Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 23382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 117(@200wpm)___ 94(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 117(@200wpm)___ 94(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
I thought we didn’t have secrets between us.
As Elise continues her perusal of my workspace, I tidy up after another long day. My team left two hours ago, but I stayed behind to finalize the details on two of my summer daywear designs. I’m putting away my scattered charcoal pencils when I look up and freeze. A pencil slips from my grip, hitting the table with a louder ruckus than I thought possible for something so small.
Elise turns toward the door where the chancellor stands on the threshold. As if my thoughts from a few moments ago conjured his presence.
“Will you give us a few minutes?” he asks my lady.
She nods before sliding past him into the hall, and I pick up the dropped pencil with feigned nonchalance.
Because anger triggers my heart into an adrenaline-induced rhythm.
“I wanted to talk to you about the other night,” he says, shutting the door behind him. But he doesn’t lock it like Sebastian did last week…right before he licked me to insanity.
“What is there to talk about? Sebastian had me against that wall over there,” I say, pointing to the spot where his rival had me spread, “and he ate my pussy, giving me the most explosive orgasm I’ve ever had.” I meet the shock in Liam’s dark eyes. “I only showed up at his house the other night to return the favor.”
Liam says nothing at first, and I can tell he’s struggling to formulate a reply. To make sense of my blunt, harsh tone.
“You’re upset,” he finally says, stepping closer. “Why?”
“Because you didn’t tell me.”
He searches my face, and I pinpoint the exact moment guilt trickles into his expression. He averts his eyes. “You’re talking about the queen’s monthly duty.”
“Is that a question, Chancellor? Or is there something else you haven’t told me?”
Bracing his weight with both hands on the table between us, he lets out a sigh of resignation. “I knew this day would come. I just wanted to protect you from it for as long as I could.”
“But you can’t protect me from this, can you?”
“No.”
“Do you believe the island is cursed?”
He looks up with mild surprise. “Yes.”
“And this tradition…is it something you accept?”
“It’s part of our culture, Novalee. Queens have held this duty for centuries.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
He blinks, and his mouth thins into a frustrated slant. “I accept it because I have to.” He makes his way around the table, and instead of retreating, I stand my ground as his fingers brush my cheek. “Do you think I want you with anyone else?” His tormented gaze shutters for a few moments.
As if he can’t stand to look at me knowing I’ve been intimate with him.
Some of my anger seeps from my bones. “I don’t know what to think. I care about you both, but he—” My voice cracks, and I try again. “He’s the one who had the balls to tell me the truth.”
“I’m sorry I let you down, my sweet girl.”
He truly is, the pain of his betrayal making him bow his head in shame, and I’m reminded once again of how opposite Liam and Sebastian are, despite both of them harboring fire.
Liam and his controlled temper.
Sebastian and his unrestrained passion.
And I’m caught in the middle, a combustible cloud of air between them.
He drops his hand from my cheek, the set of his shoulders dejected. “If I win the auction, I’ll have no choice but to share you, but you can always count on my loyalty. Always, Novalee.”
“What does loyalty mean to you? Does it mean telling me the truth even when you’d rather protect me from it?”
“It means that for as long as you love me back, I’ll never touch another. No one else will have my heart, Novalee.” A warning sparks in his eyes. “I’m not sure Sebastian can tell you the same.”
“Why do you say that?” I retreat a few steps, as if the backward shuffle of my feet have the power to pull back the question.
He’s talking about the models. That has to be it. But just because beautiful women surround Sebastian daily, it doesn’t mean he’s involved with them.
Last month when he painted my portrait for Mr. Bordeaux, he told me he’s never wanted the models like he wanted me.
“He’ll hurt you, my sweet girl.” Liam frowns. “You think you know him, but you don’t.”
“What don’t I know about him, Chancellor?” I cross my arms and wait for an answer, but Liam remains stubbornly silent.
Because the secrets surrounding me inside these curved walls aren’t finished with me yet.
Chapter Eleven
The doors to the ballroom stand open across from the dining room. Guests decked out in formal wear come and go as soft music drifts into the hallway.
After the dinner portion of the evening, I slipped away and found myself several feet down the hall in front of the portrait of Evangeline Castle. Now I’m riveted to the spot, lingering in the shadows as I stare at the root of this madness.