Page 17 of Wed to the Devil

I pick up the can, noting that it is an old brand, the label in French instead of the English I was expecting. I bring it to my mouth and take a sip, letting the sweet fizz dissipate before taking a swallow. For a minute, I eat in silence, polishing off the bread and drinking half of the Canada ginger ale. I don’t know what it is, whether it’s just some combination of the food and drink or whether his mom had it right, but I feel my nausea disappear with a puff of smoke.

Dare eats his own piece of bread with a slice of roast beef, watching me all the while.

“So? Was my mom right?”

I shrug and make a face. “Maybe. We’ll see.”

He looks down, busying himself with another slice. While he’s piling butter and what looks like strawberry jam on one end, he asks his question casually. “What the hell is your deal? Why would you run away like that?”

I put my hands on the table, eyeing another slice of bread. “What exactly are you asking? Are you trying to deny that you tricked me and trapped me into this marriage? Or do you just want to know how I found out about it?”

He gives me a sharp look. “I would love to know your source.”

My mouth lifts a little at the corners. “Of course you would. You want to know who ratted you out so you can keep them from telling your secrets in the future. Have I got that correct?”

He sets his knife down a little too hard and glares at me. “I don’t need the sanctimonious bullshit. I want to know who is talking out of school, though.”

I smirk at him and then pull my cell phone out of my back pocket. I fire off a text to let Olivia know that I am okay, then start to turn my phone off. But I power it back on and find the messages. I hand my phone over to Dare, looking like the cat that ate the fucking canary.

I study his face while he reads the text. He’s a much better poker player than I am because he doesn’t flinch or look worried in any way. He just reads the text and then tosses my phone on the table.

“Well?”

“The number is anonymous. It could be anyone. But I have good money on my twin brother. Sounds like him.”

I drag the phone back across the table and put it in my pocket. “I don’t think you can guess that from a couple lines of text.”

He shrugs. “This is actually good. Burn is already working to pry us apart. It means he is worried about the outcome of the inheritance race.”

He shoves another piece of strawberry jam covered bread in his mouth and brushes his hands off.

“Burn isn’t responsible for your actions. He didn’t make you hire someone to scare my Aunt Minnie half to death or come into the restaurant and annoy me. That was you. You did that. I don’t really care about the rest.”

He rolls his eyes. “That’s not really the point.”

“No? What about that whole thing about how we were going to tell each other the truth about everything? Was that a lie too?”

His lips twitch and his eyes dance with something dark and wicked. “You’re only allowed the truth when it’s convenient for me. The sooner you learn that, the better it is for you.”

I pull my arms across my chest, narrowing my eyes on his face. He looks me up and down and chuckles.

“I can’t trust you. I don’t know how I’m supposed to have a child with you when I have to worry that you will do something horrible to me.”

He shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t see what the big deal is. Trust me or don’t. You’re still married to me. You’re still my wife. I’m still going to be a father, whether you like it or not.”

My lips thin. I can’t figure out how to explain to him that there should be trust between us. He makes me so angry when he orders me around and treats me like a little kid asking for special treatment.

Dare spears his hand and stabs the table with one finger. “You seem to be forgetting what our agreement is. This is a marriage of convenience. You are making things extremely messy with your emotions. I’m telling you right now, it’s easier if you just try not to feel as much about anything. I’ve been stuffing my emotions down for many years and I must say that it has given me excellent results.”

“How can you enjoy anything if nothing feels that good to you?” I demand.

My answer seems to catch Dare by surprise and he furrows his brow. “What do you mean? Don’t I seem like I am having a good time?”

I make a noise of aggravation and bang the table with my fists. “This is another problem that we haven’t even talked about. I want more than some petty, shallow relationship. Don’t you want that? Don’t you need someone that you can confide in and rely on? I know I do.”

Dare stands up and takes a swig out of his can of soda. For a second, I think that he isn’t going to answer me. He lifts the tray with all the food from the table and turns toward the galley kitchen. To my surprise, he waits until he is a few steps away and not facing me before he answers my question.

“It’s not essential, no. I learned years ago that if you trust nobody, you won’t ever be disappointed. Maybe you should start thinking about doing the same.”

---