The Way You Bite(16)

“No.”

His eyes narrowed ever so slightly and pupils went pinpoint. Shit. She should’ve said yes and moved on. Only, with Ambrose, she feared agreement might lead to acting out on said agreement. No way.

“If you don’t convince those staring at us that it’s so hot in the bedroom between us that the sheets catch on fire, I will fuck you against the wall. Right here. Right now.”

Fear slid down her spine. The humiliation she could take. Him touching her or inside her she could not. She tried to think of something she liked about him, something hot. Nothing came to mind.

Her traitorous mind wandered to the naked wolf king. At the memory, heat flooded between her thighs. How completely screwed up. Her entire body lit up and she felt her face scorch. She pushed the vision away and focused on Ambrose.

As they twirled, she allowed her eyes to lower to half mast. “Kiss me.”

Ambrose leaned in and touched his lips to hers. Cool lips. He coaxed her lips apart and slid his tongue inside. Her body recognized him as the wrong male.

Be convincing. She forced her hand to leave Ambrose’s shoulder and cup the back of his head. She leaned in close. Not enough heat to his body. No evidence he was even aroused, not that it surprised her. She wasn’t even the right gender to get Ambrose aroused. This was about their audience.

He pulled away. “Good girl. That was…better than usual.”

Her cheeks flashed hot. “Dominic wants me to stop working.”

“He wants our union completed. I suppose we should set a date.”

Stall, stall, stall. Three months.

“We discussed next spring. I want to continue to work.” She glared into his eyes, daring him to break their truce over keeping his secret about why he spent so much time in California.

“You can work until you are pregnant.”

“Pregnancy might require…” She cleared her throat. “You here for a while after marriage.”

“Dominic has plans he wants to enact prior to marriage, perhaps to force us to make the vows. Perhaps, he simply wants an heir now.”

“He wouldn’t… I will not be forced.”

“The treatment would push you into receptivity.”

“You’re onboard with forced pregnancy?” Treatment involved a series of injections over forty-eight hours. It forced the female into ovulation. Side effects were common and severe. But if a fertile male serviced her for three straight days afterward, the female usually ended up pregnant. Three days of Ambrose on top of her, hating her but forcing himself on her in his impersonal, dispassionate style. Terrible plan. Maybe AI was an option. She’d rather have an impersonal clinical experience than sex with Ambrose.

“I haven’t made up my mind.” The answer was smooth and suggested he didn’t agree. His face conveyed the epitome of sincerity. This was exactly what she wanted to hear, but she caught another flash of deceit in his thoughts. This ancient might spout pretty lines, but at heart he remained old fashioned. Her gut didn’t trust him or any powerful vamp. He agreed with Dominic’s plan. They’d do whatever the hell they wanted to her until they got what they wanted.

“May I ask you something?” She forced a smile. Subject change time.

A beautiful smile curved his lips, one more for those around them than her.

Dangerous waters, but there was no one better to ask. “What’s your impression of the wolves? If I am to believe those here, then they’re savage animals unworthy of anything other than death or—”

“Deserving only to become subservient to us again?” Ambrose interrupted quietly.

“I know your family has meetings with them over there in Europe.”

“We haven’t been in outright war with the wolves in Europe in a long time. I find they have evolved into an interesting species since we released them. Or, perhaps I should say since we stopped trying to enslave them. To the world they appear civilized and willing to let the past rest in peace.”

“I hear a but in your tone.”

“The older wolves remember the past. Long ago they were our pets. We trained them well in combat and used them to protect us. Most were loyal and dependable when treated properly. Sadly, many vampires did not treat them well. There was a lot of… Bad things happened. Things that are not worth repeating for your delicate ears. They were far too intelligent a species to remain in captivity forever.”

She wondered if she should press him further. Curiosity won. “What about their leader, their king? Have you met him before?”

“Yes, I know him. Not well, but we have met upon occasion. He lived through that time before the War. Sometimes I wonder if anyone could really forgive that kind of past. Even so, Aleksander—or Lexan, as he prefers to be called—is political enough to play the game of peace well.” Ambrose chuckled and smiled down at Vee. “That wolf is one you don’t want to meet. Women of all species seem unable to keep it together in his presence. I have seen even the haughtiest fall to pieces and beg for his attention when he but smiles.”

“You’re telling me,” Vee mumbled.

Ambrose stopped mid-turn, catching her to him before she tripped. All hint of good humor vanished.

Oops.

His eyes narrowed dangerously. “When?”

She shrugged.

He whirled her into a turn that took them through open terrace doors. With a push, he had her against the wall in what onlookers would perceive to be an intimate embrace.