Chapter 23: The Night Before

The night before the wedding, my shoes were in Brice's hall.

I had put them there on purpose, a pair of green heels by the door, next to his boots.

He had stopped and looked at them for a long moment when he came in.

Then he'd said nothing at all, and picked up the mail.

I sat on the counter in a silk robe, swinging one foot, and watched him pretend he wasn't smiling.

"I've written terms," I said.

"Have you."

"You made the last set. Until Monday, you do what I say about security, and nothing else between us. I broke it in a day."

"You broke it in a day and a half."

"So these are mine." I held up my hand and counted on my fingers. "One. Nobody tells anybody anything last. Not you, not me."

"Agreed."

"Two. You sit down at dinner. You're allowed to be off duty."

"I'll try."

"Three." I slid off the counter and walked to him, trailing the sash of the robe. "Until the ceremony tomorrow at four, Kincade, you do what I say."

He looked down at me, and the humor went out of his face, and something much darker came in behind it.

"About security?"

"About everything."

He was silent for a moment.

"Tell me to stop," I said, "and I'll stop."

"I'm not saying that."

"Then take off your shirt."

He did it with one hand, from the back of the collar, the way he always did.

I put my palm on the white scar, and then I put my mouth there.

"Sit on the bed," I said.

He sat.

I pulled his black tie out of the drawer where he kept three of them, and I held it up.

"Hands," I said.

His jaw moved.

"Brynn."

"Is that the rule?"

"The rule says I follow orders." He held out both wrists, and he was breathing hard already. "God help me."

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