Page 32 of Branded

The shower is scalding, and I let it wash away the evidence even as the memory is burned into my skin. When I finally emerge, wrapped in a plush towel, I find my things have been unpacked. My clothes in the closet, my toiletries on the counter, my life arranged and organized without my input. He did all this while I was in the shower.

I pick a navy dress, elegant but understated, with a high neckline to hide the bite mark and long sleeves to cover my wrists. Heels that add height without being impractical. I look like money, sophistication and confidence. All three are lies. I might have grown up in a well-known ranching family, but we don’t pretend to be anything other than ranchers.

I dry my hair, put on makeup with steady hands, and slip the diamond studs into my ears. When I look in the mirror, I see Mrs. Sebastian Drake staring back at me. Polished. Perfect. Exactly what his family expects. Will I ever just be Lennox Briggs again?

When I emerge from the bathroom, Sebastian is waiting in the bedroom, sitting in a winged-back chair, watching the pasture, already dressed and looking expensive and casual and entirely in control. He turns to me, his eyes traveling over me slowly, appreciatively.

“Perfect,” he says. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.” The words come automatically.

He crosses to me and reaches out to fix the collar of the dress that I missed pulling up, his fingers brushing the bite mark beneath it. The touch sends heat through me even though we’d just been together. My body is insatiable for him, apparently.

“Remember,” he says quietly, his hands settling on my waist. “They know, but they’ll never say anything about it, so neither do you.”

“That last part isn’t going to be hard. You really think I want to talk about standing on a stage in my underwear having a room full of men gawk at me deciding how much to buy me for?” I quip, then immediately regret the honesty.

He smiles and appears pleased, and possessive. “No, I doubt you do.” He kisses me. “Ready?”

I look at him, this man who bought me, claimed me, makes me want to betray every principle I thought I had. This man I am legally bound to for two years.

“Ready,” I reply with a nod.

He offers his arm, and I take it. We leave the house and step into the Texas evening, golden light painting everything in warmth and shadow. A ranch truck waits to drive us to the “palace” where his family is waiting, circling like vultures.

Where I will need to smile and perform and convince them I want to be there.

The strange thing is, after what just happened against that wall, part of me wonders if I am still angry about it.

Or if I’m actually starting to enjoy being his wife.

11

SEBASTIAN

The house is lit up like a fucking resort when we pull into the driveway. Every window is glowing, and landscape lighting illuminates the architectural features and grounds. Mom insisted on this when she designed this monument to Drake wealth twenty years ago.

I feel Lennox steadying herself beside me in the truck as I open the door to get out.

“Breathe,” I say, my hand finding her thigh. “You handled my parents earlier. This is just more of the same.”

“Your entire family is in there judging me.” Her voice is calm, but I can hear the edge beneath it. “Deciding if I’m worthy of the Drake name.”

“True.” No point lying about it. “But you know how to handle this kind of scrutiny. I saw you do it at the resort a hundred times a day.”

“That doesn’t make it easier.”

“No,” I agree, squeezing her thigh. “But you’ll do it anyway. Because you’re mine, and I don’t think you’re the type to break. You would have already if you were.”

She turns to look at me, and in the dim light from the dashboard, I can see the conflict written across her face. Animosity and attraction are at war with each other, along with fear and determination. She is magnificent.

“Let’s get this over with,” she says.

I come around to open her door, offering my hand to help her down. She takes it, and I don’t miss the way her fingers tighten around mine. Nerves, probably. Or maybe remembering what my fingers did to her an hour ago against the stone wall of our house.

My cock stirs at the memory. Later, I promise myself. After we survive family dinner, I’ll have her again.

The front door opens before we reach it, and James appears, grinning like an idiot.