With a smirk playing on my mouth, I head back to the drawing room, lowering myself back to the chair. My broken glass has already been cleaned up, a new one placed on the tray along with the decanter.
And then I wait for the little kitten to come to me.
Chapter Three
My fingers drum against the pristine wood of my desk, the sound of her heels a rhythmic tap in the otherwise silent house.
Miranda knocks twice and I wait a beat before I call, “Come in.”
The door swings open silently and Miss Lauder steps into the room.
Her eyes don’t immediately come to me, so I take a moment to appreciate the beauty before me.
Dressed in a tight black skirt and white blouse, she screams elegance and sophistication, not a single wrinkle can be seen in her clothes. Her raven black hair is left down, dead straight and pulled away from her shoulders so it falls down her back like a curtain made entirely of the night sky. Her skin has a glow toit, like the sun has recently kissed it and her eye makeup is so dark it makes her already dark eyes even more fathomless, long lashes and plump lips painted a plum color, slicked with a gloss I itch to taste.
She holds her delicate hands in front of her as she stares at the painting above the fire. Everything about her screams timidness and politeness, even the way she stands, back ramrod straight, shoulders squared with her legs posed in such a way it looks uncomfortable. Someone clearly didn’t forget their etiquette lessons from when they were a kid.
Sweet little Olivia.
Fuck, she’s going to be fun to rile.
Finally, those dark eyes fall to me, flicking back and forth as she takes in the space I am currently occupying. It feels like forever before they finally land on me directly.
So damn pretty.
So put together.
I feel my grin as it pulls up my mouth, my eyes eating her up from across the room.
“Olivia,” I purr, standing from the desk.
My steps are slow, languid as I cross the space between us, wondering if she’ll turn and bolt but I’m pleasantly surprised when she roots herself to the spot, though she keeps those pretty eyes down. With a curl of my finger beneath her chin, I tip up her face, the scent of her invading my senses. Like raspberries mixed with something floral, it’s so sweet it makes my mouthwater for a taste.
She stiffens under my touch, her breath stuttering to a stop as I lean in closer, feeling the heat of her wrap around me and then I’m barely a breath away from her.
My smile only widens when she doesn’t move.
“Welcome home,” I whisper, the words landing against her mouth as I speak them so quietly, I wonder if she’ll be able to hear them over the crackle and pop of the fire.
For a few long seconds she does nothing, says nothing, doesn’t breathe or blink but then it’s like the words sink beneath her skin, her brain finally catching up and she jumps away from me, wobbling on those heels.
“Home?” She spits, tipping up her chin in a show of defiance, “This will never be my home.”
I stifle my laugh, “The contract you signed says otherwise, darling.”
I head back to the desk and lower myself into the chair, reaching for the decanter and two glasses, pouring two fingers of whiskey into each. I then push one of those glasses to the edge of the desk, tipping my head down to it in offering to her.
She narrows her eyes, stomping across the room to snatch it off the desk, any elegance she had just shown is gone with her anger.
“Contract or no contract,” She hisses, “This’ll never be home for me.”
“What a very sad life that will be,” I tease, “The estate is beautiful, I should imagine any number of people would dream of calling it home.”
“So why not ask one of them to come live here?” She quirks a brow, bringing the glass to her lips before she knocks the whole of it down. I almost wince. This is a whiskey to be savored not downed like a cheap shot in a shitty nightclub.
“Well, if I did that, Olivia,” I toy with her, “How else would I have made a bargain for your precious sisters’ life?”
A lick of fire brightens the darkness of her eyes as rage twists her face, “I vow to you, Malakai,” Never has my name sounded so good coming from a woman’s lips. “I am going to make your life hell. Miserable. You’re going to regret ever thinking you’re going to get a quiet, obedient little wife with me.”
