Apparently it hadn’t.
Fuck him.
Coldness swept over me, squashing the strange sensation in my chest. I fixed my eyes on him, straightening my spine and lifting my chin. If he was going to dish it out like this, I could serve it right back to him. He felt the change as ice crept over our table and our eyes locked.
“So are you ever going to tell me what Merrick said to you,” I snapped.
“He wants to fuck you.”
His expression didn’t change. He took a sip of his wine and his jaw tensed as he swallowed. Shock moved through me and a strange warmth surged between my legs. A hundred different mental images spun through my brain.
“Excuse me,” I whispered.
“Merrick likes fucking the wives of men he negotiates with,” Peregrine said casually. “He wants you for a night in exchange for the alliance.”
My cheeks burned and my hand shook as I set down my wine. My entire body was alight with the idea—not of Merrick fucking me—but of Peregrine being benevolent enough to allow him to do it. Of him using me for his alliance like I meant nothing.
My God, I was fucked up for being aroused by that.
“What did you say to him?”
His eyes locked on mine and his jaw worked, defiance written all over his face.
“I said I would think about it,” he said. “It’s not as if we’re in love, Lia. What would it matter if I used you like that to get the things I need?”
I blinked hard, unsure if he’d meant to hurt me or if I was being too sensitive.
“Why are you so sure that I want Merrick to fuck me?”
He leaned in. “Because you do. Because you crave attention and getting it from two men would fill that aching spot in your heart like nothing else.”
I winced, but I knew it was no use arguing. He’d found my wound and put his finger into my side the way he always did. I closed my eyes, feeling like Eve in the garden. Staring down at the snake and the apple, wrestling with the temptation to give in and feel the sweet juice fill my mouth and drip down my neck.
“Fine, tell him he can fuck me.”
My chest heaved under my sweater, uncomfortably hot. The shrimp and cocktail sauce sat untouched. I huffed and took a deep sip of my wine, wishing it would wipe away the last several minutes.
“I would, but I don’t want to risk you accidentally getting pregnant,” he said coolly. “He can eat you out.”
“Maybe I’ll suck his dick for him,” I said, smiling sweetly.
He shook his head, his eyes narrowed poisonously. “He can go down on you with me in the room or he can shove his alliance up his ass. That’s what I’ll offer him if you’re so willing to be used for my political gain. It’ll make my job a hell of a lot easier.”
“Why does it matter to you what he does to me?” I asked.
He cocked his head, his hooded gaze hazy in the candlelight. He was doing that thing again where he sat back in his chair and took up enough space to make it seem like he owned the restaurant. Maybe he did—I didn’t know how he made his enormous amounts of money.
“You belong to me,” he said. “And no one touches my property without my specific permission as to what they may do with it. Understood?”
“I’m—”
“If I have to tattoo my name into your skin, I will. So be good and tell me you understand me, Lia.”
There was a finalizing note to his voice that sent a cold shiver down my spine. I swallowed, a little shaken, and nodded with my eyes on the table.
“I understand.”
There was a long silence and then, to my surprise, he reached across the table and took my hand in his palm. His thumb dragged over my wedding ring.