care that a woman lives at his castle. I don’t!
His mouth twitches at the corner. If I ever see him smile, I’ll die of shock. “Lorna is the only person who can tell me what to do.”
“Your mother then.” I roll my eyes.
“My mother died over a year ago.” Sadness seeps into his rich voice and makes me regret my snarky eyeroll.
“I’m sorry.” I want to ask how she died, but I doubt he’dshare something that personal with me. Maybe one day, if we stop this bickering and find a way to get along.
He releases a slow breath, his gaze forward but distant. It’s the most emotion I’ve ever seen from him. A knock sounds on his window.
“Are we doing this or what?” Wesley, Wes, says.
I expected him to be Scottish like Rory, but he’s English and sounds similar to Henry Cavill.
