Her gaze flicked to Enzo. Handsome, muscular, brooding. The two of them definitely had chemistry. Seducing him wasn’t the worst sacrifice she could be asked to make. Maybe her kisses could change Enzo’s loyalties. After all, his feelings for her had kept him from arresting her father. There was a precedent.
She’d gotten so little sleep last night that it was hard to think straight. Her tiredness made her impulsive and reckless.
She could kiss Enzo. There was nothing wrong with kissing him. She’d done it before. She had time to decide about the rest. She just needed to set aside her anger for him. In old Regencynovels, before women were married off, their mothers told them to lie back and think of England.
She would think of New Salem.
She set the notebook down beside her. “How much of what you told me about yourself was the truth?”
“Most of it. Trying to keep track of too many lies is the fastest way to blow a cover.”
“You actually told the truth when you said you had feelings for me?”
He swallowed, then sighed. “And that’s why I’m tied to this chair instead of back at headquarters being congratulated for a job well done.”
She stood up and took slow steps toward Enzo, her gaze still on his face. “Maybe that’s not such a bad thing. After all, there are some advantages to being here.”
His eyes flashed to hers to see her meaning.
She didn’t know what to do with her hands and ended up clasping them, fidgeting with her finger where a wedding ring ought to be. “I think you might be right about having a baby. Maybe our child is going to be someone important, someone who’ll do great things. End world hunger. Join the nation back together…”
She was trying to explain herself so he didn’t think she was the sort of person who would willingly sleep with an enemy combatant. “You want to help people, and the visions show us the best course of action.” Now she was repeating her rationale because she didn’t want to take the next step. “We’re married. In some arranged marriages, the bride and groom didn’t even know each other. That’s what this is: an arranged marriage.”
For a guy who’d been campaigning for the baby option, Enzo looked less than pleased by her announcement. “You know arranged marriages aren’t a thing anymore, right?” He shook his head in disappointment. “Are you really willing to let your fatherdictate your life—even who you marry and what you do with your body?”
“My father doesn’t choose what the visions tell him.”
If Charity untied Enzo now, he’d bolt. She sat down on his lap and ran her hand across his cheek. She felt brave and reckless. Again, probably due to lack of sleep. Or maybe she was being influenced because even tied up and bruised, Enzo was gorgeous.
Her hand went to his temple and brushed away tendrils of mussed hair, then traced his jawline. His skin underneath her fingertips felt electric, forbidden fruit that was no longer forbidden. It was hard to imagine that back before truth serum, people hadn’t been afraid to touch each other.
Enzo didn’t move his head or do anything to stop her, just watched her with languid, curious eyes, seeing how far she would take this.
She wasn’t sure herself.
She brushed one finger across his mouth. He still didn’t turn his head. In fact, his lips parted ever so slightly. Despite everything, their chemistry pulsed as strong as ever. He’d said he cared for her. Maybe she really could turn him into an ally.
She put her hands on his shoulders and dropped soft kisses on his lips. His skin still smelled faintly of the harvester soap. It had only been last night that she’d noticed the scent on him. Now that moment seemed to have happened ages ago.
She left a trail of kisses across his cheek to the corner of his ear. He didn’t say anything.
She could get up, go make something to eat, and let him think about her words. That was probably the best thing to do.
But somehow her lips traveled down his neck. When she ran into his shirt collar, she unbuttoned his top two buttons.
His chest rose and fell, taking deep breaths. That was a good sign, wasn’t it?
She wound her arms lazily around his neck, letting her fingers trail through his hair.
His eyes were open, watching her. She kissed his bottom lip, then his top. His mouth didn’t move, didn’t return the kiss.
“I thought you were voting for the baby option,” she murmured. “Did you change your mind?”
His voice had become husky. “You don’t actually want to do this.”
“I considered my options. This seemed like the best one.” She undid a few more of his shirt buttons, kissing his neck as she slid each one apart.
“This shouldn’t be something you’re doing because it’s a better option than torture…” His breath caught.