I was being compared to livestock—and I didn’t appreciate that. “Get out.”
“No.” His long legs stretched out beneath him, his knees apart and his muscles obvious in the places where his jeans hugged his body. His shirt was tight across his chest because his pectoral muscles were thick enough to make a dent in his clothes. His skin was very tanned, like he didn’t spend much time indoors—unless he was fucking. To every other woman in the world, he was a handsome and rich man.
But to me, he was just a bastard. “I said, get out.”
“And I said no.” He nodded to the other chair. “Take a seat.”
“I’m not a dog.”
“Never said you were…even though you’re acting like a bitch.”
With lightning speed, I slammed the knife down onto his thigh, intending to stab him as deep as I could.
He moved his leg out of the way then caught me so I wouldn’t slam into the hardwood floor underneath his chair. “Be careful. Don’t want you to hurt yourself.” He took the knife out of my hand and started to help me up.
I pushed off him and straightened.
“You’ve got great speed but terrible aim. I can give you some pointers if you want.”
“Sure.” I crossed my arms. “How about we practice on you?”
A slow grin crept onto his face, the first one I’d seen him make. “You’re a pain in my ass, but at least you’re entertaining. I’ll give you that.” He tossed the knife on the table. “You know why I’m here. You need to change your mind because we’re running out of time. Make this easier on everyone and take advantage of your only option.”
“I said I’d rather die.”
“Then you must not understand what death means if you choose that.”
“No, I understand perfectly.”
“Alright…” He crossed his legs and rested one ankle on the opposite knee, getting comfortable in the wooden chair. “Then you must not understand how terrible it feels to be raped by a group of men. How painful it is to be a punching bag. And since you’re so entertaining, they probably won’t kill you…so your one way out won’t be available to you. It sounds like I’m your only option. Never thought I’d have to work so hard to get a woman to marry me when I don’t even want to marry her.”
“I think the answer is pretty obvious—you’re soft.”
His smile disappeared immediately, like I’d provoked the beast within. “Trust me, I’m not soft.”
“You’re begging a woman who despises you to marry you. That’s pretty pathetic, if you ask me.”
“I’m negotiating a deal—a deal that needs to happen.”
“To please your daddy?” I mocked. “I thought women were the ones with daddy issues…”
His gaze darkened once more, like I was poking at a wound that was festering. “My mother was kidnapped, raped, and beaten. Before my father and I could rescue her, they killed her. You wanna know how?” He tilted his head as he looked at me. “They hanged her. Your father came to mine and said he would give us the man who destroyed my family if I married you.” He raised his hand and pointed it at me. “Why would I want to marry some annoying brat who doesn’t understand her father is trying to save her life? Why would I want to marry someone so goddamn stubborn, she actually thinks she has another way out? Why would I want to marry a little girl who thinks she’s some big, tough man? Trust me, the last thing I want to do is see you in a wedding dress and give you my name.” He rose to his feet, towering over me the second he stood upright. “But I have a duty to my family—to my mother. If this is the price I have to pay, so be it.” He stepped closer to me, his face coming near mine as he stared me down with pure loathing.
It was the first time my tongue felt too big for my mouth, when I knew I’d shoved my foot too far down my throat. I shouldn’t pity this man, but I did—and I felt terrible for the insensitive comments I’d made. “I’m sorry about your mother…and the mean things I just said. I take it back.”
“No such thing as takebacks.” He stepped back, his presence still dwarfing everything in the room. “I need you to marry me because I have to avenge my mother. You need to marry me because no one will touch you as my wife. We need each other. So, stop prolonging it and just give in.”
That was what anyone else would do…but I wasn’t like everyone else. “You don’t know me very well, but I’m not the kind of person that just gives up.”
“Marrying me wouldn’t be giving up. You would be choosing life, not death. If you run, you won’t make it very far. If you stay, they’ll find you even quicker. Taking my name will blanket you with invincibility. My family isn’t a family you go to war with—especially not for a woman. You can keep your life, just with a few subtle changes.” He grabbed the bottle and took another drink, his head turning and showing the prominent angle of his jawline. It was so sharp, it seemed to be carved out of glass. His chin was covered with a shadow of hair, just as it’d been a few nights ago. With classic dark looks and brown eyes almost the color of coffee, he was pretty on the outside…but dark within.