A Kiss to Prove It

Bree’s POV

I had never been so relieved to see Lucien in my entire life.

The moment he pulled Adrian away from me and punched him, I almost let out a sigh of relief. I had been terrified of what might happen if Adrian continued coming closer.

A part of me still loved him, and that was the most painful thing to admit.

Despite everything he had done to me, despite humiliating me in front of the entire kingdom and choosing my sister over me, seeing him standing there with his familiar face had stirred feelings I thought I could bury.

I was afraid that if he touched me again, I might be tempted to fall back into his arms and I couldn't afford to do that.

Not anymore.

"Have you lost your mind?" Adrian roared, wiping the corner of his mouth after Lucien's punch.

Lucien stood between him and the bed, his fists clenched.

"That's a question you should be asking yourself. What the hell are you doing in my chambers?" He demanded.

"Your chambers?" Adrian scoffed. "Since when did you start pretending this woman belongs to you?"

"Watch your mouth” he warned.

Adrian laughed bitterly.

"You cannot seriously expect me to believe this nonsense. You and Bree? Having an affair?" He said, clearly still in disbelief.

I remained silent, watching them.

Adrian looked at his brother as though he had just told the most ridiculous joke in the world.

"You have never been interested in her, Lucien. You barely tolerated her whenever she came around. And now, suddenly, you're telling everyone that you've been sleeping with her?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling them” he replied.

Adrian frowned.

"You're lying."

Lucien shrugged.

"Believe whatever you want” he said.

"You're doing this because you hate me." Adrian pointed a finger at him. "You've always been jealous of me, and now you've found another way to ruin something that belongs to me."

My chest tightened.

Something that belonged to him? Was that all I had ever been to Adrian?

An object he could discard whenever he found something better, only to claim again when someone else showed interest?

"She doesn't belong to you anymore," Lucien replied coldly. "You made that very clear at the altar."

"I don't believe you two have been having an affair” Adrian insisted.

"That's your problem” Lucien shrugged.

Adrian shook his head, then glanced in my direction but I immediately looked away.

"Come on, Bree. You don't have to keep pretending. I know my brother. He wouldn't touch you” he said.

The words stung.

I knew exactly what he meant, and judging by the expression on his face, he had no intention of hiding his contempt.

"Look at you," he continued with a mocking smile. "You're seriously expecting me to believe that Lucien has been sneaking around with you all this time? He's never been interested in women like you."

My cheeks burned.

I lowered my gaze to my hands, wishing the mattress would swallow me whole.

I had endured enough humiliation for one day. I thought the worst of it had happened at the altar, but apparently Adrian still had more to say.

He wasn't satisfied with rejecting me. He wanted to make sure I understood exactly how little he thought of me.

"She's fat, Lucien," Adrian added with a quiet laugh. "Let's be honest. The idea of you having an affair with her is ridiculous."

I felt my throat tighten. I wanted to disappear, but not without punching the bastard.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the courage.

For a moment, nobody spoke then Lucien chuckled. It wasn't a particularly friendly sound.

"Are you finished?" He asked.

Adrian frowned.

"What?"

"Have you finished talking about my bride?" He asked again.

"Your bride?" Adrian repeated, looking increasingly irritated. "You're really going to keep this ridiculous act going?"

Lucien took a step toward him.

"You seem very concerned about whether I'm telling the truth. Why don't I give you something to think about?"

Adrian folded his arms.

"Go ahead."

"I can prove it” Lucien said.

I immediately lifted my head.

What?

Adrian stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Prove it? How exactly are you going to do that?" He asked.

Lucien didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned away from his brother and began walking toward me.

My heart started beating faster.

Why was he coming closer?

I shifted slightly on the bed as he approached, watching him with confusion. His expression was difficult to read, and I couldn't understand what he intended to do.

He stopped directly in front of me then he leaned down.

"Bree," he whispered.

I looked up at him.

"What?"

"Trust me” he said softly.

My eyebrows drew together.

Trust him? I barely knew what he was thinking, let alone what he expected me to do.

"Lucien, what are you—"

Before I could finish, he placed one hand beside me on the mattress and brought his face closer to mine.

My eyes widened.

He was going to—

No, surely not.

I glanced past his shoulder and saw Adrian watching us. His expression had changed completely. The amusement was gone, replaced by disbelief and growing anger.

I barely had time to process that before Lucien's lips came down on mine.

He kissed me.

It was not a quick, meaningless peck meant to convince someone of a lie. It was deep, deliberate, and startlingly intense.

His tongue danced with mine, the taste of his saliva filling my mouth effortlessly as his hand found the top of my breasts to rest upon.

My entire body went rigid, my eyes remained open in shock as I tried to understand what was happening.

I had never imagined Lucien would kiss me, not in a million years.

Especially not after everything he had said about me and the fact that our entire relationship was supposed to be nothing more than a convenient lie.

Yet here he was, kissing me as proof and judging by the silence behind him, Adrian was watching every second of it.

I couldn't move, I couldn't think. All I could do was stare at Lucien in complete shock as his lips remained pressed against mine.

What on earth was he doing?