Illicit (The Wrong Alpha 3)

“Not once,” Liam said with a humorless laugh.

Jules was rendered speechless again. “Okay,” he said at last, his voice a little strangled. “I’m going to have a talk with Anthony. That’s—that’s on him. How could he? He’s older, more experienced—he should have known better!”

“Please don’t talk to him,” Liam said, wincing. “It doesn’t matter. It’s in the past. I’m marrying the Earl of Terlaine.”

“If Anthony gives his permission.”

Liam gave a laugh. “Why wouldn’t he?”

“I don’t know,” Jules said, his voice practically dripping with sarcasm. “But I would have never guessed that Anthony would be irresponsible and crazy enough to fuck you—more than once—so it appears I don’t know him at all. I have no idea what to expect from him.”

Fair enough.

Neither did Liam.

***

Liam was helping Jules choose the venue for the wedding reception—there were twelve palaces to choose from—when the door to the drawing room opened and Anthony stalked in.

Liam tensed up, his heart starting to beat faster. Beside him, Jules stiffened too, eyeing Anthony as if seeing him for the first time. Dropping his gaze to the tablet in his hands, Liam stared at the venue’s pictures with great interest, maybe more interest than they warranted.

“Anthony,” Jules said, his voice colder than it normally was.

Unable to help himself, Liam looked up.

He found Anthony’s eyes fixed on him.

Liam swallowed, his mouth going dry.

“Jules, leave us,” Anthony said, without even glancing Jules’s way.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Jules said, folding his arms on his chest—Liam could see it in his peripheral vision. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Anthony’s, feeling like prey caught in a trap, ready to be eaten alive.

“Out,” Anthony said, in such an uncompromising tone that Jules flinched. “Please,” he added after a moment, in a marginally softer voice.

After a moment’s hesitation, Jules turned to Liam. “Li?”

Part of Liam wanted to grab Jules’s hand and beg him to stay. He didn’t trust himself.

“It’s fine,” Liam heard himself say. “Go.”

“All right,” Jules grumbled, looking from Anthony to Liam. “You have five minutes. I’ll be back soon, Li.”

Liam nodded.

As Jules’s footsteps receded, silence fell over the room, so thick it was suffocating.

It suddenly occurred to Liam that it was the first time since the whole thing had started that they were alone during daylight. Everything they had done was done under the cover of darkness—illicit, urgent fucks that they had never really acknowledged the next day. Would Anthony once again pretend it had never happened? Would Liam do the same? Did he have the courage to talk about it?

The silence stretched.

Anthony’s eyes were as unreadable as they were intense. “I had a visit from the Earl of Terlaine,” he finally said.

Oh.

Liam hadn’t expected Terlaine to act this fast. He must have departed for the Blake country estate immediately after Liam had accepted his suit.

Clearing his throat a little, Liam set his tablet aside and got to his feet. He crossed his arms over his chest and lifted his chin. “I trust it was a productive meeting,” he said, his voice carefully neutral.

Anthony’s eyes narrowed. He took a few steps closer until they were toe to toe.

Liam held his breath, trying to breathe as little as possible. It wasn’t fair. Why did this alpha smell so intoxicating when other alphas didn’t smell a fraction as good?

“It was,” Anthony said. “Granted, Terlaine might think differently.”

Frowning, Liam shot him a suspicious look. “What did you tell him?”

Anthony’s lips curled slightly. “I told him what any good alpha would: that I’m not going to accept his proposal until I’m convinced you actually want it—and I’m not.”

“I already accepted his proposal! You had no right!”

“Don’t I?” Anthony said, his eyes glinting.

Liam flushed. “You don’t.”

“I’m your alpha,” Anthony said, his scent so thick in the air it was all Liam could breathe. Gods, he wanted to shove his face against Anthony’s muscular neck, latch onto his scent gland, and suck.

“Not for much longer,” Liam said shakily, despising himself for those thoughts.

Anthony’s eyes hardened. “I’m your alpha,” he repeated. “You’re my responsibility.”

“I don’t want to be your responsibility.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Anthony said. “Pelugia’s constitution. Look it up. You’re mine—to take care of.”

“We live in the modern world,” Liam ground out, hating the urge to give in, bare his throat, and agree with everything Anthony said. It was taking everything in him to fight that instinct. “Most omegas choose their mates themselves, and the family alpha’s agreement is just a formality, nothing more.”

Anthony’s gaze burned him. “It’s a formality only if the omega actually wants to marry the suitor.”

“Are you actually claiming to know my mind better than I do?”

Anthony’s lips curled into a sardonic smile. “Are you saying you want Terlaine? We both know it’s not true.”

A dropped pin could have been heard in the deafening silence that settled over the room.

So they were actually talking about it.