Dougal chuckles unkindly. “If our positions were reversed, I’m pretty sure I’d be dead and moldering in a landfill somewhere. You have no moral high ground here.”
“It’s not about that.” Grinding my teeth, I try to think of the right approach. “Concessions. What do you want from me to let me speak to my father? And don’t say sex!”
He laughs and it makes me want to crack the flower vase over his head. “Concessions. Very diplomatic. Hmm… Behave properly for the next three days. We eat meals together. Not being as… prickly as you are. Then you can speak to him. Yeah?” He even smiles.
The bastard. I feel like I’ve successfully negotiated with a terrorist. “Okay.” I force the words out even though it feels painful dragging them from my throat. “Thank you.”
His gaze has settled on my cleavage and I realize my robe is working loose.
Pulling it closed, I nod rapidly. “I’ll just get dressed and be down for dinner then.” Without waiting to see if he’s leaving, I seize the closest clothing on the bed and speed walk back into the bathroom to change.
The silence as I head downstairs is unsettling. I find Dougal in the kitchen, dishing up two big plates of stew.
“Where is everyone?” I hover awkwardly in the doorway. I don’t like it being just the two of us. There’s an uncomfortable intimacy in it.
“Lachlan had to head back into Edinburgh for some meetings,” he says, bringing the bowls to the big wooden table by the window, “the guards have their own quarters in the back. Don’t worry,” he grins a bit spitefully, “they’re all over the property.”
“So murdering you won’t do anything?” I smile sweetly.
“What was that I said about behaving nicely?” he reminds me, and my smile drops.
“Aye, I’ll behave.”
He’s making that unsettling visual circuit of me again, looking me over from the top of my head to my toes, and taking his time about it. “I somehow doubt it, wife. Sit down. Let’s eat.”
Part of me wants to throw that bowl of stew right in his face and hope it’s searing hot and will melt his pretty face. Okay, the largest percentage of me. Then I think of Papa and I sit down. I can’t remember when I ate last and I need to keep up my strength, right?
We’re both silent, I’m loving the stew because it’s insanely delicious and it’s taking everything in me to not gobble it down like a farm animal. Dougal watches me with a little smile, and when I slow down, he pours me a glass of wine and offers me a thick slice of bread.
“This is amazing,” I moan, trying not to sound orgasmic and probably failing. “Do you have a chef here?”
“I made it.”
My spoon’s poised above the remains of my stew. “You can cook?”
“Don’t sound so shocked,” he chuckles, refilling my wine glass. “My mother insisted we all know some basic cooking skills. How to sew on a button. What a clean bathroom looks like.”
“Life skills, even for a billionaire? I’m impressed.” I am, actually. I’m not sure my little brother knew where the kitchen was, much less how to cook anything in it.
When my bowl is empty and I can’t avoid Dougal’s gaze any longer, I suck in a breath and look him in the eye. “How do you see this…” I gesture between him and me, “...this going?”
He relaxes against his chair, one hand swirling his wine glass and looking effortlessly gorgeous. Damn him.
“We’ll be staying here at the lodge for our honeymoon,” he says, his smile a bit malevolent. “When I’m sure you’ll behave, we’ll head back to Glasgow. I have business there.”
“Behave?” My temperature’s rising and I grip my cloth napkin, imagining that it’s his neck. “I’m twenty-four years old. I know how tobehave.”
“Were ya’ not the Bessie screeching at me last night that you’d be running away at the first chance ya’ had and getting our marriage annulled?”
Ah…. hell.
“You’ve not given me much incentive to stay married, aside from threatening to murder my family,” I say, smiling sweetly. “But for now, rest assured that I have no intentions of doing anythin’ rash.”
For now.
The arrogant swine takes a drink to hide his smirk. “Good to know, wife.” He rises, picking up his plate and I clear mine, following him to the kitchen. We’re silent as we move around each other, putting the plates in the dishwasher and wrapping up the rest of the food.
At the sink, I’m looking out the window when he comes up behind me. I can see his reflection as we watch the sun sink over the last mountain peaks, the reds and oranges quickly darkening to violet and then black.
