Page 107 of Princess of Pride
26
PRIDEFUL, STUBBORN PRINCESS
Lachlan
I explain my plan to Rory over the phone, the whole time pacing the floor in front of the dark windows in my study. The sun set a while ago. It’s the only reason I considered taking Emery off the castle grounds.
It’s harder to track a person at night. Shadows and darkness make it easier to get around. Everyone in the village knows who I am. They still consider my family as noble, even though Mum disclaimed the title. With Rory already there, I told him to make sure the pub is secure. No one in or out unless it’s through a door guarded by my men. Once I get the clear from him, I’ll have Connal take us over in the bulletproof Range Rover. Not that I fear an attack, but I’ve grown to be overly cautious, even more so after Emery was nearly kidnapped under my watch.
She didn’t mean half as much to me back then. She was always important, but what I feel for her now is more than I should have allowed. I’m great at compartmentalizing myemotions—well, I used to be. She’s hacking away at the hard shell surrounding my heart, causing cracks.
I knew fucking her would be good. I didn’t expect her to take everything I gave and like it. She gets turned on when I dominate her. Having this prideful, stubborn princess bend for me is beyond what I imagined. The other night I fucked her over a chair after binding her hands and she came on my dick harder than she ever has. Before I slept with her, I considered letting her go back to America to a property I bought for us already and had secured with top-of-the-line technology. It has a guardhouse with a gate, like the castle grounds, and is on its own island with its own private causeway. I was going to send her there for a week with me shadowing her, unbeknownst to her. I even had the guest house set up for me. There are two. One near the pool, and one nestled in the trees on one side of the secluded island. That one is farther from the main estate. She’d be too distracted by the coastline to venture there. I’d chosen it because I prefer the ocean. I had no idea she would too. It’s in Connecticut, but in the far south, closest to Manhattan and Spencer Securities main office.
My phone rings with Wes’s name on the screen.
I answer on speaker. “I was about to call you.”
“Rory said you needed my help.”
“I do. I’m taking Emery to the pub.”
Wes sighs in disappointment. “This isn’t like you, and the timing is the worst—unless you want to get rid of her and are hoping Angus will take her off your hands.”
My jaw tightens. “I’ll kill Angus before I ever let him or his spies touch her.”
“Now, he’s worth killing? Because she sat on your dick finally? Must be some pussy.”
Red clouds my vision. “Talk about her like that again, and I’ll have your tongue.”
“This is what I mean. You’ve never acted this way over a woman.”
Meaning Tessa. “Not a woman,” I snarl. “Mywife.”
“You don’t love her. If you did, you wouldn’t be destroying her father’s company to appease your own needs.”
“Not just my own. It was my mum’s dying wish,” I remind him. “It’s for Rory too.” Wes needs to accept this is the future and stop trying to fight it.
“Tell it to her. Explain how she’s the sacrificial lamb in a much bigger arrangement? Tell her that Angus tried to take her because you flaunted her in his face—the daughter of the man who holds the key to his future empire. You knew he’d want her for himself. That’s why you invited him to the wedding. You even said he could fuck her once you’ve had your fill. I bet you haven’t told yourwifeabout any of that?”
“Shut your mouth before you push me too far.” I grind my molars to keep from losing my shit on him. It’s what he wants. He thinks if he argues his point, I’ll change my mind. It’s too late for that.
I only said Angus could fuck Emery out of spite, after she humiliated me by bolting on our wedding day. He knows that, just like he knows how I feel about her now. She’s under my skin so deep, I’ve scrapped the plan to hand over Spencer Securities once it’s mine.
I’mthe reason we’ve got this new clusterfuck with Angus.
Emery
Panic grips me by the throat and squeezes, leaving me fighting for air. I back out of Lachlan’s office, making my steps as light as possible. Once I’m in the hallway and around the corner, I lean against the wall for support.
The door was open. I even knocked before entering, but he didn’t reply. I heard him talking and went in. He was on the far side of the large office on the phone. I was going to wait for him to finish like I did the last time. A month ago, when I told him I wanted to leave.
I recognized Wes’s voice at once, although nothing could have prepared me for what he said.
My entire body shakes as I try to calm my frantic heart. Lachlan is using me. He doesn’t care about me or Spencer Securities. He intends to give it to Angus along with me after he gets his fill.
My stomach pitches. Fear and heartache fill my eyes with tears.
I’ve given myself to this man repeatedly. I trusted him with my body and even allowed him into a crevice in my heart, despite my better judgment. And here, he was using me to fulfill his needs and protect his family legacy at the expense of my heart and my family’s business, with every intention of discarding me when he was done.
