“Yes?” His head tipped in curiosity.
Heart thudding wildly in my chest, I pressed on, taking it as an opportunity. “If I can’t get out of this marriage, then I want some freedoms.”
“What kind offreedoms?”
“College,” I said. “I want to go.”
“No.” Gaven’s word was followed by a head turn as he glanced out the window.
I bit down on my lower lip, but I wasn’t going to stop there. “Yes,” I snapped. “It doesn’t have to be in person. I can take classes online and you can get what you want.”
“What is it, exactly, that you’re offering, Angel?” Gaven asked, looking back at me. “I’ve already got your hand in marriage.”
“You might have my father’s agreement,” I said. “But you don’t havemine.”
“I don’t need it.”
I gritted my teeth at that statement. “You think that only because you don’t know how stubborn I can truly be,” I replied.
His lips twitched. He hummed deep in his throat for a moment before speaking. “What's flitting through that head of yours?”
I ground my teeth, not trusting myself to say anything. I wanted to tell him it wasn’t any of his business. Because the fact was, it was his business … and mine.
The landscape whooshed past, startlingly close to my dream and I felt myself quickly losing hold of that sliver of control I’d found. I wanted to keep a portion of myself secret. A piece only for me, but with a man like Gaven, I already knew he’d know every part of me inside and out.
“I won’t fight you anymore,” I said. “I’ll sign the marriage certificate. I’ll do everything you ask of me. I’ll…even get pregnant.” I paused before that last one, but the fact was, it was his desired outcome. He wanted me pregnant with his child to ensure that he would be the next head of the Price Family Syndicate. I could give him that. I was willing to bind the two of us with more than just a marriage, but a child, so long as I got something out of it.
“I can take all of that from you, you know,” Gaven pointed out, his voice calm as if he were discussing something as simple as the weather versus my enslavement.
“You could,” I admitted, “but it would be easier for you, wouldn’t it, if I simply gave in?”
He contemplated my words. “Yes, I suppose it would be easier.”
“It means nothing for you to allow me to have a life outside of all of this,” I said, leaning towards him even as I gestured aroundus. “I promise, if you give me this, I won’t run away again. I’ll do everything you ask.” I arched my brow at him.
“Everything, hmmm?” The corner of his mouth tipped upward, a sure sign that I was getting through to him. I had to believe that. Hope rose within me. “Well, I suppose I could offer you some incentive to be a good girl.”
I held my breath as he seemed to contemplate my offer further. A beat passed and then another and another until finally, he nodded. “Yes, alright,” he said. “I’ll allow you your sense of normalcy, Angel. I’m not completely disagreeable. I do believe in rewards as much as I do punishments.”
“You will? I mean—thank you.” For the first time since I’d met him, the weight inside my chest eased. “Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
Gaven leaned forward, capturing my chin as he held my face between his thumb and forefinger, angling me so I was face-to-face with him. “Remember, love,” he said, “that this deal of ours stipulates that you do everything I say.”
I nodded. “I will.”
He grinned. “We’ll see about that,” he replied enigmatically. “Only time will tell.” Releasing me, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. “But we’ll start now, shall we?”
“Now?” I frowned as he lifted the box and handed it over. Hesitation and curiosity warred within me, but sensing his attention, I bit the inside of my cheek to keep my face void of emotion.
“What is this?” I asked.
He chuckled. “Why don’t you open it and find out?”
Concerned, I slipped the lid open and stared at the black tissue paper inside for a moment before removing that as well. My eyes widened at what was inside. Within the box was a scrap of lace, a dainty pair of white panties.
“Panties?” I asked.
“Yes,” he answered. “A gift to my bride. Put them on.”
