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Air e

I t was a carefully planned ambush. I should have expected grandfather to do something like this, but like na?ve prey, I had walked into his trap. Nolan was looking at me as though I was in on this whole dastardly business. And grandfather was behaving as though I was in complete agreement with him. Children are the last thing I want out of this marriage. And wasn't it temporary? Introducing a child would only complicate it.

When I learned we would be visiting grandfather, I almost faked sickness. I didn't want to come, but my grandfather had been adamant that I be here. And this was the reason why.

Why did he want grandkids, anyway? That man hated children more than oil hated water.

"Is that what you want, Aelin?"

Nolan yanked me out of my thoughts. I cast my gaze at my grandfather. There was one way he wanted me to answer. I turned to Nolan. He looked pensive. Was he worried on my behalf?. I couldn't tell, but why would he be? He made sure every day that I knew he didn't care about me.

Nolan turned to Kenneth. "Can Aelin and I speak alone?"

Kenneth's jaw ticked. Then he flashed a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "She agrees with me! Don't you Aire? She wants a child."

"Still. I want to talk to my wife alone."

Grandfather muttered something under his breath. "Fine." He staggered up and shuffled out of the room, but not before he gave me a look that said, "know your place."

"Care to show me around?"

"Around here?" I was about to say this was the first time I've ever been at this house, but Nolan was already getting up. I might not have been here before, but Aelin has. "Sure."

When we got out of the house, clouds had dimmed the afternoon sun, and the waves had become choppy, but the wind was calm. I had seen a pond earlier, just before we landed, so I led him there.

We were halfway to the pond when Nolan stopped. "What's your grandfather up to?"

I tried to be as nonchalant as I could. "He wants grandkids. What grandfather doesn't."

"Bullshit. That man has no domestic bone in his body."

Nolan was right, but there was no way I was going to confirm his assumption.

"And you," he raised his eyebrows. "You want kids?"

I was about to shout no until I recalled the look grandfather gave me. Kenneth wants me to say yes, but it's not his body. He can't decide what I do with it. "I want what's best for my family."

He scoffed. "If you did, you wouldn't lead the life you lead."

"You know, you can be a little judgmental bitch for a husband."

"Yeah. Tell me something. Would you consider a club hopper with multiple DUIs a motherly woman? I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want a woman who crashed into a group of choirboys as the mother of my children."

I reddened as though I was the one who crashed into them. But his face was so full of revulsion I had a need to defend myself. I had to defend her. "You don't know what you're talking about," I said and marched a little ahead of him. The wind whistled, becoming rougher and blowing my dress up my legs. I folded my arms and stopped when I reached the pond. An arched footbridge joined the estate's halves, leading to a pavilion and greenhouse.

"Am I wrong?" Nolan marched forward until he reached me. Only stopping when he was barely a foot away. He thrust his hands in his pockets and stood in that mocking position he held so well.

"You have no idea how wrong you are."

"Well, I don't want to have children with someone like you."

I twisted my folded arms. "That's rich coming from one of the most notorious playboys. You're not the only one who can research smarty pants," I added when he blanched. "I know all about your not so discreet affairs with the married women in New York's society."

"Who told you that?"

I shifted my weight between my feet, wondering if the gossip blogs I read were right. They had reported on the rumors with authority. I held firm. "So it is true."

"It's gossip."

"And yet you choose to judge me on that. The double standard." I tilted my neck so I could stare directly at him. He was standing close. Too close. I turned away from him and crossed the bridge. His footsteps echoed mine on the wood panels as he followed.

"Touche. But that doesn't change the fact that we both don't want kids."

"I do, actually," I shouted, walking straight without looking at him. The path I followed was winding and led to the pavilion that stood in the middle of sprawling greenery like a white island. I climbed the two wide steps and went to stand in the middle. The pavilion's high location provided a beautifulview of the ocean.

"Is that why you let your grandfather bully you into this marriage?" Nolan came to stand beside me. His scent teasing my nostrils, flaring up emotions I had been clamping down for weeks. "You want kids?" he asked. "With me?"

His words conjured erotic images of the two of us tangled in sheets. I muzzled the wayward feelings, strolled away from him to a pole, and leaned against it, facing him. I tilted my head, just like Aelin would. "You seem afraid of the prospect. Why?" I darted my eyes to his crotch. "Can't get it up? Blank shooter?"

He smirked. "My anatomy is in perfect working condition. Thank you for your concern."

"How do you know? You don't have a child."

Nolan closed the distance between us until he was a few inches away. That intense sensation returned. My pulse raced as I stared into his eyes. Imprisoned by his gaze. "And you think I will conduct this experiment with you?"

I shrugged.

He chuckled and placed his hand on top of my head on the pole, shifting closer until he was a kiss away. My breath caught in my throat. "You think too highly of yourself."

It was an intimidation tactic. He wanted to rattle me, just as I had done to him. He didn't look as confident as he usually did. His nostrils flared. He clenched his jaw as his gaze fixed on my lips. I held my ground and raised my chin until I could feel his breath brushing my lips."What?" My words came out in a whisper. "Can't handle a confident woman?"

I expected him to scoff, but he just stared back at me. He drew his back a little, and I thought he was about to move away, but instead the hand that was on the pole slipped and encircled my waist. He pulled me forward. Wind whistled by, blowing hair in my face. He pushed it away before stooping and claiming my lips.

His kiss was hard, punishing and oh so sweet. My entire body melted, first from shock and then from the way the hard muscle of his frame felt against mine. My hands plastered against his chest as he coaxed my mouth open with his tongue. I sighed, and he delved in. My knees buckled. I slipped. He held me fast and pushed me back against the pole. I clung to his shirt as my tongue danced with his. My hands went to his neck and he slid his hands down my waist and gripped my butt just before he rubbed me against his body. My center came into contact with his crotch. I whimpered and kissed him deeper.

It was when I felt my dress ride up and his hands on my underwear that I realized what I was doing. Where I was and who I was with. With all my strength, I pushed him away. He didn't put up a fight. He looked just as surprised as I was. His hair ruffled, his lips swollen. He looked like a boy on his first date. He did not act like it, though. Even though he was a couple of feet away, my skin tingled where he had touched me.

Seconds ticked by. I scrambled for something to say. "That was…"

"A mistake."

"Absolutely."