All Chapters of Promised to the father, married to the son: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

 *Ben* I, Killian Benjamin Archer, to my friends known as Ben, strides past the large grandfather clock in the hallway, without really giving it much notice. I had been all of sic years old when I realised that the hands were supposed to move and that the purpose of any watch is to show the passage of time. For my father, however, time had come to an immediate stop the moment my mother died. For a kid the World they see and the things they are told is the pure unadulterated truth. For many years I believed that every home was like ours, and that it was normal for the servants to only clean and tidy those rooms in use. Hell I thought everyone had servants. At Archer manor they would take care of the bed hamper I slept in and the small dining room where I took my meals. They cared for my father’s rooms of course and the library where he sometimes sat behind the big desk and worked on company business. Any other room wa

 *Skye* “Well done”. Marsden exclaims, his green eyes twinkling with mischief. “I think we can say you clearly won this round Mrs Sinclair and put my son in his place. Bravo!” “Thanks, but please call me Skye”. While Being sassy with Ben seems to have won me some points with Marsden, it still takes everything in my to stop my hand from shaking as I hand him a cookie. Trembles run through me like a slow moving avalanche, and it isn’t just the understandable annoyance causing it. It is also this unexpected and very unwanted attraction to Ben that has every damned nerve ending standing in attention. I have of course never met him and I had no idea he would be here, but I have heard the stories. I have heard women drool over his inhumane good looks and to be honest I had known who he was the moment he opened the door. Pretending to think he was a servant was a panicked def

*Skye* I have to admit that I hesitated just a moment before walking into the room. We are standing on the landing, looking over the musty room and the two grand staircase leading down to it. The look of things makes me seriously fear that the floor might give away under us. Had the railing not been covered in years of dust I would have probably grabbed onto it for dear life. Unable to hold back a small half sneeze I look at the powder layer covering everything. The windows are covered in grime and the draperies faded, the sun that does get through shimmers in cobwebs and reveals brains of dust dancing, like ghosts of guests long gone. A couple of vases still holds flowers, or their whitered remains “Those other rooms we passed on the way here, the ones with closed doors. Are they all like this one ? Neglected and … sad”. I ask him softly, this place seems to demand hushed speaking. “Unfortunately yes. My father has allowed no one to touch or change anything since my mother die

*Ben* I am utterly surprised by the wave of relief washing over me. I had not realised how badly I wanted to hear a yes from her. I mean it’s not that I really want a wife, right ? But oh how I want her in my bed, with that luscious mouth, her cheeky comebacks and those whiskey coloured eyes. The way she challenges me entices me, and I have a feeling she will be challenging me at every turn, especially at night. We can have fun together. It might not be the best reason to marry, but hey it’s also not the worst I have heard. Holding out my hand to her, I watch as she takes a deep breath, then crosses the floor to me, placing her hand in mine. I give her small hand a squeeze before tugging it into the crook of my elbow, sending her a bright smile. “It is not a nice thing to gloat”. She huffs slightly. “Admit you would be doing the same if you were in my shoes”. I arch my brow, grinning down at her. “We both know you would”. The little cheeky half smile she gives me makes me wish

*Skye* Run, run, run ! My mind plays the constant refrain as Mr Archer escorts me to the parlor. Feeling as though I am traversing through a nightmare, I fight to tamp down the trembling that threatens to erupt at any moment. Never in my life have I seen such unbridled hunger in a man's eyes. When Ben had taken my hand and pressed his lips against it, it didn't matter that it was such an innocent spot. The heat emanating from him is such that I feel scorched. As we enter the front hall, I know that if I am smart, I will head straight out the door. I am no novice to men when it comes to what they are capable of, but I suspect nothing in my experiences has prepared me for what Ben will deliver. I had thought being provocative would give me the upper hand, and all it had done is cause me to realize that I might be completely out of my element with him. Even now, I feel his gaze boring into the nape of my neck, traveling across my bare shoulders, sliding down to my hips, back up. Hi