Page 51 of The Exception

“Almost ready!” she called out.

“It’s me, Graham. Can I come in?”

“I, um—” There was a pause. “Now?” she squeaked.

Her voice was much closer now, and I imagined her standing on the other side of the door. I wondered what her dress looked like. I wondered if she was as nervous as I was.

“Yes, now,” I said, knowing this was a conversation that couldn’t be avoided.

The door remained closed. “Is everything okay?”

I shoved my hands in my pockets and rocked on my heels. “Can I please just come in?”

“But it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding.”

I leaned closer, careful to keep my voice low. “Not sure that applies, given the circumstances.”

“Fine,” she huffed, and the door swung open.

It was as if someone had punched a hole in my chest. She was gorgeous. I lost the ability to speak. To breathe.

Her seductive curves were encased in white silk that hugged her like a second skin. The material draped over her breasts, dipping low and hanging on by two thin straps that looked as if they might snap at the slightest provocation.

“Envoûtante,”I whispered, desperate to touch her but afraid to all the same. She didn’t belong to me. She could never belong to me, and yet, she was absolutely bewitching. Enchanting.

Her cheeks pinkened, and she dipped her head, her hair falling forward and hiding her face from my view. When she glanced at me from beneath her lashes, the look was so fucking coy. So coquettish, my cock stirred in appreciation.

I closed the door before facing her once more.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, twisting her hands together.

More than okay.No. Wait.I shook my head as if to shake some sense into myself. I’d come here to talk to her about the wedding, and seeing her had made me forget all about it.Shit.This was bad. Really bad.

I took Lily’s hand in mine and guided her over to the bench at the foot of the bed. I sank down onto it, and after a moment’s hesitation, she took a seat next to me.

“I—” I released her hand and twisted my ring on my pinkie, torn between a loyalty to the past, what I’d always seen as my duty, and the future. Not just my own, but Lily’s, my family’s, and that of the entire Huxley Grand brand.

I dragged a hand through my hair, struggling to find the right words. Any words, really.

“Graham?” Her tone was gentle, but I sensed her uncertainty all the same.

“I haven’t been completely honest with you.” There. That was a start.

“Are you…” She lifted a shaky hand. “Oh shit. Are you calling off the wedding?”

I took her hand in mine. I rubbed my thumb over the back of her hand, soothed by the contact.

“I want you to know that this has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me.” When she said nothing, I placed my finger beneath her chin, guiding her eyes to mine. “You believe me, right?”

“Oh my god.” She gasped. “You are, aren’t you?”

There were so many reasons for and against this marriage, and all of them were important. My family. The brand. Her château. My integrity.

I took a deep breath and released it slowly. This was my problem, not Lily’s. Which was why I forced myself to say, “I am, but I’ll still invest in the château as promised, assuming we can agree to a fifteen percent return.”

She was quiet for a minute, and I would’ve paid anything to know what she was thinking.

“That’s very generous of you.”

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