Page 11 of His Scandalous Siren
“Drew,” she answered in a prim tone.
“Why?” He tilted his head to the side. Drew didn’t need her to explain why. She’d had her mind set on him for years. This little stunt shouldn’t surprise him. Sofia had finally got her wish. She would be his wife, but that didn’t mean he had to make things easy for her. Their marriage would be in name only.
At least he hoped it would.
She was far more tempting than he had given her credit for. He couldn’t recall her body ever being so luscious or full before. Admittedly, it had been years since he had last seen her. The war had made travel difficult for them all.
“Do not act as if I made you do any of this,” she said. There was a haughtiness to her tone that rankled him.
“You know it would never have made it this far if I had realized who you were.” He had to point out the obvious. Sofia had always been untouchable. Drew knew the stakes and had not wanted to be tied down. It was a good thing he had already decided to marry her before he had realized who she was. Otherwise, his anger would have been much deeper and more volatile.
“I did,” she admitted. “But I also didn’t come here intending for this to happen.”
“Then why did you come here?”
She shrugged. “I don’t see how that is pertinent to our discussion.”
“You broached that topic, and now I demand an answer.” Did he even care? Not really, but he had to make this as difficult as possible for her. Drew felt justified somehow. She had deceived him, not the other way around.
Sofia sighed. “If you must know…” She glanced away. “Do you think you could let me go while we discuss this?”
“No,” Drew answered in a mulish tone. “You’ll run, and we are staying right here until this is settled.”
“I think that the idea of running has passed its mark. I have no place I can go that I can remain hidden from you.”
It was good she realized that. Though the thought of the hunt did sound appealing. Drew never chased women. Why was he willing to make an exception for Sofia? “We’re staying as is. At least for the moment. Now answer the question.”
“What question?” Her lips quirked upward. She was making fun of him now.
Drew ground his teeth together. “Do not test my patience, pet. Now tell me why you were here.”
“Oh, all right,” she spat out. “I’m tired of being a spinster. I overheard someone talking about the masquerade and decided I should understand what I’ve been missing. I wanted to have fun.”
Fun? “You set out to seduce a man?” She had definitely been a siren that had been difficult to ignore. “Do you realize how scandalous your behavior has been?” How had he never seen she had a wicked side? Perhaps this was something new. He couldn’t be certain, but he did know one thing. He liked this version of Sofia, and he couldn’t wait to unravel every aspect of it.
“If I didn’t before, I certainly do now.” She lifted her chin in defiance. Part of him wanted to kiss her until she moaned again. Now wasn’t the time though. “You schooled me well in the pleasures of the flesh.”
“Pet,” he drawled. “I’ve not nearly begun showing you all the things that will make your body sing with pleasure.” Drew leaned down so his mouth was next to her ear. “And if you’re lucky enough, we can spend many, many more hours exploring it all.”
He should tell her now that they were going to wed. It might ease her distress, but instead he stepped back and released her. Drew had a lot to think about before he insisted on their marriage. “You may go now,” he said and shooed her away with a flick of his hand. “I’ll find you later.”
Her mouth fell open in shock. He lifted his lips in a satisfied smirk. Good. He didn’t want her to have unrealistic expectations where he was concerned. She shook her head, but the hurt in her eyes was evident. That made him feel…Drew didn’t want to examine how it made him feel. Then he might have to admit something he wasn’t quite ready for. Instead, he turned his back to her. The soft click of the door closing was his only indication she had left.
