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СКАЧАТЬ took the time to look around. The rushes appeared to be clean, and the castle at least smelled good. He sniffed his nose and nodded at Patrick.

      “It is lavender, milord,” Elizabeth said. “I find it lingers, and leaves a fresh scent.” The room soon filled with servants bearing trays of ale, cheese and bread. Leora rushed in, a tray full of food in her hands. Behind her was a servant with a tray full of large tankards of ale. She offered it to him, and Elizabeth beamed.

      Keran smiled at her as he took a healthy bite of bread. He swallowed quickly, then nodded his thanks to her. She really was not so bad, he thought. Maybe this would work. He took another bite, then turned his gaze to Elizabeth.

      “I trust you have vacated the main chamber?”

      “I have, milord. My daughter can move her things into the room tonight, along with yours, of course. She can take care of you tonight, milord.”

      Keran, who had been in the middle of a drink of ale, coughed. The room, which had been buzzing with talk as servants walked about offering food and drink to their new residents, grew quiet.

      Keran finished his drink, then licked his lips. “Tonight? You have a priest handy?”

      Elizabeth bristled, and he hid a smile. He knew he must marry the girl, but her mother’s push for a bedding made him weary. He would rather take a little while, and allow himself to settle here before he took Leora to wife.

      “No, milord. But, since she will be your wife, there is no need to stand on ceremony, do you not agree?”

      Keran narrowed his eyes. “You would have me bed your daughter without the sacrament of marriage?”

      Something was not right here. Mothers seldom offered their daughters’ maidenheads before marriage. Or perhaps the girl was not a virgin. Maybe she had rutted with a stable hand or two. Maybe Elizabeth thought he would be too weary from travel to notice the lack of blood or the unblocked entrance to her daughter’s womb.

      “We are a simple people, milord. Since you will be married anyway, I thought perhaps— ”

      “When can the priest be here?” Keran took a longer drink, then locked gazes with Patrick, who lifted his brow in confusion.

      “Not for a few weeks, I am sure,” Elizabeth replied. “We had a priest here, but he died, and the king saw fit not to replace him. But, as I said—”

      “Then we will wait,” Keran interrupted her. “It will allow your daughter time to adjust to me, and I to her. And I will thank you not to malign the king’s good name.”

      “My apologies, milord. I will send for the priest immediately. Now, if you will excuse me.” She backed away, then stopped and a look of fury came over her face. Keran followed her gaze to a doorway where a woman was trying to stay hidden behind a male servant who stood in front of her.

      Elizabeth snapped her fingers, and the woman, who could not be much older than twenty, scurried back up the stairs.

      Keran frowned. The feeling of unease he had about his future mother-in-law grew. The girl had been dressed as a servant. Why would she raise such ire in Elizabeth?

      He turned to Patrick, who had also noted the exchange. Patrick stepped closer and took food from Leora’s tray. Then he leaned in and whispered in Keran’s ear.

      “Shall I find out who that is?”

      Keran nodded, then took some cheese from the tray. He swallowed it, then turned to Leora. “Perhaps after I have rested you can show me the grounds?”

      “I would be happy to, milord.” She blinked at him seductively, dipping low enough to show him a good bit of her abundant cleavage.

      Keran waited for his cock to respond. It did not, and he sighed to himself. She was pretty enough, true, but she did not stir his blood. Perhaps in the next few weeks that feeling would change. He could only hope that would be the case.

      A Traditional Daddy

      by Arabella Kingsley

      Chapter One

      Amelia could barely look at the handsome raven-haired billionaire as he removed the black leather skirt and tore her panties away from her body, throwing them into the pile that already contained her bra and blouse. Her cheeks were a delicate rosy pink. A satisfied smile twitched across his lips. She restlessly moved her hands he’d tied together with his red tie behind her back.

      “Trying to escape is futile,” he informed her callously. “I want to know what you were looking for in my manager’s office. I gather you were here to meet him. You do know he has a wife, don’t you?”

      “Yes, but she’s a bitch and not what he wants.” Alexander winced with contempt and closed his black eyes with frustration hating the way Amelia called Scarlett Blackwood, his European Manager’s wife, the woman he’d fallen in love with while residing at the Blackwood’s family home three years ago for the summer, a bitch. If she’d been a man he would have punched her. Instead he gave her butt a sharp slap enjoying the wobble of her naked breasts as he did.

      “Now, now be a lady. What were you looking for in my manager’s office?”

      “Just some information for someone.”

      “You mean Grigori Litvenko.”

      “Maybe.”

      She seemed undeterred by her nakedness in front of him.

      “I suppose he asked you to seduce Ross to get him to reveal confidential material on my holding company so he could gain a foothold in it. I already know he has had Ross laundering money through the Looking Glass Media platform I own as well as Radiant Publishing.”

      “How do you know that?”

      He towered over her and tapped the side of his nose.

      “Let’s just say a little bird told me.”

      Alexander finished forcefully stripping his captive by removing her high heels. He cast his eyes over her helpless naked form taking in every swell, curve, dip and erect tip to remind her of his power and watched her pale skin warm and flush with the weight of his gaze in response. Before he realized, what he was doing, he was moving closer wanting to inhale her scent and to feel the brush of her large breasts against his designer gray suit jacket. He carefully wrapped his hand around her throat.

      “Now what were you looking for? Do I have to spank it out of you or maybe take my belt to your ass?”

      He moved his hand up and down her throat then tightened it painfully making her gasp.

      “He will kill me if I tell you,” she sounded breathless.

      “I will whip your butt and take you to the police if you don’t.”

      She remained silent pushing him into action.

      “We will start with a spanking then.”

      Bending to pick up her panties, he dragged the woman across the floor and sat down in the high-backed СКАЧАТЬ