Ansel says nothing and walks out of the room. Shifting my weight back and forth, I remain planted unsure of what to do next. He swiftly reappears. “Head back to your room,” he says.I purse my lips. His expression isn’t cold, but it’s clear that this conversation is over. I bustle from the den and find my way back to my room. Entering, I curse and pace around. “Karin, learn to shut up sometimes,” I scold. “You’re going to ruin everything, and then your father will never get out of prison.” A knock on the door stops me.“Madam may I come in?” an unfamiliar voice calls from the other side.“Yes, you may enter.” A woman who looks about in her thirties enters my room. She closes the door and clasps her hands in front of her. “Hello, my name is Maggie. I’m the new maid assigned to you.”“Excuse me?”“Sir Ansel said that I am to take care of everything you need from now on. I am the new head maid, and I will make sure there are no more problems moving forward.”“What about Meredith?”“She n
“What?!” I shout, practically falling over myself. “I-I-we-because-that’s actually impossible considering he’s only finge—”“Karin!” Ansel roars, scaring me quiet.I lower my head. “Sorry.” I didn’t mean for my outburst, but the accusation had caught me completely off guard. There’s no way that I could be pregnant when Ansel and I have never had sex. My face turns as white as a sheet.Oh God. What if he was suggesting that I was pregnant before I got here?The idea of that thought infiltrating Ansel’s mind scares me more than the suggestion prior.“I’m not pregnant,” I say as evenly as I can. “It’s just a lot of food in such a small span of time. I know I overdid it before, but this is really a bit much.” My face grows hot to the touch, and my mouth salivates. Standing, I dart to the bathroom to vomit. “I appreciate everything, but please take it all away,” I say between breaths.“Of course,” Maggie says on the other side. There is shuffling and I can hear the clatter of plates and di
Maggie hands me a towel to wrap around my body. Helping me out of the basin, she provides me a lotion that pairs well with the scent of the rose petals. After, she holds up a bag. “This is for you to wear,” she says.I eye the bag curiously, then take it from her. Inside there is a pink satin cami romper that reminds me of a ballerina costume, but way more revealing. I put it on, and slide the spaghetti straps up my bare shoulders. The fabric clings to my skin, and my nipples harden as the fuzzy trim tickles the insides of my thighs. I clear my throat with a flushed face. “Is this another request from Ansel?”“Actually, I picked this one out based on his response from your dress earlier. Something tells me that this is right up the Second Prince’s alley.” Reaching for a glass of liquid from the bathroom counter, she extends it to me. “One more thing. You need to drink this.”“What is it?” I ask as
ANSEL POVAnsel's eyes saucered, and King David sneered. “You really think that I didn’t know you brought Karin back to your manor? I may be sick, but I’m not dead. There isn’t one thing that you can do that I won’t know about.” He shook his head. “You’re delusional if you think anything produced with that hooker will be worthy of our name.”“She is not a prostitute, hooker or anything else you feel the need to call her,” Ansel said. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply to calm his wolf. “You don’t know her like I do. There’s something…I don’t know…more to the story.”“Oh, and how can you be so sure?” King David asked.Ansel hated his father had a small point. The investigation into Karin hadn’t been completed yet, and there was no solid evidence that the things said about her weren’t true. Still, her vulnerability tow
“Giving up?” Ansel asks me. His attention remains focused forward as if the notes from the song as forming in the air in front of him.The color drains from my face. “I’m sorry. I know I’m not supposed to be in here.” The corners of his mouth turn upward for a moment, leaving me wondering if I imagined it.“You always were dramatic,” he says. “I told you not to touch the piano, not that you couldn’t come into the room.” He pauses. “This was my mother’s piano.”“I know,” I whisper. “You used to play it for me whenever I danced.” He looks up and stares at me without breaking his focus. The storm brewing in his eyes almost stopped my heart.“And I’m playing now. So, are you going to do your part, or have you really given up?” His eyes bore into me, and I know it’s not a real question, but a challenge.I lace my pointer ba
“Joy?!” I shout almost as loud as her. I can’t believe she’s standing at my door. She beams and rushes to hug me.“You two know one another?” Maggie asked with her eyebrow raised.“Yes! Joy was locked up with me when I was with the dealers.”Joy and I embrace tighter. “I never thought I would see you again,” she whispered.“Me either. Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?”Releasing me, she poses. “I’m here to help you seduce Sir Ansel.”“What?”“You heard me. Now are you going to let me in or am I going to continue to freeze my butt off?”“Yes, of course, sorry.” I moved to the side, and allowed her and Maggie in. “Now spill.”“I’m a b-girl,” she says. My eyes widened and she shook her head. “No, it’s not the same as it was
“You and the other maids may leave,” he says to Maggie.“Yes, sir,” Maggie bustles through the door, and I can hear the shuffle of everyone leaving the villa.“How is your bath?” Ansel asks roughly.I part my lips but close them again. Joy’s words and teaching cross my mind. This is the perfect time to put them to use. Returning his gaze, I bit my lip. “Why don’t you join me and find out?” Ansel furrows his brow, and I extend one of my legs from the basin for him to see. I lower my voice to a sultry whisper, “Come.”He stands in silence, and his jaw flexes slightly.Shit!I think to myself. I may not be as experienced as others, but even I know that his reaction wasn’t the one that I was hoping for.“No. You come to me,” he says with an even tone.“What?”“You heard me. Be the brazen little wolf I know you
“I’m sorry. I-I was ju—”“Not following doctor’s orders? Are you really attempting to seduce an injured man?”“No! I thought you were sleeping!”He raises his eyebrow. “And that makes it better?”“No!” The longer he stares at me, the more tongue-tied I become. “I wasn’t trying to seduce you!”“Then what were you doing?” He looks at me with genuine curiosity, and once again I feel foolish. I can’t tell him the real reason is that I can’t stop thinking about how much tonight reminded me of how bad things could get. I want to lie, but the truth beats me to it.“You used to be so sick,” I whisper. His eyes widen, and I look away. “When I saw you tonight, it reminded me of then.”“I’m fine,” he says, but the lines of his face tighten. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m