“I want you to move away.”
With a gruff noise, Gaven slid his chair a scant few inches away. I should’ve told him to go sit at a different table, but it was too late now. Regardless, just those few inches were enough to finally give me some breathing room. “Your turn,” he said.
“Why did you choose me?”
“I thought I told you that the why doesn’t matter.”
“You did,” I nodded and reached for my water once more. “But I want to know regardless.”
“I’m attracted to you.”
Fuck.Liquid shot up my nose. Coughing, I set my glass down hard and glared at him. He shrugged. “You requested honesty, Angel.”
“That can’t be all. Why the hell would a man marry a woman based on attraction alone?”
“You didn’t ask me for a detailed explanation,” he replied. “Now, it’s my turn.”
Before I could protest, Gaven slid his chair closer once more and his hand landed on my knee. I stiffened. “The rules…” My words drifted off as his finger dug into my flesh.
“You asked a second question,” he said, eyes gleaming. “This is your penalty.”
I had? I thought back. Shit, technically, he was right. I needed to be more careful with my questions and responses.
“You said you were inexperienced, Angel.” Gaven’s voice moved over my ears. I forced down a shudder. He was so close—too close. “Does that mean this pussy down here is untouched too?”
“I’m not fucking answering that.” Hot, molten blood flooded my face.
“A penalty then…” Gaven’s hand shot up past the hem of my dress and curved over my inner thigh.
A squeaky noise erupted from my throat as my own hands jerked down and latched onto his wrist. “What are you doing?” I demanded, eyes wide.
“This is your penalty, Angel,” he replied. “My turn.”
“Wait, what? I didn’t—” Motherfucker. He was a conniving bastard. “That’s not fair.”
“There’s nothing fair in marriage and war,” Gaven stated. “Now, answer me this.”
I struggled to listen to him as his thumb began to rub back and forth over my flesh. Sparks danced down my spine. My insides churned and tightened, contracting and releasing as if anticipating more.
“Do you realize how important our marriage will be?”
“What?” Breathing was becoming difficult. “I-I don’t?—”
“If there is no Price Heir, one must be made,” Gaven continued. “In our world, there are few true liberties. If your father were to perish without the next head of the family being chosen, it would spell disaster. War.”
Was his hand moving higher? I swore it felt like it. Even as I gripped his wrist, he didn’t seem all that swayed by my obvious discomfort. A whimper escaped me, and I wished I could reach out into the air and pluck it back.
“So, my question for you, my sweet inexperienced Angel, is this: Marriage? Or War? Those are your options. Me? Or Death?”
“No one’s going to die if I don’t get married,” I argued.
“Oh, but they will. Men will fall if there is no heir. Your father’s death would leave a vacuum in our world and there will be an untold number of vermin crawling out of the shadows to take what he had. They would take you too.”
I gasped as Gaven’s hand settled over my crotch, his fingers rubbing against the thin layer of my underwear. I jumped in my seat, only to be settled back down by a firm hand on my shoulder.
“S-stop,” I begged.
“You haven’t answered me yet,” he said, watching me with an intensity that I could feel down in my belly. “This is your penalty. Now, sit back and take it like a good girl.”
