“Open it.”
With a swallow, I slid my thumb under the fold and tugged out the thick cream cardstock.
My brows furrowed as I read our names on the invitation, confused until one word caught my eye. Every ounce of blood dropped down to my feet. A tingling buzz started in my head and spread like ice through my veins.
“What is this?” I breathed the question.
“An invitation to our engagement party, silly.”
Engagement party.
Engagement. Party.
Engagement.
No matter how many times I read the words, they didn’t change.
“It’s in a little over a month.”
“I wanted to do it sooner, but planning required more time.”
More time? This was not the more time I thought I’d have. I thought I had a year. I thought I had at least six months. I thought I had…more.
Irritation simmered in my veins, heating up the ice that had frozen me stiff. “You didn’t even talk to me.”
“It fits with our schedule. There was no need to discuss it.”
“No,” I said, dropping the card at my side and pulling my shoulders back. “It fits with your schedule. You never asked me about mine.”
He laughed softly. “You don’t have a schedule. You don’t work, and I spoke to your father about any charities you may be working on, and there was nothing. Maybe you had a playdate with your little friends, but that can be changed. Your schedule is my schedule.”
“I’m not a child,” I ground out. “I’m an adult that needs to be consulted on things like this.”
His smile shifted, turning mean. With each step he took closer, more warning bells rang. “The only thing you are is my future wife. And as my wife, I expect your attention on me.”
He stood less than a foot away. I stood helpless against his hand shooting into my hair and jerking me against his body, holding my face up to his. I gasped at the sharp sting and hated the rush of fear that flooded my body. I’d never been handled so roughly in anger, and the dark glint in his eye terrified me.
“You will be a good wife, right?”
Despite the fear flooding my body, I didn’t want to back down. Maybe if I fought softly, he would see. He would understand what kind of marriage we could have. I would set the precedent and pray that he’d follow. “You don’t own me,” I said softly. “I’ll be the best wife to a good man. It’s a compromise.”
He ran his nose along my cheek and squeezed my hair tighter. “Wrong. I will own you.”
“You’re hurting me.”
He loosened his grip marginally and stroked his thumb across my cheekbone. Some of the panic eased, and I hoped it was merely a moment of loss of control. One that wouldn’t happen again. When he leaned down for a kiss, I turned my cheek. I couldn’t. It was too soon, and he’d scared the hell out of me. We still had so much to discuss and work out. I couldn’t kiss him. We needed to talk first.
I opened my mouth to let him know we needed to sit down and talk first when the words died in my throat over a choked gasp. The backs of his fingers skimmed over my breast, turning to pinch my nipple.
“Camden,” I cried, trying to pull away.
In turn, he palmed my breast. “So innocent. A virgin, I wonder?”
I couldn’t have refuted him if I wanted. Everything inside me retreated to a corner as his hand moved down my body.
“Either way, I’ll leave you until our wedding night.”
Run. Knee him in the balls and throat punch him and run. Nova and Raelynn’s voices rang in my head, but I couldn’t move.
His hand slipped between my thighs and roughly gripped me. “But I plan on claiming this tight, young pussy as soon as the ink is dried. As much as I want. However, whenever, wherever I want.” He leaned in and bit the soft lobe of my ear. “Whether you want it or not.”
With that, he jerked me to him again and pressed his lips to mine like he was trying to mark me. I kept my lips pinned closed and squeezed my eyes shut tight.
He stepped back, and I almost collapsed when he let go. Shifting his cock in his pants, he licked his lips and looked me up and down. “Yeah, you’ll be the perfect bride.”
I managed to stay upright until the door slammed closed behind him. As soon as he left, I ran to lock the door and fell to my knees, gasping for breath.
What the hell happened? How had I let that happen?
Tears burned the backs of my eyes, and I slammed my fist against the door in frustration.
That wasn’t the man my parents said they wanted for my future. That wasn’t a man who would change and compromise with a wife.