Then she made the mistake of looking at his sweet face.
Yeah, he was lethal.
And she was done for.
“Fine.Onedate. But only because of your saðir and his war.”
He winked at her. “Hey, I’ll take that yes any way I can get it. Just don’t break my heart, Major. It’s a terribly fragile thing.”
Ember snorted at the very idea of that. “I find that hard to believe.”
“Don’t. I might be spoiled with sociopathic tendencies, but I’m never insincere.” And with that, he signed off.
Ember froze as she realized that all four of her sisters were gaping at her. Worse? They’d heard every single word of her exchange with Bastien.
That sobered her humor fast. “What?”
Ashley scoffed. “What do you think you’re doing? You can’t even be contemplating a date withhim. Are you out of your mind? Alura will kill you!”
“Why did you say yes to going out with that reprobate?” Brandy stood with arms akimbo.
Ember’s gaze went back to where Alura sat laughing with their parents, and an image of her in bed with Syrin went through her mind. In that moment, she knew exactly why she’d accepted his invitation.
“Simple. This is war.”
CHAPTER1
ONE YEAR LATER
“Are you going to tell Bastien?”
Ember paused at Kindel’s question that would have ruined her appetite for the lunch they were supposed to be having had Bastien’s father not already done so an hour ago.
Her throat tightened as she blinked back tears she didn’t want her sister to see, lest she be motivated to do something that could get them both arrested. “No, definitely not, and the last thing I could ever tell him is that his father’s threatening to disinherit him.”
“Why not?”
“First, it’d kill him to know that. He loves and respects his father. Second, you know the man. Bas would go off, half-cocked and confront his father, then all hell would unleash and who knows how that would play out.” She envisioned everything from Bastien shooting his father to him eloping with her and then growing to hate her years from now once he realized what all he’d given up to marry her.
No matter the scenario, they all ended with them miserable. And with Bastien hating her for coming between him and his family.
“I don’t know what to do.”
“Do you love him?”
“More than my life.” Ember bit her lip as a single tear slid past her control. Gah! This would be so easy if she was the gold-digging bitch his family thought she was.
Then she could let go and not look back. Or marry him and not give a single shit what they thought. Because what his father didn’t know was that Bastien had already told her how much money he’d inherit on his wedding day. He didn’t need his father’s inheritance. Or approval. His grandparents had all left him with a staggering amount of property and creds. The unbelievable mass of wealth stymied her best mathematical abilities to comprehend.
But the money didn’t matter to her any more than it did to Bastien. Since she’d never had that kind of wealth, she couldn’t wrap her head around it.
Besides, it was his, not hers. All she cared about was Bastien. Not his titles. And no amount of cred could replace his thoughtfulness or unique views. The way he could brighten her day by simply entering a room. Make her smile with nothing more than a wink and that devilish grin that made her want to rip his clothes off and hold him for eternity.
How could she give that up?
Angry that she couldn’t stop her stupid, useless emotions, she wiped the tear away and drew a ragged breath. “Love can’t survive bitterness, zusi. You know that better than anyone.”
It was why Kindel was single. The love of her life had given up a command position to stay with her. Three years later, he’d been so angry over it as he never had another opportunity for advancement, that it’d torn their relationship apart. To this day, Justiss wouldn’t even look at Kindel.
