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“So will you have dinner with him?” Torin asks, pulling my attention away from the big, broody man next to me who has to betryingnot to look at me.
He’s always looked at me before. In any room, any circumstance, whenever I seek Jonah out, he’s always watching me. I love his eyes on me. Having him purposefully not looking at me now makes me feel cold and…hurt. Yes, definitely hurt.
And pissed.
We’re friends. Or so I thought. But he’s just going to sit here, not look at me, not say a word when Torin is sending me away like this? Knowing everything he knows about me, after declaring that part of his job is to take care of me, he has no opinion on this?
Or maybe his opinion is very, very clear.
He thinks this is a good idea.
I look at Torin and nod. “Yes, I’ll have dinner with James. And Christian.”
I’m so fucking sick of my life being manipulated by others. Bymen.
You’d think knowing who you were going to marry and what your job—hell, your entire life—would be since you were four years old would make things simple, wouldn’t you?
That hasnotbeen my experience.
The O’Grady men and their friends, including my grandfather, and now Jonah, have been messing things up for me—messingwithme—for long enough.
Torin grins. “Wonderful. I’m so glad that you see this as the best solution for everyone.”
I nod. “Spending time with a brilliant scientist, and inventor, who is worth billions and who wants to bring his research facilities to Cara? Who wants to hire our people and put us at the table for international talks on everything from ecology and conservation to science and tech? That seems like a great idea. Not to mentionalsospending time with a young, charismatic progressive American senator, who is making waves in Washington with several creative policies for working families and education. It’s all quite brilliant. Thanks for setting it up.”
My tone is a bit sarcastic but I’m not entirely bitter. Thesewillbe great meetings, with interesting conversations, and I’ll enjoy furthering my relationships with these men.
I just won’t be marrying either of them.
Torin sighs. He’s gotten to know me well over the past two years that he’s been back in Cara and his grandfather has gotten more determined to make our engagement official.
For years, the arranged marriage that came out of our grandfathers’ poker game was something of a family joke. For the O’Gradys. It never was for my family.
Torin has learned in the past twenty-three months that I’m smart, stubborn, and not at all intimidated by him.
“These are supposed to bedates, Linnea,” he says, sounding weary now.
Gee, I’m so sorry that me having a backbone and knowing what I want is inconvenient for him.
“I understand that’s what you want.”
“These men are great matches for you,” he says. “And if you get to know them, really give them a chance, youcouldactually fall for one of them.”
I swallow, and resist looking to my left. I don’t want to see Jonah’s reaction to the idea of me falling in love.
Because I don’t want to see that he doesn’t have a reaction.
That would hurt. It shouldn’t, but it would.
“I really do think my grandfather would care about that,” Torin continues, his voice gentler. “He loves you.”
That’s what Torin is betting on here.
That if I were to truly fall in love with someone else, King Diarmuid would care about that, would want me to be happy, and would let Torin and me out of the arranged marriage contract.
He might be right.
King Diarmuid does love me. He also likes me a lot. More than he likes his own grandson, to be honest. Because I’vebeen here. I’ve been in Cara representing the palace and the country. I’ve been devoted and, dammit, I’m very good at what I do.