Page 59 of The Sculptor

If I had thought he was going to be this difficult, I would have hitched a ride to his office and listened for my freaking self!

“Do not make me stab you,” I threaten, holding the brush up like it’s a real weapon. “I’d hate to damage something so beautiful, but I will.”

My patience is fleeting.

“Aww. You think I’m beautiful, Ray?” He grins up at me through his long lashes that he should not have out of pure principle.

“I think you’re a beautiful liar,” I say instead. “And if you don’t tell me what happened today, I will call Vance”—I cast him atry melook—“or Langston. Either way, I will get the truth.”

I agreed to sit out a round in this fight, not get kicked off the team because my husband has some kind of hero complex.

“Don’t threaten me, Ray. I’ve heard enough of those for one day.”

He leans up on his elbows, and the motion jostles me forward on his hips.

I grin. “Langston threatened you?”

This is progress, so I brush his cock with my center to keep him talking.

It works, but he shoots me a disappointed look, anyway. “Yes, but it was an empty threat. All Langston can do is tarnish the Potter name—nothing catastrophic.”

I scoff. “That is a big deal, Duke!”

He shrugs. “You and I both know that’s just our pride talking. At the end of the day, I’m still the same person I was before. No matter what Langston says about me.”

He lies back on the rug, taking me with him. “We’ve been here before, Ray,” he chides, plucking the paintbrush from my fingers and tossing it to the floor. “And just like last time, we’ll stay calm and let them talk. We know who we are. We know the truth. Our ‘good’ name is merely a perception of who peoplethinkwe are. A reputation—good or bad—does nothing but fuel an opinion. We don’t need it.”

“I know,” I argue, but it comes out feebly, “but you’ve worked so hard to restore your reputation with your family.”

He offers me a sweet smile. “A reputation that only means something to them. I know who I am, Ray. I know the kind of person who lives in here.”

He places my hand over his heart. “That man is faithful and honorable to the woman he loves.”

Here he goes, playing with my ovaries again.

“I don’t need to earn the respect of others,” he continues. “I live for an audience of one.”

Me.

I fight back the tears and snuggle closer, inhaling the scent of soap and bourbon.

“Don’t worry about the Potter reputation, Ray. The truth always finds its way to the surface.”

I get it. I really do, but should we just sit idly by and let some asshole destroy everything we’ve worked for?

I’m thinking no.

“As incredibly sweet as that is,” I tell him softly, sliding my hands through his hair, “shouldn’t we at least try to do some damage control? At least for your brothers’ sake? Should they suffer Langston tarnishing their good name, too? Are we allowing the innocent to pay for our war?”

“Are we not innocent, too?”

Gah, this is not coming out right. “Yes, we are, but Duke…”

“But nothing, Ray. This might be our war, but we’re not alone. The good will always answer our call and prepare for war. No matter what Vance and Astor believe, they know me. They know the value of family. Even if I asked them to sit this one out, they wouldn’t. Because they know I would do the same for them. No matter the casualties, I would fight for my brothers. I would fight for their futures—their children’s futures. Because that is who we are.”

“Maybe so,” I say softly, “but your brothers don’t know the full story yet. They won’t agree to your war without knowing the truth. You have to tell them.”

Duke waves away my concern and captures my lips softly in a chaste kiss. “We’ll worry about that later. For now, we’ll let Langston talk. Let him spread whatever rumors he conjures up because it will only make him look guilty. And guilty men eventually make mistakes.”

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