Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 87996 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87996 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
“And you loved her? Is that it?”
“That isn’t the point. She was supposed to be my wife. I could’ve grown to love her,” he said casually, as if love were a game he might have won given enough time to practice.
I laughed at that notion. “Mr. DuBois, I think we both know you have no interest in love.” I cast a glance at him over my shoulder.
He raised one eyebrow. “Mr. DuBois?” he asked with a dark chuckle. “When did we become so formal, Olivia? We have known each other since we were children.”
“No,” I corrected. “We knew each other as children. Neither of us are children now, and as you and my brother have had a falling out, we have not spoken socially for quite some time.”
“Maybe that’s true, Ms. Manwarring.”
He was teasing me.
Luc would be looking for me soon, I should get back to the party.
My wedding duties were finished. My speech was over, but whenever we were at a function together, Luc was sure to check in with me often, especially recently. He didn’t like me being out of his sight, particularly in such an open venue with limited security.
Still, I had to make sure Marksen wasn’t going to ruin this day for Amelia or my brother. Everything had been so perfect, and after what they had overcome to be together, they deserved the perfect wedding.
“You didn’t answer my question,” I said, trying not to look down at the statue at my feet. The image of the bronze woman lying on the ground, seeming to writhe in ecstasy, was … distracting.
Studying her, I wanted to implore her to share her experiences, her secrets.
Was she putting on a performance as some women claimed they did to make their men think they enjoyed such acts, or was it possible for a woman to feel like the woman on the ground looked?
Sensually sated.
She looked satisfied and comfortable in her nudity, like she knew she was the object of desire and she was unashamed of reveling in it.
Amelia had once told me all great art pieces should make you feel and ask questions.
I had so many questions buzzing in my head, competing with the bubbles from the champagne. Almost like how Marksen was buzzing around me with his camera.
“What question was that?” He moved behind me.
Shivers ran down my spine at the next words he whispered next to my ear. “Did you ask me how pretty and taintable you look tonight?”
He stepped back as quickly as he had invaded my personal space, leaving behind the spicy, rich scent of his cologne.
“No, I asked why you are here. Did you say taintable? What does that even mean?”
“Ah, I did answer you. You should learn to pay more attention, princess. Maybe listen to me, instead of lusting after a cold, metal statue. I’m here because your brother took something of mine.”
“Please don’t cause problems,” I begged, choosing to ignore everything else he said.
Luc was happy, which, until Amelia came around, was not an emotion I associated with my big brother.
Before she entered his life, Luc was stoic, guarded, grumpy even, and never happy. Even after something happened that would have made most men happy, it still wasn’t the right word. I thought victorious was the closest he had ever come to happiness.
“I’m not the cause of anything. Can you look that way for me and tilt your head up?”
I followed his instructions without even thinking about it. Between being an heiress in my own right, and running an online magazine, I had been in so many professional photoshoots it didn’t even occur to me to not follow his command. Without even bothering to ask why he was taking so many pictures of me, I simply obeyed.
“Good girl,” he said, snapping another few photos.
The way he said those words, “good girl,” had me responding as if he growled them directly in my ear, as if they had another meaning which sent shivers running down my spine.
The air sparked and crackled with the sexual tension between us.
Just as quickly as that tension appeared, it faded, and I wasn’t sure if it was even really there, or if I had imagined it.
“I think my brother did you a favor.”
“How’s that? Look at me.”
I looked at him head-on for the first time, noticing how he wasn’t wearing a tuxedo like society demanded of him for such an important formal function.
He was wearing an everyday business suit. It was a custom Hugo Boss, and it fit him perfectly. He actually looked quite handsome in it, but still, it was a wedding.
Really examining him now, I saw there were other things about his appearance that looked … off.
His hair was a little mussed, but in a sexy way, like a lover had been running her fingers through it.
I wondered how those short, silky strands would feel between my fingers.