So soon?

Logan fingers instantly snapped back as he straightened up in his chair while I turned my head toward the door.

Jared had discarded his suit jacket, his white dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows to reveal his muscular, vein lined forearms.

His dark, curly hair was slightly disheveled but his sharp hazel eyes were fixed on his cousin with a lethal, unblinking glare.

Logan stood up slowly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his lab coat, entirely unbothered by the death stare. "Just checking her vitals, cousin. She has a moderate concussion. Her pupils are dilated, and her heart rate is a little elevated." He glanced back down at me with a knowing smirk.

"Though I think that last part might be my fault."

Jared took three long steps into the room, effectively placing himself directly between Logan and my bed, cutting off his cousin's line of sight to me.

"Your job is to patch her up, not analyze her heart rate," Jared said, his voice dropping into a dangerous, quiet rumble.

"But I have to analyze her heart rate to make sure she is okay." Logan winked and Jared sighed

"Are there any internal injuries?"

"No bleeding in the brain, if that's what you're worried about," Logan replied,

"Do you know who did this to you?" Jared asked. He turned his dark gaze away from the floor and locked it into mine. "You grew up in a castle just like this one, Amelia. I highly doubt you would suddenly slip and trip down the stairs all on your own."

I met his cold eyes without blinking. "I think it might be your wife."

Jared’s expression didn't change, but he slowly turned his head to look at Logan, who was standing near the edge of the bed.

Then, Jared looked back at me.

"I highly doubt that," Jared replied, his voice smooth but freezing cold. "Claire is nothing but a spoiled little princess. She is annoying, yes, but she doesn't have it in her to commit cold-blooded murder."

"I had the same exact opinion," Logan chimed in. He crossed his arms over his chest, a lazy, amused smile playing on his lips.

I looked at the two of them completely in awe of how gorgeous these Donovan cousins were.

The sight of both these gorgeous, powerful men standing in front of me was intoxicating.

It was hard to breathe with them so close.

But they were completely different creatures.

Logan seemed more open, playful, and highly manipulative with his words. He knew exactly what to say to get under your skin.

Jared, on the other hand, was just as beautiful and sexy, but he was very reclusive.

He was foul mouthed, cold, and intensely dominant.

He didn't just walk into a room.

He possessed it.

Still, they both had a strange, dangerous power that allured me.

Perhaps it was just their perfect looks? After all, there was no woman on earth who wouldn't be attracted to men like this.

However, after my horrible experience with my ex, Dean, I knew better.

I knew there was always a monster hiding behind a beautiful face.

"I wasn't asking for your opinion, Logan," Jared said, raising a dark eyebrow. His voice held a sharp warning.

"Hmm true, but still, I do not need your permission to voice my thoughts. Opinions are supposed to be free, cousin," Logan said smoothly. He turned his gaze to me and let out a slow, deliberate wink.

My heart did a stupid flip, and I felt a sudden rush of heat flush my cheeks bright red.

Logan didn't stop there. He leaned against the wall, his eyes shifting back to Jared. "Besides, how do you intend to explain marrying a Quinn to your father? We all know how... intense the old man can be when he's angry."

Jared completely ignored the question. Instead, he stepped closer to my bed and looked down at me. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I just fell down a flight of concrete stairs," I snapped.

Jared actually chuckled, but there was no warmth in it. "Well, I'm guessing this wouldn't be the first time your face was slammed against something hard, right?"

I glared hard at him, my hands clenching into tight fists beneath the bedsheets.

My breath hitched in my throat understanding the joke.

He was talking about prison. He was using my most horrible, traumatic experience in that hellhole as a sick, twisted joke to mock me.

A wave of pure, burning hatred washed over me.

"Gosh, I cannot wait to ruin him completely," I thought bitterly.

"Just you wait, Jared. After I get my son back safely into my arms, I will take my company back from right under your nose and destroy you until you have absolutely nothing left."

Jared’s smirk vanished, replaced by a sudden, intense seriousness.

He leaned down, placing both of his large hands on the wooden footboard of my bed.

"The security cameras in the eastern corridor were conveniently wiped," Jared said "There is a perfect three-minute window missing, right at the exact time you fell. Claire doesn't have the technical capability to bypass my mainframe. Someone else did it. Someone inside this very house is leaking information to the outside, and they were ordered to get rid of you."

"Hmm. Jared is right. Claire is far too dumb to manipulate a highly secured camera system," Logan once again chimed in.

This time, his mocking tone pushed Jared straight to his limit.

Jared straightened up, his jaw tight and turned a sharp glare toward Logan. "That will be all, doctor. You can leave now."

"Hmm, I guess you're right," Logan said, his tone perfectly casual as he stepped toward the door.

He didn't seem bothered by Jared's anger at all. "She needs rest and maybe a little less stress. Try not to threaten her with any more marriage contracts for the next twelve hours, Jared."

Logan paused at the doorway and looked past Jared's broad shoulder to meet my eyes one last time.

There was a strange, unreadable glint in his gaze. "I'll be back to check on you later in the day, Amelia. Keep an eye on those symptoms." With a lazy wave of his hand, he vanished into the hallway.

The door clicked shut, the sound echoed in the quiet room, leaving me entirely alone with the ruthless man who currently owned my future.

Jared turned around slowly. He walked over until he was standing right beside my mattress, looking down at me like a predator watching its prey.

The unreadable, cold expression was back on his perfect face as he stepped even closer

"He's right about one thing," Jared murmured. His dark eyes scanned the white bandage wrapped tightly around my head, before dropping briefly to the open collar of my shirt where my pulse was racing. "You look like absolute hell."

"Compliments will get you nowhere, Donovan," I whispered back.

My voice shook slightly, so I pulled the blanket up tighter around my chest.

I suddenly felt suffocated by how close he was. I could smell his expensive cologne. "Someone in your impenetrable castle just tried to kill me."

Jared's eyes narrowed, a dark, lethal light flickering deep within them. "I know and I will handle it. No one touches what belongs to me."

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that when your own house is full of spies—"

Before I could finish my sentence, Jared suddenly placed a single, warm finger firmly against my lips, shutting me up instantly.

"You talk too much," he said softly. His eyes slowly wandered down from my gaze, locking into my lips. "It makes you less attractive."

The words slipped out before my brain could stop them. "You think I'm attractive?"

As soon as the question left my mouth, I wanted to scream.

Shit! Why did I say that?

Jared’s lips curved into a wicked, slow smirk and leaned down until his face was only inches away from mine, his breath warm against my skin.

"I'm not a blind man, Amelia. You are a very attractive woman," he said, his voice dropping into a deep, sensual growl that sent shivers straight down my spine.

Then, his smirk turned cruel. "However, let's not flatter ourselves. You are no different from the countless women I've had screaming in pleasure in this very bed you are lying on right now. To me, you're just another pretty face."

Anger flashed through me, replacing the fear.

I glared at him, absolutely annoyed by his arrogant words. "A pretty face that you will never bed!"

"Hmm." Jared let out a low chuckle, a dark, confident sound that made my blood run hot.

He tilted his head, his eyes burning into mine with pure dominance. "If I wanted to bed you, Amelia, trust me... it would be easier than taking candy from a helpless baby."

He leaned in even closer, his lips almost brushing my ear.

"And we both know you wouldn't even try to stop me. you should get some rest, we get married in seven days."

my eyes bulged in shock, "So soon?"

"Of course," he said, smiling like a man who hadn't just upended my entire existence. "Don't look so frightened. Being mine is the safest place you'll ever be."