The Scotch Series: The Complete Series (Scotch #1-3) - Penelope Sky Page 0,210

included in the conversation? What would you do if you were kidnapped? Would you ever give up, Ariel? I sure hope not.”

Her gaze remained steady, her eyes unflinching. “And that would be fine. I expected you to try to escape. But you chose to manipulate him to do it, and the idiot actually fell for it.”

“I fell for it too,” I snapped. “While I was trying to get him to fall in love with me, I fell in love with him instead. I wanted to talk to Crewe about having a different kind of relationship, one where I had independence. If I’d really wanted to betray Crewe, I would have let Joseph kill him at the distillery. I would have stabbed him in the neck while he was sleeping. I would have bashed a vase against the base of his skull while he was in the shower. But I didn’t.”

She rolled her eyes and looked away. “If you’re done, I’d like to wait for Crewe—alone.”

Geez, she was a bitch. “You can’t leave, Ariel. He needs you.”

“Not as much as he needs what’s between your legs.”

I chewed on the inside of my lip as I swallowed the insult. “What can I do to prove myself to you?”

She grabbed the glass of water from the coffee table and took a long drink. “You want to know what you can do?”

“Yeah,” I snapped. “I just asked.”

“Leave. Leave him and never come back. Then I’ll stay.”

That was impossible. “Then he’ll be miserable. He’ll be miserable if he loses you too. He needs both of us, Ariel.”

“Leave,” she repeated. “Let him get his life back on track.”

“Back on track? I’m the one who’s gotten him to cut back on drinking. I’m the one who gets him to crack a smile once in a while. I understand business is important to both of you, but it’s not everything. He needs more than that.”

“He didn’t before.”

“It’s a good thing he does now.”

She glanced at the lawyer then returned to ignoring me.

“Ariel, come on. We can work this out. You’re like family to Crewe.”

“I was—until he picked you.”

“Why does he have to pick at all? Ariel, why am I such a threat to you? I would never hurt Crewe.”

“Oh, really?” She raised an eyebrow. “Crewe is supposed to marry someone of his station, and not just for business. He needs to carry on his bloodline through someone of noble birth. That’s how it works. And you’re telling me you’re just gonna step aside and let that happen?”

The idea of Crewe spending his life with someone else made me sick to my stomach. Watching him walk off with a princess or a duchess while I slowly faded into the background would make me hurt worse than anything else in my life. I didn’t know what the future held for us, but I knew letting him go would break my heart.

She cocked her head to the side when I didn’t answer. “That’s what I thought. You’ve done nothing but ruin Crewe’s life. You’re a fucking cockroach that just won’t die. You’re selfish and inconsiderate. I can’t stand by and watch Crewe throw away his legacy like this—because he’s family.”

“If he’s family—”

Crewe walked inside in a gray suit and black tie. With a look of consternation and professionalism, he didn’t seem hungover at all. Maybe a hot shower and a few painkillers had been enough to straighten him out. “London.” He walked to the couch and looked down at me, his hands in his pockets.

I didn’t appreciate the cold way he spoke to me, so I spoke just as coldly. “Crewe.”

He didn’t give a smartass comment like he normally would. “Give us the room.”

My eyes narrowed even more. I didn’t appreciate being bossed around when I was only trying to help him.

He picked up on the tension. “Please, Lovely.”

I stood up and ignored Ariel as I walked around the couch. Before I passed Crewe, he grabbed me by the elbow and leaned into me, pressing a gentle kiss to my cheek.

I knew it was the only form of apology he could express.

He let me go then walked to the couch.

I left the room and shut the door behind me. I lingered outside the doorway in the hope I could catch a word or two, but his door was so thick and the room was so big that I couldn’t make out a single word.

All I could think about was what Ariel said to me. The only way I could make her