He starts leading me toward the door, but stops before we reach it, the butler appearing with black fabric draped over his arm. He hands the garment to Win, who lets me go to unfurl the fabric, before he drapes it over my shoulders.
My brows notch up. “What’s this for?”
“It’s breezy tonight.”
“I’m Russian. Cold doesn’t bother me.” But I pull the fabric a bit tighter around my shoulders. It’s the kind of soft that makes me want to sigh.
Win’s hand comes back to my back. “Humor me.”
We make our way outside, where, the breeze is in fact, crisp and cool. “It’s barely September,” I remark, his hand taking mine as he starts down the large granite steps.
“Welcome to England.”
The driver opens the door to the stately sedan, and Win helps me into the back seat, before he moves around to the other side.
“When we arrive?—”
“You’ll exit first,” I cut him off. “I know.”
“Did your father send you to finishing school?”
“He had finishing school brought to me. But yes. I’ve been trained.”
Win nods. “I thought so. But I am curious as to why.”
“Is this where we begin our strategy discussion?”
“Sure. Yes.” He leans back in his seat as the car begins down the long drive.
My eyes narrow. In the dark interior of the car, I can’t tell exactly, but the word “sure” has my senses tingling. Win is not prone to using unnecessary words. He hardly uses necessary ones. “Don’t insult me with indulgence.”
That makes him smile. And then he gives a small chuckle. “You are the only woman I have ever met who doesn’t wish to be indulged.”
“Let me be clear. Drip me in diamonds, bathe me in champagne. Feel free to tell me I’m beautiful as often as you like, and…” I stop before I add something about the number of orgasms I’d like for him to provide. “But when it comes to my father, I only want cold, hard truths.”
He looks over at me, his eyes shadowed. “Why did he prepare you to be a wife?”
“Because,” I huff, “his vanity would be most satisfied if I married a man of noble descent.”
“Is that why he made the arrangement with Ryker?”
“It’s one of the reasons. Yes.”
Win settles back in his seat. “The other?”
“It made good business sense. At least that’s what my brother, Dimitri, has intimated.”
Win nods. “I’ll speak to Dimitri in more detail tomorrow.”
“Do you talk to my brother often?”
“I like your brother a great deal. We have more in common than any man I’ve met for a long time.”
“Besties?”
“Please.” He scowls at me.
I smile in return. “Does he know that I’m here with you?”
