Page 94 of Theirs to Tempt: The Marriage Claim

Cool air rushes over my skin. My nipples tighten against the thin lace of the strapless bra. The panties I chose this morning already feel obscene.

When I open my eyes again, neither man looks controlled anymore.

Lucian’s face remains composed, but the muscle in his jaw has locked. Caleb’s hands are curled tightly at his sides.

The reactions send an unexpected rush of power through me.

These men engineered our marriage. Bought my father’s debt. Moved people around like chess pieces. They terrify grown men for a living. And yet I can make both of them look like this simply by standing in front of them in my lingerie.

That knowledge is heady.

Very deliberately, I step out of the dress.

Lucian moves first, taking a single step and stopping directly in front of me. Dark fire ignites in his eyes as he closes his palm against my cheek.

Then he kisses me.

Not the ceremonial kiss after the wedding. Not the possessive kisses he has taken before. This one begins slowly. Almost carefully.

I grip the lapels of his tuxedo jacket and lean into him.

His answering groan is rough and immediate. His control snaps just enough that he threads an arm around my waist and pulls me against him.

I relax a little. This. This is the Lucian I know.

Caleb comes up behind us and presses his mouth to my shoulder, making my entire body shudder. He settles his hands at my waist. I’m boxed in between them, and I don’t try to run.

Caleb turns me toward him. Eyes locked on mine, he slides his fingers into my hair. His kiss is different from Lucian’s, as it always is. Less polished. More elemental. And every bit as potent.

Desperately, I cling to him.

When his mouth leaves mine, I hear myself whisper, “Wait. There’s something…”

My heart pounds.

“There’s something you need to know.”

The two men stand together, shoulders almost touching. Lucian’s attention sharpens.

“What?”

This should not be embarrassing. I’m twenty-eight years old. I advise people on subjects far more intimate than numbers all day long. Still, I can’t quite look at either of them.

“I’ve never done this.”

Silence.

Caleb speaks first. “Done what?”

I glare at him because surely he isn’t going to make me⁠—

Then I see his expression. He genuinely wants precision.

I exhale. “I’ve never had sex.”

“Fuck… Damn it, Sophie.”

Lucian’s expression becomes unreadable. Then it doesn’t. Something raw and claiming moves through it, so complete it steals the air from the room.