Calculated Innocence

Declan stared down at Valerie clinging to his arm. He frowned at the public display of affection, yet his arm remained firmly at his side, making no effort to peel her off.

Standing nearby, Camilla curled her fingers inward until her manicured nails sliced into her palms. She glared at the couple. She could not fathom how a brainless retard was allowed to stand so intimately beside a man like Declan.

Waiters navigated the stunned crowd with silver trays of confections. Valerie thrust a finger toward them. "Hubby! I want to eat cake!"

Declan gripped her waist, his sharp warning drawing even more stares from the elite guests. "Do not shout."

Archibald stepped forward, his eyes wide with genuine admiration. "Valerie, how did you learn to play the piano like that?"

A waiter presented a platter. Valerie snatched a thick slice of chocolate cake and shoved it into her mouth. Buttercream smeared across her cheeks. She chewed loudly, pointed a frosting-covered finger directly at a seething Camilla, and grinned. "Madam taught me how to play!"

Camilla turned a sickly shade of pale. She used every ounce of her self-control to keep from screaming in front of the high society crowd. "What did you just call me? Madam? You!"

Declan tuned out Camilla's stuttering rage. His dark eyes locked onto Valerie's messy face. He dissected the impossibility of the situation. A mentally impaired woman could not execute a complex piano improvisation on command. As he scrutinized her, his peripheral vision caught movement. Several young, wealthy heirs were staring openly at Valerie. Despite her childish antics, her striking face and undeniable musical talent had drawn their hungry gazes.

A fierce, territorial jealousy seized Declan's chest. He snatched Valerie's wrist. "Follow me."

He dragged her across the ballroom floor. He ignored her whining and hauled her up the sweeping staircase, heading straight for a VIP lounge on the second floor.

Declan pushed the heavy mahogany door open and shoved Valerie inside. He slammed the door shut, twisting the lock with a sharp click. He stalked toward her, his tall frame backing her into the center of the room.

"Who are you? Why are you pretending to be a fool to infiltrate the Thorne family?"

Valerie blinked, masking the sharp jolt in her chest. She knew he was suspicious, but she had not expected such a direct interrogation.

She maintained her vacant stare. She could not drop the act. Playing the idiot was her only leverage against Camilla. Three years ago, Camilla and Martha Rowley had pushed her off a cliff. They had kidnapped her grandfather, Gideon Vance, to steal her corporate shares, all while her own father, Roland, watched and did nothing. She needed the Thorne family's power to find Gideon and tear Camilla's life apart.

Valerie skipped backward and hopped onto the center of the massive king-sized bed. She tilted her head, giving Declan a wide, innocent smile. "Hubby, did you bring me here so that you could make babies with me?"

Declan froze. The sheer audacity of the question short-circuited his anger. Before he could stop himself, he leaned over the mattress. He planted both hands on either side of her hips, trapping her in a rigid cage of his arms.

He assumed she was just another greedy gold-digger desperate to spread her legs for him. "What did you just say to me?"

Valerie did not hesitate. She lunged upward. She wrapped her arms tight around his neck and locked her legs around his waist. She yanked him down, forcefully grinding her hips against his groin in a frantic, uncoordinated rhythm.

"Hubby, this is how they make babies on TV!"

Declan gasped at the sudden impact. He grabbed her shoulders, trying to pry her off. She possessed an alarming, wiry strength that contradicted her slender frame. They grappled wildly. Valerie refused to let go, rubbing her pelvis against his slacks. Her relentless struggling threw them off balance.

Declan collapsed onto the mattress with Valerie tangled beneath him. He froze in horror. Blood rushed south. Against his will, his cock hardened rapidly inside his tailored trousers, pressing a stiff, undeniable erection directly into Valerie's stomach.