Page 23 of Thorns of Deceit

I smiled, twirling a strand of hair around my finger. “Did you sleep okay?”

His chuckle echoed against the tile. “I sure did. And you?”

“For the most part,” I admitted.

“Something on your mind?” I could hear the concern in his voice, and despite the weird situation—and the forced marriage—my heart fluttered. Damn that organ.

“Just… things,” I answered vaguely. “Do you think we should… I don’t know, fool around or something?”

I thought I heard him let out a string of curses, but when he spoke again, it was in an annoyingly measured tone. “Do you want to?”

“How else are we going to get to know each other?” I teased.

He scoffed. “By talking.”

“You must be the only boy?—”

“Man,” he corrected smoothly.

“Pardon, the only man who’d rather talk than fool around.”

“Wrong. I’m all for fooling around, but there’s no need to rush it. I already have a ring on your finger.”

“You sure do,” I muttered, shifting on the floor. “You know, the younger generation fools around on the first date. Second, worst-case scenario. And I’ve been in your place?—”

“Our place,” he corrected.

“Fine. I’ve been in our place for days, which surely warrants at least five dates, so we should test the waters… chemistry-wise.”

“Jesus Christ,” he muttered. “You make it sound like a lab experiment.”

“I barely passed chemistry, but I still think it counts.”

“I see my wife isn’t a science wiz,” he said dryly.

“If you don’t want to fool around, then we need a date. I’m not staying in this tower of yours, sewing or whatever women of your old generation do. I need more.”

There was a pause, then a teasing edge crept into his tone. “Fine. Date night tonight, then. We’ll test the chemistry.”

I clapped my hands. “Lovely. I’ll handle dinner. Be home by five.”

The words barely left my mouth before I froze.Home. Could it be that I already thought of his place as home? Two years in any apartment with Mom and me moving constantly, I never felt that.

He chuckled, completely unaware of my inner thoughts. “See, we’re already learning about each other. Chemistry isn’t your strong suit, and apparently you can cook.”

I didn’t bother correcting him.

I cradled the phone between my shoulder and ear, juggling a spoon in one hand and a jar of marinara sauce in the other while reading the recipe that made no sense at all.

The phone rang and rang, and just as I was about to hang up, my mom’s voice came through the line.

“Raven, when are you coming home?”

I winced, hearing the slight panic in her voice.

“I’m so sorry, Mom. I ran into my friend… you know, Athena.” I crossed my fingers at the bold-faced lie I was telling her. I couldn’t break the news to her over the phone. Besides, how could I possibly explain something so wild?

“I thought she was in Europe?” There was tension in her voice and regret hit me because I was the cause of it.