Free Merger (Triple Threat Book 3) by Kit Tunstall, R.E. Saxton

looked away from him. “I really do hate you, Dominic.”
    “Hate’s better than love,” he said, sounding completely unconcerned as he looked away from her. They finished the rest of the ride in silence, and when they returned to his house, he made no move to stop her when she went to a guestroom instead of the room they had shared until tonight. She’d never return to that room, and she’d never be in his bed again.
    ***
    For most of the next week, they lived separate lives, though they shared the house. They barely saw each other, and Lily knew that was for the best. It was giving her the time she needed to separate her hormonal reactions from the anger she experienced every time she saw him. The anger was what she wanted to focus on, and it seemed to grow naturally.
    At first, she had been surprised when he had allowed her to continue with her regular schedule, including attending classes. She’d expected him to lock her away somewhere, but quickly realized he already had her exactly where he wanted her. As long as he was threatening her father and her family, she was forced to do what he wanted, at least on the surface.
    It was an unpleasant surprise to come home from class that afternoon and find Dominic already home as well. He usually left early and stayed out late, presumably at his club he ran with his brothers, but she hadn’t bothered to ask. She didn’t really care, and she reminded herself of that whenever she had the urge to ask anything about him. She figured he would be evasive and untruthful anyway. He was probably seeing other women in that time too, though she tried not to care. After all, it was a business merger, and nothing more. She just wished she had known that going in, rather than having him twist everything around and seduce her senses into feeling like she had fallen in love with him. It would have made life easier.
    She set her backpack on the chair, looking at him with a mixture of anger and coldness. “Aren’t you home early?”
    He shrugged. “My parents want to meet you, so we’re having a family dinner tonight.”
    She arched a brow. “That sounds like torture. Why don’t you just tell them I’m sick. I have cramps or something.”
    He rolled his eyes. “You have to go. They’re expecting to meet you.”
    She shrugged. “I don’t care to meet them, and I don’t care to help you out here. I have studying to do.”
    Dominic slammed his hand on the table, which inadvertently made her jump, though she hated revealing the weakness to him.
    “I don’t want to go either, but we’re going. I’m not going to let down my mother when she’s looking forward to meeting you.”
    She stared at him in disbelief, shaking her head. “Does your mother know the circumstances surrounding our…merger?”
    He looked irritated. “Just be ready at eight, and try to behave yourself.”
    As she watched him walk away, she was certain his family didn’t know how she’d ended up being his wife. At least they didn’t know yet. The idea of revealing the circumstances to them made her want to giggle, and she started carefully planning her campaign as she went upstairs to finish her homework before preparing for dinner with a family of which she wasn’t part.
    ***
    His parents had an opulent apartment, which didn’t surprise her. She tried to suppress any hint of nerves as she stepped inside, handing her shrug to Dominic without looking at him. His mother had come to greet them, as she took the other woman’s hand and gave her a pleasant smile, deciding she could play along for a little bit anyway.
    “It’s so lovely to meet you. I’m Avriella, and Dominic is in big trouble for not telling us he was getting married.”
    The idea of this small, slender woman being able to discipline Dominic was what made her laugh before she said, “It was a shock to me too.”
    Avriella swept her along down the hallway and into a sitting room where several people had gathered. Immediately, she saw