My Dangerous Duke (The Twisted Dukes #2)

Chapter 8

“ H ell, Larsen, what did you do to yourself?” Rhys asked as Xander removed his shirt.

“Lost a little,” Xander mused, wrapping his hands, “Won a lot. Do not look at them if they bother you. They certainly do not bother me.”

“I am not afraid of a little black and blue,” Rhys scoffed, “But you might need a night or two to heal.”

“I will take a night or two to heal tomorrow,” Xander insisted, striding toward Rhys with his gloves up. Rhys followed quickly, seeing the rage in Xander’s eyes, and quickly went to work to block and counter his opponent’s hits. For a while, the two of them fought silently, Xander’s punches landing perfectly almost every time while Rhys only got a few in here and there.

“You are quite riled up,” Rhys said through panted breaths several minutes later. “Is this about you and Eleanor?”

What little anger Xander had been able to release in the last few minutes returned with vengeance upon hearing Rhys call his wife by her name. With a grunt, he released a punch to Rhys’s abdomen that made the man go to his knees.

He did not know Rhys well, and calling him a friend would certainly be a stretch. They matched each other well in boxing, but that was their only connection. What could he possibly know about his wife?

“How do you know my wife so well that you may call her by her name?” Xander asked, a possessive urge sweeping over him as he stood over Rhys.

“Impressive, Larsen. How did you do it?” Rhys panted, keeping his eyes on Xander as he got back up to his feet. “Did you threaten her?”

The two men began to circle one another in a predatory fashion, their eyes locked; their feet moving in time.

“Why?” Xander asked calmly, staying focused. Controlled. “Is that what you think?”

“I think Eleanor would never marry a man like you willingly. You do not love anything. You cannot. You are incapable of it.”

Xander shrugged. He could not hide the truth.

“How very perceptive of you,” Xander said dryly, looking for his opening. “Now, tell me how you know my wife’s name or I will put you on the mat for your final time.”

“Easy,” Rhys chuckled, suddenly breaking out of his boxing stance and into a relaxed pose. “You are so easy to rile up. “Eleanor is a friend to my wife, Penelope.”

Taken by surprise at this, Xander did not register that Rhys had once more moved into a fighting position. He noticed too late, and as his opponent’s fist connected with his thigh, Xander let out a grunt of pain and fell to the mat.

“Cheap shot, Huxton,” Xander growled as his whole leg went to sleep.

Rhys let out a foxlike laugh as he jogged out of the ring to grab their drinks.

“That is what you get for acting ruthless with me. Unlike the others, I am not intimidated when you growl a little.”

Xander raised a defiant brow at him as the man leaned down and offered him the drink. Despite his intimidating stare, Rhys kept his eyes on him. Giving in, Xander rolled his eyes and accepted the drink.

“So seriously, how did you get her to marry you? All she talked about when she would visit was how every suitor her parents had lined up for her was not romantic enough. And you? Well, I do not think you have an ounce of romance anywhere in that bruised-up body of yours.”

Xander let out a grunt before chugging half of his drink. The man had a point.

“I do not know though,” Rhys mused, smirking, “You did get pretty rattled when I called her by her first name. You were ready to kill me. Some women can change men, you know.”

“ Some men,” Xander sighed, shaking head, “Not me. It is not love that has me in the marriage. Nor is it love that has her in it, either.”

Having no one else to unburden himself to, he began to give Rhys the details of Victor’s blackmail scheme. Rhys seemed disinterested as he listened to him but he stayed quiet until Xander was done.

“You need help,” Rhys stated.

“We both do,” Xander agreed. “I cannot love, that is true. But she- she deserves love and a real husband.”

A sliver of hurt shivered through Xander’s chest as he said the words, but he ignored them.

“You have not consummated your marriage, I presume?” Rhys asked boldly.

“Why do you think I am here on my wedding night?” He asked, feeling his gut churn with conflict.

“I know some people,” Rhys stated, pretending not to notice Xander’s inner struggle. “I can get them on this if you need. Perhaps make things go a little quicker. My wife would truly kill me if you break Eleanor’s heart, so the sooner she gets out, the better.”

“You would do that?” Xander asked, looking at Rhys suspiciously. “The Cruel Duke has gone soft after all?”

Rhys gave a nonchalant shrug as he smirked at Xander. “For a fee, of course. Everything comes with a price.”