Beck turned quickly, taking in her frown. She had straightened her clothes and put on an apron. Her auburn hair was pulled back in a neat bun. She looked every bit the proper Fae wife about to cook her husbands’ dinner. He missed the naughty schoolgirl.
“I took care of it,” Beck explained. “We should have enough coin to see us through the winter.”
Meg’s eyes dulled. She shrugged as though it didn’t mean anything to her. “I’ll keep it for myself if you don’t want it.” She moved toward the kitchen. “And I’ll make sure to pay the women for their clothes. I’ll do it tomorrow.”
Beck ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “Meg…”
She held up a hand to stop him. “Just leave me a list of what I’m supposed to do, and I’ll get it done, Beck. I’ll shut down the bakery stall, or I’ll work it myself from now on.”
“I didn’t say that, Meg,” Beck replied. Damn it. He didn’t want to argue with her. “You’re deliberately misunderstanding me.”
“No, I’m being realistic,” Meg said, her back stiffening with pride. “I’m not going to win with you, Beck. I could try to be this proper lady you want, but you’ll always remember that you bought me in a marketplace. I’ll always be a reminder that you didn’t get to be with the bondmate you were promised.”
Beck threw his brother a surprised glare. “Does she think we’re pining for Maris? Where did she get that?”
“Not from me.” Cian shuddered at the thought. “She knows how I felt about Maris. The best thing about having our kingdom ripped from us was not having to bed that bitch. She damn near froze off my willy every time I stood next to her. I can’t imagine having to put it in her.”
“She wasn’t your type, baby,” Meg said with an intimate smile that didn’t include Beck. “She was Beck’s. Look, I’ve thought a lot about this while you were gone. I realize that you married me to save Ci. That doesn’t mean you have to pay for it the rest of your life. I haven’t talked about this with Ci yet, so I hope I’m not being too forward, but I think we get along really well. I love him, I really do.”
“I love you, too, darlin’,” Cian replied sweetly with a wink.
“So I think that Ci and I should find our own place to live,” Meg continued, sounding very sensible. She sounded like she was explaining her plans to redecorate, not ripping his heart out. “Cian built this house. He can build a new place for us, and I’ll help him. We wouldn’t ask anything of you. I’m making money now, and Cian knows how to farm. We just need some land. I think it’s best if we make it a clean break. I’ll still be close so I can still do the bridge thing, but you can find someone more suitable.”
“Are you asking me for a divorce?” The question came out as a low growl.
Meg put her hands on her hips. Her eyes were suspiciously bright. “It hasn’t been much of a marriage, has it? I embarrass you at every turn. You don’t enjoy sleeping with me. It’s for the best. I promise, though, that I will try to fix whatever I did wrong in the village. I thought they liked me. I thought I was fitting in. Do you mind telling me who said those things about me? Maybe if I talked to them, I could figure out how to fix it.”
Beck’s mind was still on the fact that his wife was trying to leave. He spoke without thinking. “It was Liadan.”
“Oh, fuck,” Cian muttered under his breath.
Meg’s hazel eyes became dangerously narrow slits. “Liadan?”
“Yes,” Beck said cautiously. “She’s a well-respected woman in the village.”
“I got every bit of brains between us,” Cian said, shaking his head. “She knows about Lia, brother. Liadan made sure our wife knew she was your mistress.”
“Are you telling me you come home and the first person you go to see is your girlfriend?” Meg asked as she stalked toward him.
“I haven’t touched her since we got married,” Beck defended himself. “It was just chance that I talked to her.”
Beck could plainly see that Meg was having none of that. She picked up the pack he had set down. There was a righteous female fury in her eyes. She opened the door and tossed the luggage out. “I changed my mind. I’m staying here. You can go live with your precious, cold, perfect little blonde. See if I care.”
“I’m not going anywhere, wife,” Beck promised, and there was steel in his voice. “I’m not getting thrown out of my home, and we’re not getting a divorce.”
“Meg, darlin’,” Cian said, obviously trying to defuse the situation. “Why don’t we all sit down and calmly discuss this. We’re a family now.”
“I’m not married to him,” Meg swore between clenched teeth.
Everything inside Beck was starting to boil. His hands twitched as he attempted to gain control of the overwhelming desire to prove to her who she belonged to. “Are you challenging my claim to you, wife?”
“No, she’s not,” Cian tried.
“Like hell, I’m not,” Meg snarled.
“Back down, wife,” Beck commanded. He forced himself to hold his ground when his every instinct told him to chase her down and bend her to his will.
“Meg,” Cian said, looking into her eyes. “Don’t do this. If you push him, he’ll break.”
Meg rolled her eyes. “No, he won’t. He’ll politely ask me if I might, at some point in the future, maybe want to have lame, boring sex with him. If I say no, he’ll slink away and go ask his cold girlfriend if she’ll have very vanilla sex with him. I was wrong about him. I thought he was a Dom, but he’s just a bully. He wants utter control of my life without giving me anything back. Screw that, Beck.” She turned the full force of her disgust on Beck. “I won’t do it. I won’t live with you. I’ve finally found what I want. I want Ci. Cian understands me. Cian gives me what I need.”
“No, he doesn’t, love,” Beck returned, watching her move. He remained still, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce. All thought of doing this the easy way was gone now. This would go down hard, and damned if he wasn’t looking forward to it. “He just plays at it. It’s a game to him. I bet you have to tell him what to do.”
Beck knew he was right when Meg looked slightly startled. She hid it quickly, but Beck caught that little hint. All wasn’t as perfect as Meg would have him believe.
“He just didn’t understand what I wanted. I explained it to him.”
“I think I did a damn fine job,” Cian interjected. His eyes went from his wife to his brother. Beck knew he was awaiting the inevitable outcome of this little skirmish.
“I know what you want,” Beck growled.
Meg crossed her arms over her chest. The challenge in her pose made Beck’s blood start to pound through his body. “You might know, Beck, but you aren’t man enough to give it to me.”
“Wrong answer, darling,” Cian said, whistling a little.
Beck struck hard and fast. Meg was on the floor beneath him before she could scream. Beck held her easily, though she squirmed and looked to Cian for help. There would be none forthcoming. Cian wanted this as much as Beck did, and Beck knew it. Beck could feel the satisfaction coming off his brother in waves. It had been too long since Beck let his beast have its way. Beck knew Cian would enjoy the experience so much more because of the woman on the floor. She would bridge the two and allow them to share the feeling.
Beck smiled down at his wife, a triumphant feeling running through his system. He gave her the smile of a predator about to enjoy a full meal after a lifetime of hunger. “As my vampire uncle might say, you wanted the bull, my Meggie. You’re about to get the horns.”
Chapter Seventeen
Meg bucked beneath her husband. His weight held her efficiently as he sat on her midsection and calmly looked to his brother.