She immediately looked disappointed, just as she did every time I left, like she truly missed me, wanted me home with her because, without me, she was lost. Her need was the sexiest thing in the world to me. She needed to be taken care of—and I got to be the one to do it. I got to be the one to cover her in diamonds and kisses. I got to be the one to keep her full with the most delectable food possible. I got to dress her in the finest designer clothing, the finest lingerie.
Me.
She looked down at her plate for a moment, absent-mindedly moving her fork around. “Take me with you.” She lifted her eyes and looked at me through her thick eyelashes.
Those nights together in her cabin had never left my memory. Sometimes when I stared at her painting, flashbacks came to me—the first time she gave herself to me, the first time I earned her. That was the beginning of the end for me. My obsession grew into something deeper. “Why?”
“I want to see my sister.” She gave her answer immediately without having to think twice about it.
Her response disappointed me.
“And I hate it every time you’re gone…”
My eyes locked on to hers and saw only sincerity. She told me her primary reason with blunt honesty. She told me her second reason with conviction.
“It’s not the same without you—”
“You’re perfectly safe there—”
“I’m safe with you. The palace, the men, the luxuries…are nothing without you.”
My visage was made of stone. I didn’t release the breath I held. Stoic as ever, I kept my expression and my heart disconnected. But inside, I felt that blinding heat through my chest, felt that rush of blood to the head. Her love and affection were my fantasy—and every time it happened, it was a greater high than the last. “I’ll bring you—but that doesn’t mean I’ll allow you to see her.”
She accompanied me in the passenger seat on the drive, and she sat behind me in the saddle as we rode down the dirt path. The snow had melted everywhere except the top of the peaks, and now wild flowers were visible on the sides of the well-beaten path. Green bushes and plants replaced the white powder that once covered the ground.
We arrived at the camp, and I climbed off my horse before I guided Melanie down and safely got her to the ground.
The guards immediately stared at her.
She was in tight jeans, boots, and an olive-green shirt. Despite our location, she still wore her diamonds. She kept her eyes down and didn’t look at any of them.
With one stare from me, they all turned away, like scattering flies.
Magnus waited for me at the entrance of my cabin. His hood was back, revealing his hard features that matched mine. He had the same dark stare, the same intensity, something we inherited from our dead father.
I approached him and stared him down, the guards standing there to watch. His betrayal still gave me so much rage, so much pain. We hadn’t spoken for a long time, because the one person I trusted implicitly had turned on me. But he took his punishment like a man, and he busted his ass to right his wrong. The shame in his eyes was the reason my hatred had faded, because he sincerely regretted what he’d done to me. I could see it on his face. “Brother.”
He exhaled a long, slow breath, closing his eyes briefly, like my affection meant the world to him. “Brother.”
I extended my hand to his.
He hesitated before he took it, staring for several seconds before he gripped the inside of my forearm and stepped in, his hand moving to my back.
I did the same.
I embraced my little brother.
The brother I loved like a son.
When we pulled away, I nodded to the cabin.
We stepped inside, Melanie following behind me.
The door closed, and Magnus moved to one of the couches. Melanie moved to the other, taking a seat with her knees together, her back straight, her hair back elegantly to show the diamonds in her ears. She took the road with me on horseback, but she looked as pristine as ever, French aristocracy.
I poured two glasses of scotch and grabbed a bottle of water for Melanie. I took a seat beside her, put the drinks on the table, and then moved my hand to the beautiful woman beside me, the woman who was so beautiful, she didn’t look like she’d ever been here in the first place.
I gripped her thigh until she looked at me. “Men need to talk. Wait for me.”
She gave a silent nod before she dismissed herself into the bedroom and shut the door.
Magnus waited until she was gone before he grabbed his drink. “I’m surprised you brought her here.”