Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 121008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
I shake my head. “She is trying to please me. I’m her husband, her king. She’s saying what she thinks I want to hear. Women will say anything to placate their king.”
With a short burst of laughter, my aunt puts her hands on my shoulders, turning me gently so I look her in the eyes. “Perhaps some would, if the prize were big enough. But, Beckett Finn, you are the king of a refugee plane. You don’t offer her enough to debase herself. Whatever she’s offered you, she’s offered because she wants it. I’m speaking to you plainly, as your own mother would have. Don’t deny yourself and your wife. Your father treated my sister like a porcelain doll. It made her crazy.”
“Mother was happy with Father,” I argue.
“You saw what you wanted to see,” my aunt insists. “Your father trained you to be a great king. He didn’t train you to be a good husband. Let your wife tell you what she wants. I assure you, if you don’t, Cian will. If you aren’t careful, you’ll find yourself out in the cold.” Alana pats me and moves back toward the doors. “Come inside. I’m sure dinner is almost ready. Go easy on Colin. He’s nervous about dining with his king.”
I nod but continue to stare out into the night. I wish I was home getting ready to go to bed. It will be quiet there. Cian will have enjoyed his first day of peace in a long while. I imagine sitting in front of the fire with Meg on my lap. After a pleasant evening, Cian and I would lead her to the big bed and slowly undress her. We would make love to her together, bonding even further. I would be gentle and make sure she’s satisfied before taking my pleasure. I would then, graciously, turn her over to my brother. I would sit back and enjoy watching Cian please our wife. Watching Cian fuck our lovely bride would get me hot and bothered again, but I would survive. Meg would be tired. She would sleep peacefully between us.
Instead, I’ll spend the evening dodging questions about when I will attempt to take back my throne. I turn to the penthouse doors and sigh. Politics. I hate politics, even when discussing them with family. At least Meg is safe from politics. She’s safe and protected on our little farm.
I take a deep breath and rejoin my family.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Meg
I come awake to the sound of raucous music. It’s cheery and a little bawdy. I don’t understand the lyrics, but I know bawdy music when I hear it. My mouth feels dry, and I wonder if I went on a bender the night before. I had the strangest dream.
“Head hurt, lover?”
I force my eyes open, and, sure enough, my strange dream is staring me in the face. He sits back in an armchair, one ankle propped on his knee. He looks like I expect a pasha would look reclining in his palace. His face is exactly like Beck’s, but this man is different. Beck Finn radiates authority and responsibility.
This man radiates sex.
“Cian?” Could that man sitting there looking at me like he’s going to eat me up really be Cian? There’s no cloudiness in his gray eyes now. They’re filled with a sharp intelligence.
“In the flesh,” he says with a crazy, sexy smile. His voice is deep, but there’s a hint of humor in it. He’s dressed in neatly pressed white pants, dark boots, and a tunic he hasn’t bothered to tie. It leaves his perfect chest exposed. “And in my right mind, thanks to you.”
I sit up and put a hand to my head. It doesn’t hurt, exactly. It feels slightly foggy. “It worked?”
Of course it worked. The evidence is sitting right in front of me like a piece of perfectly tempting chocolate cake I want to devour in one long bite. Memories of his life flood me. I groan as my head pulses.
He’s on the bed behind me in an instant. He pulls me between his long legs and cradles me back against his chest. His hands sink into my hair, strong fingers massaging my scalp. “Careful, Meggie mine. You took a whole lot of me. I’m sure you still feel the effects.”
His hands feel good. So good. I relax into his warmth. “You’re better now?”
“I am damn near perfect.” Cian’s voice is a slow seduction in my ear. He leans close, and I feel his lips moving against my skin. “I don’t know how to thank a woman for saving me. Can you think of any way I could please you?”
Even with my head throbbing, I can think of a way. Yep, I have a type, and I know exactly where that path will lead me. I shake his hands off. I have to come to my senses. I’m not about to get my heart broken by a second Finn brother.