Page 30 of Marry Lies
Fuck.
Not only did I force her into this marriage andpressureher into it, but I also made sure she was legally bound to someone as deformed as me.
A sharp pang of self-loathing rolls through me.
She deserves better, but I needher.
And yeah, that makes me a gigantic asshole, but I need to look out for myself and my family. Besides, it’s not like she’ll be miserable here. She will have access to the castle, my connections, and eventually, a lot of money to start her clothing line.
It isn’t like she’s being sentenced to a year in Alcatraz.
Taking a step back, I hold my hands up. “What can I say to get you to marry me, Estelle?”
With furrowed brows, she tilts her head slightly as she studies me. “You can call me Stella, for starters,” she murmurs under her breath. “Even if I did agree, how do you know I wouldn’t crawl out of the bathroom window on the big day?”
My lips twitch, but I don’t give her the satisfaction of knowing I find her amusing. She’d gloat about it and never let me live it down.
“I suppose I’ll have to trust you.”
I reach behind her, grabbing a green apple and bringing it to my mouth. My abdomen grazes her chest as I do, and her eyes track my movements, dark blue irises roaming over my face and neck unabashedly. If it wasn’t for the way her eyes keep darting down to my scars, I might say that Estelle Deveraux is attracted to me.
“You should try a biscuit,” she says, placing her hands on the counter behind her.
I cock my head. “Is that your way of saying yes?”
She shrugs. “It depends which biscuit you choose. I have to make sure we’re truly compatible.”
I smile as I chew. Everything that comes out of her mouth is surprising. Taking another bite of my apple, I walk over to the tin and open it, peeking inside. A rectangular one catches my eye—shortbread, I think. I hold it up and take a bite.
“Delicious,” I say, shoving the rest in my mouth. “Did I pass?”
She smirks as she walks over to where I’m standing. Reaching into the tin, she grabs the same kind of shortbread cookie I just devoured.
“For now. I’m still waiting for you to make this all worth my while, Miles,” she says, her voice low.
And fuck me,because that voice goes straight to my cock.
Taking a slow bite, she smiles as she walks away. “This weekend, then. Make it happen. I’ll see you at the altar.”
After she’s gone, I rub my face with my hand.
I’d been attracted to many women in my lifetime. And though I didn’t sleep around that much, I still enjoyed the eccentricities of each of those relationships.
But with Estelle? There’s something different about her. Something resilient and vulnerable at the same time. I’ve never had a near stranger call me out like she does. Sure, my brothers do it, but they’re family.
I look at the blue tins full of her things, unlatching the biscuit tin and quickly swiping another rectangle into my mouth.
For the sake of both of our sanities, keeping our distance would be best.
No taunting, no arguing, no flirting…it’s safer if I keep away from her for the entirety of the year.
It’ll be better for both of us.
I need to think of this for what it is: a business transaction and nothing more.
I throw my apple core in the trash and grab one more biscuit.
Fuck, these are good.
