Every morning, I leave for the gym before he getsup to avoid him, and every night, he has dinner on the table when I walk in the door.
The only thing I’ve managed to avoid is having sex with him. I sleep on my side of the bed, and he sleeps on his, not even attempting anything with me.
I don’t know if I’m thankful that he’s respecting my wishes or aggravated that I have a man at my disposal who knows how to satisfy me, but doesn’t due to my stubbornness.
The way my body currently ignites at his touch as we sit at dinner with my family has me leaning more toward the latter.
We’re eating at the country club since my mom loves it here and she picked the place. Both my brothers and their wives are here, and my mom is with her husband. Then there’s Kane and me.
We’ve been seen in public a few times now, and the town is talking. They know we’re dating, so it makes sense that he’ll propose soon, especially since he has no desire to wait to get married. Once we’re legally married, the contract will be signed, and Morgan Enterprises will be an official investor in the South Harbor Point waterfront expansion, just like he wanted.
Kane stands and glances at me, and my stomach riots. All I wanted was to fall in love with a man who wanted to spend his life with me. I wanted the family and children and holidays. After Owen was killed and my baby was ripped from my womb, I should’ve given up hope, but I didn’t. I told myself that if I could get through that horrific time, I would do everything in my power to find the love that Andrey had taken from me. I wouldn’t let him win. I wanted a Hallmark love story, but instead, I’m getting the Netflix version.
“Brielle,” Kane says, garnering everyone’s attention, “when I saw you sitting right here with your friend, complaining about men, I never thought the night would end with me becoming undeniably infatuated with you, but here we are. I’ve considered where I should propose, but when I was told we were coming here, to the very place it’d all started for us, it’s like it was kismet.”
He pulls out the ring box and opens it, and my heart cracksbecause his words are sweet, the look on his face is sincere, but none of it is real, except the ridiculously obnoxious ring he’s about to put on my finger.
“Brielle Antonova, will you marry me?”
I’m thankful he didn’t lie and tell me he loved me, but that doesn’t mean it hurts any less. To know that when I marry, it will represent everything that I’m against—greed, power, control, and revenge. All I wanted was to marry someone good, to have a normal life with a man who loves me, and instead, once again, I’m being dragged back into the fold, only it was my doing.
“Yes,” I tell him simply with a small smile, not wanting to be caught grimacing in any photos that might be taken of us.
The last thing I want is for my family to look like fools, and if anyone found out that Kane had blackmailed me into marriage, we would not only be the laughingstock of Harbor Point, but men who feared the Antonov name would use that to their advantage, thinking they could blackmail and threaten us into doing as they wanted.
Kane slides the huge rock onto my finger, and I chant to myself to keep a smile on my face while my family plays their part, hugging and congratulating us.
“I’m so happy for you,” Mom says, enveloping me in a motherly hug.
I glance at Matteo, who looks anything but happy, and shake my head.
I considered telling my mom the truth, but decided not to. She’s always been so worried about me, afraid that she failed her children, and if she knew my marriage was fake, she would only feel worse. She’s been through enough in her life, and she deserves to be happy.
“It’s not too late to take him out,” Matteo murmurs as he hugs me tightly.
“No more bloodshed,” I remind him.
He sighs but nods in agreement.
Once everyone sits back down, the waiter brings out a specialdessert to celebrate our engagement. Kane feeds me a bite, playing up his part as the doting fiancé, but I’m too nauseous to eat any more.
When we get home from dinner, I take a long bath, hoping once I get out, he’ll be asleep. Only luck isn’t on my side because when I step out of the bathroom, he’s sitting against the headboard, typing on his phone.
“What about Valentine’s Day?”
“What about it?”
I walk over to the dresser and drop my towel, sliding a pair of panties on. Since Kane has seen me naked more than once, it’s pointless to try to hide myself from him.
When he doesn’t respond, I glance in the mirror, finding him staring heatedly at me. My lady parts come to life, thinking they’re about to get some much-needed attention, and I clench my thighs together to stave off the tension between my legs.
Kane knowingly smirks, and I roll my eyes.
“I’m not having sex with you again … ever.”
He laughs. “You really think you can resist having sex for the rest of your life?”
“Who said anything about resisting sex? I just said I’m not having sex withyou.”
