Read Online Betrayed by Trust by Frankie Robertson - Free Book Online Page A

if it were a dog to be commanded. “Come here!”
    The wolf jerked as if he’d been shocked, but he took an extra second to obey. When he pulled back to return to Altesse’s side he paused for a moment, looking up into my eyes. I had the distinct impression he was smirking, as if sharing a secret with me. No doubt he could smell that Conrad and I had sex, but I didn’t think that was what he was laughing about.
    I started to take a sip of the port to sooth my nerves, then realized I shouldn’t. I was pregnant. There was no way I could know that, yet I was sure. Kalisa’s magic had worked. My hands and feet suddenly felt cold, and I shivered. The mission wasn’t hypothetical anymore. My life would forever be different because of what I’d done tonight. I gripped my glass with both hands to keep from touching my belly.
    “Where did you two meet?” It was a normal question, asked in a smooth, urbane tone, but coming from Altesse it felt like the start of an interrogation.
    “I’ll tell you all about it, Father. Later.” Conrad found my shawl and draped it around my shoulders, then relieved me of my glass. “Right now I have to take Mary home. Her brother is waiting up for her.”
    Altesse didn’t object this time. There was a moment of confusion while Conrad and I looked for the sandals I’d kicked off earlier, then we said our goodbyes with courteous formality. Aldwyn watched it all, mouth open as if laughing.
    Conrad stood as stiff as a Guard at Buckingham Palace as the elevator doors closed and the car started the long trip to the underground garage. After several floors some of the tension left his shoulders. He pulled me into his arms and rested his chin on the top of my head. “I’m sorry. That’s not how I wanted our first time to end.”
    Our first time. Did that meant he wanted a second? I hadn’t been able to keep my hands off him on the ride up in this same elevator, now I felt indifferent. It was more than the bucket of ice-water that having the senior Altesse walk in on us had been. More than having my hunger sated. Conrad had done what I’d needed him to do. He was a nice guy, but that was all he was to me now. It bothered me that my feelings had changed so fast.
    I forced a laugh. “Me either. Does your dad do that often?”
    “Catch me with my pants down, you mean?” Conrad’s arms tightened around me. “No, thank goodness. His itinerary is usually planned out weeks in advance. Makes it easier to avoid him.”
    His bitter tone made me wonder if Conrad was a very different man than his father. Maybe this plan to conceive hadn’t been necessary. Maybe Conrad would have freed Aldwyn from his slavery. I wanted to say something to lighten his mood.
    “I had fun while it lasted, though.”
    “So did I.” He dropped a kiss on my forehead, then pushed me away just enough to be able to see my face. “You did say you were on the Pill, right?”
    “I am. My body. My responsibility.”
    Conrad relaxed, but shook his head. “I should have been more careful of you. I will be next time. Unfortunately, that won’t be for a few days. We’ll have to put off our trip to the Del until my father leaves. He won’t stay long, though. He never does. Then I’ll call you.”
    Something in his voice told me his desire had cooled, too. Maybe it was the thought that he’d slipped up with the protection. I hoped that meant he wouldn’t call, wouldn’t wonder where Mary Potter had disappeared to. That tonight would become just another pleasant memory of a romantic interlude like many others he’d had.
    I played along with the fiction. “The green flash will wait for us.” I chuckled softly. “That sounds like we’re meeting a comic book hero.”
    He laughed too, though it sounded forced. The elevator stopped and opened onto the garage and he guided me out with a light touch on my back.
    Conrad drove through fog glowing white and red with head and tail-lights, his right hand never leaving the