Earth Borne Read Online Free

been playing at being an unattached man, we have been scraping by. Running an estate the Master discarded in considerable debt has been a great burden. I certainly hope you’re not here simply to drag us into ruin once more.”
    He wouldn’t have been more shocked had she slapped him. In fact, he would’ve preferred the strike. True, in his youth he’d possessed a fondness for gambling, and an aversion to finances, yet had he truly left Westgard in such bad shape?
    ***
    As his eyes darkened in misery, Melita kicked herself. She detested hurting him, even if she spoke the truth. Contrary to Alkippe’s schemes, she didn’t plan on seducing Thereus. She had another choice. He’d deserted them once. All she required was to learn why and convince him his reasons were still valid.
    He must go. It was the only thing that would keep them safe. If she had to be cruel, she would be. His departure might break her heart, but the organ was used to be being tortured.
    Besides, she was pretending to be Kalliste, and her sister wouldn’t hesitate to point out Thereus’s faults. To convince him of her identity, she’d have to utter the same hateful things her sister would.
    Preferring a direct approach, she steeled her nerves before resuming her assault. “Why did you leave, Thereus? I was not favorable toward you, but less amiable marriages have existed. Do you even realize how deeply you’ve hurt your family? Your father and brothers were devastated when they learned of the shipwreck. For you to simply reappear, five years later, without an explanation, that is cruel.” While she chastised him, he clenched his spoon and his nostrils flared with his heavy breathing. Oh yes, she’d provoked his temper.
    “I don’t owe you, or anyone , an explanation,” he snarled.
    There—the smoldering eyes she remembered. During their brief marriage, Kalliste and Thereus often quarreled, speaking bitter, horrific comments to one another. Melita had watched, distressed for the both of them. Yet she’d never experienced the centaur’s wrath directed at her, and she braced as she prepared to cause him to explode.
    “You most certainly do owe everyone an explanation. A man, a husband , would not have run away, like a spoiled child, leaving everyone else to fulfill his responsibilities. I may not have been eager to accept this life, but I have made the best of things.” How true. “It wasn’t the centaur in you that I despised. It was the coward .” She spat out the last word, her anger rising as she acknowledged her suffering. Though she hadn’t dared to admit it, she was as hurt as everyone by his abandonment.
    She’d provoked the beast and she was about to become his prey. Thereus bolted to his feet, the force crashing his chair into the wall, denting both. He grabbed her roughly by the wrist and lifted her to her feet. “You have no idea about anything .”
    Tugging her forward, he hauled her against him. Placing one hand on the back of her head, he bruised his lips against hers. There was no tenderness or erotic skill as he forced her lips open and thrust his tongue against hers. Her body compressed against his, she grasped the error of her scheme.
    She’d wanted him angered, yet she’d not accounted for his passion. His heavy erection ground against her belly. Damn. A centaur enraged and aroused was a volatile combination.
    Blast it , he was even more beautiful than her memory. Especially in his pained rage. As she tasted him, a moan escaped her lips, increasing his aggression. He nudged her against the wall as his lips devoured her. No. This would not solve anything. She’d never reclaim her freedom if she submitted. There was the conundrum. Thereus was the only male she’d ever cared for. If she sent him away, no one would ever replace him in her heart.
    Which did she value more? Her heart or her neck? For surely she would lose one.
    A butterfly of panic fluttered in her belly, replacing her lust. No, she had to end this,