Page 147 of Theirs to Tempt: The Marriage Claim

“And now you choose what happens next.”

The words return with startling force.

I swallow. “You’re serious?”

“Yes.”

Caleb leans one shoulder against the wall. Desire is written plainly across his face, but his hands remain at his sides.

“If you want the night to end here, it ends.”

I turn toward him.

“And if I don’t?”

“Then tell us.”

The room becomes very quiet.

No audience.

No father’s debt.

No bargain.

No vows already arranged by the time I learned they existed.

Just two men waiting.

Wanting everything.

Taking nothing.

My heart pounds so violently that I’m sure they can hear it.

I cross the room to Lucian.

His gaze tracks every step.

When I reach him, I place my hand against the front of his shirt.

Muscle shifts beneath my palm.

Still, he doesn’t touch me.

“What are you waiting for?” I whisper.

“Your choice.”

The answer nearly undoes me.

I curl my fingers into his shirt and pull him closer.

His control fractures in his eyes.

Only there.

Only for a second.