Page 17 of Thorns of Deceit

“Yes,” I said, letting my gaze travel over her. “I’m all for you wearing my clothes, but it’ll get old real fast and you cannot walk around like that.”

I didn’t even get to finish the statement before Raven was on her knees, digging through tissue paper like a five-year-old on Christmas morning.

“You’re more excited about clothes than the diamond on your finger.” I couldn’t help but smile. “I thought women liked jewelry. Diamonds especially.”

She paused her riffling, lifting her head from the Cartier bag.

“I like jewelry, but prefer it not to be the kind with such heavy symbolism.”

“I don’t blame you,” I said slowly. “But as you well know, marriages in our world are for life. So you might want to warm to the idea.”

I’d come to the conclusion that the information I’d obtained from her background check hadn’t prepared me for this woman at all.

“Not sure what world yours is, but divorce in this day and age is normal in mine,” she muttered as a shadow passed her expression.

Then she returned to rummaging through the bags while I pondered her words.

Something still wasn’t sitting well with all the information my contact had been able to obtain, which was why I got in touchlate last night and demanded he go a step further. I needed to learn everything, starting with why she and her mother seemed to be constantly on the move.

The initial report indicated they’d lived in the States since Raven’s birth and had never set foot in Scotland, which couldn’t possibly be right. Although Duncan Lyons was a ruthless and crazy bastard, it seemed unlikely that he would allow his wife to leave him and raise his daughter so far away from him.

Yeah, something was definitely off, but before we approached the Scottish mobster, we needed to know everything.

As she covered the foyer with wrapping paper and tags, and receipts, distracted with her new wardrobe, I started collecting them and took them into her bedroom.

After she’d changed into Victoria’s Secret shorts and a T-shirt that readBite me,which had to be courtesy of Kyran, we settled on the linen couch.

She was curled in a ball on the other end of the sofa, apparently exhausted from all the excitement. There was enough space between us to accommodate ten people, almost as if she couldn’t stand my nearness, and for some reason, it irked me.

It made no fucking sense, because I didn’t particularly want her close either. This marriage had been shoved down my throat as much as it had hers, and while admittedly the kiss last night was more pleasant than it should have been, it didn’t change the fact that I wouldn’t fuck her.

However, if she repeated her exercise of stalking me while in the shower, I could easily succumb to ignoring my resolution.

I leaned back against the cushions, studying her. “Raven, we should establish some rules.”

She raised her head, curiosity filling her expression. “Kind of late for that, don’t you think?”

“Never too late for rules, wife.”

“If you say so.” She scoffed, locking eyes with me. “Okay, let’s hear them.”

“No more playing Peeping Tom,” I started. “Otherwise, I won’t be responsible for what happens.”

Her cheeks turned red, but to her credit, she didn’t look away.

“Maybe voyeurism is my kink,” she said casually, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Do you usually take showers at the same time every day?”

I couldn’t help but grin. She was clearly asking for trouble, not realizing she’d get more than she bargained for with me.

“Raven, we already discussed how this marriage will go. There’s no reason to rush, and your spying?—”

“I thought you married me to keep me quiet and to give you an heir.”

I let out a low chuckle. “All in due time, but take this as a warning. Your curiosity could cost you.”

“Well, if you knew I was spying on you, why didn’t you stop your… activity.” She tilted her chin in challenge, her eyes steady. “You must not have minded my curiosity, otherwise you would have stopped.”

“Oh, I minded.” I minded very much that I couldn’t drag her into the shower with me, but I wouldn’t admit that. For now, we had agreed to get to know each other. And then there was the fact that she was a virgin.