The Scorsolini Marriage Bargain (17 page)
His thumb brushed up the curve of her neck. “How are you feeling,
Stepping away from the insidious touch, she grimaced at the question she had heard numerous times already that day. “Fine.”
He sighed and then moved to the other side of the room. “Why do I not believe you?” he asked as he started stripping out of his business suit.
“You have a suspicious mind?” she mocked without looking at him. Visual contact with his spectacular form was bad for her self-control. Even when the prospect of making love was absolutely off-limits.
“Perhaps my suspicious mind is justified,” he said with an undertone she did not like.
Her gaze swung to him, but he was facing away, pulling off his shirt. Her heart accelerated as his tawny, muscular body came into view. A fierce wave of possessiveness poured through her and it was all she could do not to cross the room, touch that bare skin and declare it hers.
The primitive part of her did not recognize the practical need to end their marriage.
“What do you mean?” she asked, her voice a little high as she slid her feet into a pair of
They perfectly complemented the green sheath dress she’d chosen to wear for dinner, but their pointy toes weren’t quite as comfortable. The dress was formfitting but did not rub against her abdomen and the hem stopped right above her ankles, making modest sitting easier without having to stay perfectly erect with her knees right together.
The less stress on all of her muscles the better.
He buttoned his shirt with deft fingers while his eyes challenged her. “You have kept a lot hidden from me in the past months. Pain you should have told me about. Excessive bleeding that could have been dangerous. I can be forgiven for not taking your word for how fine you feel at the moment.”
His complacent judgment made her angry. She had been protecting him, darn it. “You want the truth?” she asked shortly and glared at him. “I’m cramping so badly I just want to lie down and die, but I’m not going to and telling you about the pain won’t make it go away.”
He paled at her words, but made no signs of backing down. “I cannot fix what I do not know about.”
Typically arrogant Scorsolini male, thinking he had control of everything in his known universe.
She turned away from him to put on her jewelry. “You can’t fix this at all.”
He said nothing and she worked at putting her earrings on with trembling fingers. When she finished, she surveyed her image in the mirror critically. Her hair was down because she simply hadn’t wanted to deal with putting it up, but she didn’t look messy…or like she was in pain.
And for that she was grateful. She turned to leave and almost ran into him.
He steadied her with his hands on her shoulders, his expression grim. “Perhaps I cannot rid you of this condition, but I can arrange for you to lie down and have a tray brought up for your dinner.”
It was so tempting, but she couldn’t start giving into the endometriosis now. She’d fought too hard not to. “No.”
He frowned, his eyes narrowing in disapproval. “Why not?”
“I don’t want your family speculating about my health. They are under enough stress as it is.”
“So are you.”
“It is my choice,
“And if I take that choice from you?”
It wasn’t an idle comment. She could see it in his eyes. He would follow through with the least provocation.
“Don’t threaten me.”
He made a sound of disgust. “I am not threatening you. I am trying to take care of you as I should have been doing for these past several months.”
Oh, no…a Scorsolini male in guilt mode was a terrifying thing. “That has never been your job,
“How can you say it is not my job? You are my wife. My responsibility.”
“A prince cannot look at life that way.”
“This prince does.”
He could have no idea how much she’d wanted to hear that sentiment months ago, but she’d already learned by then that a princess could not rely on coddling or tender loving care when she was sick. At least not from her husband. And not from anyone if she had duties to perform in the face of it.
“That’s something new.”
“Perhaps,” he acknowledged without apology, “but it is still the right thing.”
“No, it is not. It is you being stressed by everything else and adding me to your list of burdens, but I won’t be added. Do you hear me? You’ve got enough to worry about right now without worrying about me.”
“I will not dismiss you because I have other things that require my attention as well.”
“Why not? You’ve done it before.”
His mouth settled in a grim line. “That is not true.”
She stepped out from under his hands. “You’re welcome to your perception.”
“There have been times I have had to put you second, yes, but that was because I was forced to do so by circumstance. I have never forgotten about you, or dismissed you from my thoughts or consideration.”
He sounded like her believing him really mattered, but she wasn’t up to an all out discussion on their marriage right now. She hadn’t been exaggerating when she told him she was in pain and arguing with him wasn’t making her feel loads better.
“We need to hurry, or we’ll be late for dinner.”
“I prefer that you stay up here and rest.”
“I don’t.”
He sighed again. “You do not wish my family to worry about you, but it is all right for me to worry because you will not take better care of yourself?”
“I’m not doing anything that is putting my health further at risk,” she said with exasperation.
“You are in pain, you should not be pushing yourself like this.”
“Eating dinner with your family is hardly what I term pushing myself.”
“Because you are so used to putting duty first.”
“That isn’t what you said in
“It is exactly what I said, if you would remember. That is why your behavior shocked and worried me so much.”
“You did not act worried. You acted angry.” Furious, in fact.
“I was angry. I believed you had other reasons than your health for doing as you did.”
She stopped with her hand on the doorknob, her attention arrested. What motivations could he have attributed to her behavior that would have made him as full of rage as he had been in
“Nothing I wish to discuss now.”
Somehow, she just knew he was hiding something…maybe even something important. “But I wish to discuss it.” Then the dinner gong sounded over the intercom and she frowned. “We’ll return to this after dinner.”
“There is no need. It does not matter.”
“It does to me.” But maybe she would take her painkillers first.
He put his arm out to her, “Shall we go?”
She took his arm, unable to stifle the zing of electricity that arced between them at the touch. “No more arguing that I am better off in bed?”
“I am conserving my energy.” He opened the door and led her out into the hall.
“For what?”
“Our discussion after dinner.”
“But you said you didn’t want to discuss what you believed.” She couldn’t believe he was giving in so easily about her going to dinner or about having the conversation he was so set against.
It was so unlike him. She’d fully intended to persuade him to come clean, but she’d thought it would take a lot more effort.
“I do not, but we have other things on the agenda.”
“Like what?”
“Like the fact that there will be no divorce.”
There was no chance to respond as they met up with Tomasso and
He smiled when he saw that
“I have been eating,”
“In high stress, business environments or at your desk. Time with your family is more relaxing.”
His affection for his brothers was so strong. All she had ever wanted was for a little of that to rub off on her, but it never had and now he had some harebrained idea they had to stay married. But she knew it would be for all the wrong reasons…reasons she could not give in to.
The Scorsolini guilt gene at work, but that was not enough to carry a marriage facing the challenges theirs would. Not for long anyway.
“But of course,”
“No,”
“But there is not.”
“You are doing an amazing job,”
“I forget what kind of pressure you all live under when
When
“I think it will be,” Tomasso said.
“Yes,”
“This is true,” Tomasso said, “but even the children
“But
Tomasso agreed with a sigh. “I feel selfish in my gratitude, but I am glad that my son will not grow up to one day rule
“It’s strange to think that our children will get to choose their own paths, while their cousins will have most of their future determined by their birth,”
“Did it bother you to know growing up that you had no choice but to be king?” Danette asked
“I don’t envy