Page 76 of Princess of Pride
Angus and his father killed my dad—Rory’s dad too—and my mum, as far as I’m concerned.
Loss and a broken heart are what sent her over the edge of the cliff. The disease would have finished her off eventually, but she couldn’t wait. She’d suffered enough heartache.
The last thing she said to me still haunts my mind.
“Nothing will break you more than love. It doesn’t last and when it’s gone, you’re left with a black hole that never heals. Guard your heart until the end. That which can’t be shattered stays strong.”
This is why I turn cold on Emery and leave after we're intimate. Staying could stir feelings I refuse to allow with anyone. I might not be able to give her my heart, but I can give her the best sex of her life. I can keep her satiated and spoiled. None of these will make her happy though. Happiness is a choice. All I can do is try to save her from depression, if she’s suffering from it.
I need to know what caused her to run to the cliffs. I meant it when I said I’d tie her up. I’ll tie her to my bed and fuck her out of her mind. She’ll be so high on pleasure she won’t want to come down. She doesn’t have any addictions, but something sent her down a dark hole. I know all about that. I’ve been pulling myself out of a black pit ever since I watched my father get murdered. Wes helped me cope. We were in Eton together. He introduced me to fighting in underground rings as a way to release the rage and betrayal I felt after the loss of my dad. I became obsessed with it.
Nothing settles me the way fighting does. Well, nothing did until Emery. Taming her—watching her eyes change from hate to lust and her body become putty in my hands—turns me upside down and gives me tunnel vision. I have only one goal at that point—consume her. Make her forget that anything else exists in the world. Make her come undone. Make her come.
When she did for the first time—was it just this afternoon?—I’ve never seen such splendor. Her tight pussy clamped my fingers like a vise grip. I could only imagine what it’d feel like to be inside her. She screamed with her release and nearly passed out.
Knocking sounds on my bedroom door, pulling me from my thoughts.
I slide on my shoes and walk into the bedroom. When I open the door, Wes is standing there, his arms crossed.
“What?” I snap. He usually texts me.
“Just checking to see if you’re alive.”
“Why?” I look at my watch. 9:15. Shit.
He stares past me into the room.
“She’s not in here.”
“Why are you late then?”
“I had to make sure she wasn’t suicidal.”
He doesn’t press me, knowing it’s a sore subject. He knew my mum, and he knows what happened to Emery today. No one saw her other than Stella, but as with most households, gossip spreads fast among the staff and then to everyone else. To save Emery from the humiliation of an audience, I had Lorna ask for discretion and force everyone into their rooms so when I brought Emery inside, she wouldn’t be a spectacle.
“She’s just a business deal,” Wes says, his blue eyes impassive like always. No one can turn off his emotions like Wes.
I level him with a harsh gaze. “I know what she is.”
He laughs through his nose and shakes his head. “You’re letting her get to you. You’ll regret it.”
“See, that’s your problem, Wes. You think showing consideration makes you weak. I couldn’t be successful at what I do if I didn’t invest in the people under my care—and there are many. You for one. Your sister. Rory. The castle and grounds staff. The distillery workers. The investors and employees at Spencer Securities—atallmy businesses. Mywife.” If he thinks I wouldn’t help her, he’s wrong. “Leave people to their own devices, and they’ll end up being their own downfall.”
My dad and mum were. Rory’s dad, Ewan, was too. Angus’s side of the MacReid are. Even Garyn is a detriment to himself. If he weren’t, he wouldn’t have fallen prey to my plan.
“Tell everyone we’ll be down shortly.” I turn on my heel and walk to Emery’s room.
Wes won’t admit it, but his problem with Emery has to do with his sister. Tessa doesn’t care—well, she didn’t when we discussed this three years ago. She understood we were fuck buddies. She said it was all she wanted too. I’m her boss, for Christ’s sake. She knows her place, but Wes wanted her to be more.
He doesn’t want an outsider entering our tight circle. If it were up to him, he’d offer Angus a partnership at my London business. If he didn’t except, Wes would kill him. His son, Knox, who’s set to inherit the castle after him, isn’t as sadistic. But nothing changes a man more than losing his father to murder.
I would know.
The deal with Angus is almost done. Finally. I even sent him the last part of the agreement—proof that Rory has a small percentage of MacReid blood through Ewan. Thank fuck for that and for DNA. It was a major key in getting him to agree to Rory keeping the castle, as long as I’m gone.
I have to trust that Angus will uphold his end of the deal and finally put the past and this feud to rest, now that all the pieces are in place and I can deliver what I promised three years ago.
Unlike him and his father, murder has never been my preferred course of action. I’d rather end this civilly than risk a MacReid vendetta that could one day threaten my future children—or Rory’s.
