Bands of the Unpaid Dowry

Chapter 23

Jace's hand reached out to brush out Millicent's hair which was flying in the wind. They sat on high stools in an ice cream parlor. There was a bit of perspiration on her face as it had just been a few minutes since they got out of the furious heat of the sun.

"So, you're not going to sleep in my room anymore?" He grumbled, a little displeased about the turn of events. Ever since the night they were intimate, Millicent had avoided his room like a plague. She only stepped in once in a while to admire his artwork. At her subsequent nod, his lips set into a firm line, but Jace understood because every time he saw her sauntering around the house, his thoughts would drift to them.

"What about Anna?"

Millicent grinned and swooped her eyes down to follow the direction of the spoon she held to her mouth. Once the sweetness melted, she regarded the man in front of her. He had cut his hair in the course of the week and now it was a medium crop cut that allowed for his curls to still abound in their soft mass. The cut emphasized his jaw lines and allowed more light to reach his eyes. His light shave stubble enhanced the entire look. His neck bore a thin golden chain that disappeared beneath the black shirt he wore.

"I'll read it myself." She grinned when his mouth moved in another grumbling session. However, a thought that flashed through her memory, pulled her lips down and her eyes dimmed as she scooped and dropped the scoop of ice cream back in the pretty cup. Jace noticed the change in mood and placed his hand on her cheek that was next to him. Customers walked in and out and sat all around them in the music filled room.

"Hey." He said softly and gained her attention. When Millicent saw his elegant right brow lift, she smiled. He was able to lift any brow as he pleased.

"I was just thinking..." Jace dropped his hand, lifted himself and pulled his chair closer before settling that arm around her seat, oblivious to the awed looks young girls were discreetly peeping at, at their intimate display.

"I told you my ears are always available." He smiled when her eyes glinted. The smile that she only saw when he was with her.

"About Gwen." Millicent looked worried when the man beside her stiffened at the name. His face contorted to a hard look and the hand around her tightened their hold. It was the same steely, disdainful face he made the first time she met Gwen. "She said you two dated." The statement came out like a shy question.

Jace snapped his hard eyes to her and inhaled sharply. He felt Millicent's soft palm straightening out the frown lines and rubbing them. After a moment of that contact his features softened.

"Why do you hate her?"

"I don't. That would mean I care about her, and I don't have that emotion for her." He was startled when a quick kiss was dropped to the corner of his mouth. He turned to the bronze-skinned woman and chuckled when she quickly looked around them.

"Good!"

"Do I get that every time I stay away from other women?" But she refused to talk, only hiding a smile. Jace sighed after a minute deciding to lay bare what she should have known when they made the false marriage deal.

"We dated about three years ago - the first girl I ever loved. I thought she loved me the same way. In our second year, I was preparing for an exhibition, a very important one. She was like a backbone especially when I went blank. I painted a series of landscapes. The morning of the exhibition I was called to be told that my artwork never arrived at the gallery. I made two copies of three of my favorite ones that captured the different spheres of nature - ocean, forest, city. Sent those to the gallery only to be accused of plagiarism - that's a huge thing anywhere but in the art world, it's deadly. Dad investigated and found that Gwen stole my work and gave it to her notorious brother who is also an artist." When he heard Millicent's gasp, the dark cloud cleared from his eyes, and she saw the horrific face she made. He ruefully smiled.