Page 22 of Ceremony of Lust

I could easily lie to her, or I can be honest. “We were sort oftogether,” I say, choosing some form of the truth over an easy lie.

“What does that mean?”

“It means something intimate occurred between us, but we did not have sex.”

She bites down on her lower lip as she considers this new bit of information. “I’m not going to change my mind, Zev. I’d rather marry you and risk my heart than endure another match ceremony.”

“Thank you, Yael.” My entire body relaxes. “I brought you a surprise.” I hold out my hand to her, but she rejects it. Instead, she rushes forward and surprises me by wrapping her arms around my neck. That morning, my heart silently makes two promises. One, to get revenge on Anders Huxley; and the other, to find some way to love Yael Blum.

She releases me with a mischievous smile. “What did you bring me today?”

“Wedding dresses. I don’t know much about women’s clothing, so I thought you could choose.”

She claps her hands excitedly and smiles, and it’s then I realize I’d do almost anything to keep that smile on her face. Seeing her tears and the hurt my indiscretion caused hit me harder than I ever anticipated.

“I can’t wait to try them on,” she says with a giggle.

“And I can’t wait to see you in them.”

Her laughter and smile abruptly fade, and her eyes widen. “No! Absolutely not. You cannot see me in my dress before our wedding.”

“Why not? I’m paying for it.”

“It’s bad luck.”

“I’ve already seen the ones the store selected for you,” I insist, reasoning with her.

“Seeing them and seeing them on me are two totally different things.”

She’s resolute, and I growl in annoyance. “These damned traditions grow more and more frustrating every day. I don’t see why we have to adhere to them when it seems the Elders are taking matters into their own hands.”

“Is there something you’re not telling me? About this woman?” Yael’s face is full of confusion, and I regret opening my mouth.

“No, I told you everything about Leann. I promise.”

“There is one thing you haven’t told me,” she says in almost a whisper, her eyes darting away. She turns toward the front door and waves me inside. I follow her back into the house, and she weaves her way through it until we’re in the back, in a darkly paneled room full of books. She closes the door slowly until it softly clicks shut.

“Yael, what are you doing?” I ask.

“I need to ask you something, and I don’t want my grandmother to hear.” Her cheeks redden, and she seems uncomfortable as she leans against the large wooden desk. “Tell me what you and Leann did together.”

“Yael!” I practically yell. She rushes forward and slaps her hand over my mouth.

“Keep it down,” she hisses, letting her hand fall away.

“Are you out of your mind? You can’t ask me to tell you something like that.”

“Why not? She clearly knew how to please you. I want to be able to do the same.”

“You and Leann are two different types of women.”

“What kind of woman is she?”

I sit on the leather sofa against the far wall and debate whether I should tell Yael what she wants to know. One minute, she’s giggling like a schoolgirl over dresses, and the next, she wants to learn how to please me.

“She’s nothing more than a gold digger,” I say at last.

“So all she cared about was your money? How is that supposed to please you?”