the goal, but finding an excuse to keep her out of my father’s grasp for a few days longer was.
Even though it’s midday, the fire in Dad’s room seems to lick the ceiling. It’s fucking stifling, and the herbs he occasionally throws on the blaze fills the room with acrid smoke. I don’t know how his lungs handle it. He sinks into the chair next to hearth, trembling.
“Dad?”
“If you committed treason, I could have you beheaded.”
“If I took her for a nighttime stroll, I would have brought her back.”
“Aye. The stable hand said you returned with the girl. So where is she?”
I fold my hands over my lap and shrug.
“If she’s perhaps in your chambers—”
“Dad!” I say in a high whisper. “Do you honestly think I’d fuck a prisoner?”
“You will not use that coarse language around me, or I will have your tongue.”
“Sorry, I meant: do you honestly think I’d have sexual intercourse with a prisoner?”
His eyes narrow dangerously. “I do not like your cheek, son. Nor do I like your continued fraternization with that American girl.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I will give you a few days to fulfill your base desires, and then you will bring her back to the dungeons. Is that clear?”
“Crystal, sir.”
“Good.” Father reaches forward to pick up the poker, jabbing the fire with sudden violence. “You’re still here.”
“Yes. I came to inform you that I have chosen a bride and would like to host the engagement ball immediately.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“Why so soon?”
I smile humorlessly. “You told me I had a month to get married. I best get on with it.”
“Who is this girl?”
“Oh, she’s a girl from one of the Harronvale families. Good stock. You’ll love her.”
“I should like to meet this girl.”
“You will meet her at the ball. Her parents are traveling dignitaries. They’re only available for the next couple days, which is why the engagement must be announced immediately.”
He frowns, as though searching for something to disapprove of, but he surprises me with a nod. “I will make the necessary arrangements.”
“Good.” My lips curve as I turn away.
“Son.”
I wipe my expression blank as I face him again.
“If you do anything to embarrass me, I will have your head.”
Three
Royally Peeved: Prince Liam Engaged to Yankee Girl
Daisy
It’s so fucking dark. I can’t see a damn thing. The list of “dumbest things I’ve ever done” just keeps growing:
1. Sneak into a hostile country.
2. Get caught sneaking into said hostile country.
3. Marry the prince of hostile country.
Why am I sneaking around Liam’s room when it’s pitch-black? Because there’s no way I’m spending another minute in this madhouse. All I have are the clothes on my back, but that doesn’t matter. I’ll figure it out. I can’t marry him.
He’s sound asleep in the guest bedroom. I watched him drop his pants and step out of them last night, his black briefs hugging his perfectly round ass.
Stop thinking about his ass.
I move my feet slowly through the darkness. The door’s just up ahead somewhere. As long as I don’t bump into anything, I’ll be fine, but Liam’s quarters are about as tidy as a frat boy’s.
Something light bounces off my right foot and streaks across the room, and I close my eyes, wincing when it hits the front door.
The fucking soccer ball.
I hear it bounce away, release a breath, and take another tentative step forward. My hand flattens against the wall—no—it’s the door. Yes, I’ve found the wide, brass handle.
A sudden burst of light at my side makes me scream. The brightness burns for a few seconds as a small porcelain lamp sharpens into focus. Liam sits in the leather chair, still only wearing his briefs, his fingers holding the golden chain of the lamp. He cocks his beautiful head to the side, fixing me with a dark glare.
“Going somewhere?”
“I wanted a midnight snack.”
He glances at my clothes. “I suppose you needed my jacket to do that?”
“It’s cold out there,” I say defensively.
Liam’s muscles ripple in the lamp’s glow, and are thrown halfway into darkness as he stands. I step back as he approaches me, not liking his predatory smile or the eyes darkened with lust.
“I could have warmed you up.”
He grabs my wrist and yanks me hard, and once again I’m surprised by his strength.
“You know, it’s rude to just take off without saying good-bye after spending the night with someone.”
Damn it.
“How were you planning to evade the guards, I wonder?”
His laughing eyes mock me as I struggle within his iron grip. I’m afraid of the way his hand feels on