“Nobody would do that to his own daughter.” Samson’s voice was firm as he ran his hand through his full, raven-black hair.

“He’s doing it.”

“And how would you know that?” Impatience crept into Samson’s hazel eyes.

“She told me.” The circumstances under which he’d found out, however, were none of Samson’s business. Hell, they were nobody’s business but Portia’s and his own.

“Just like that?”

“I caught her trying to escape, so she told me.” Well, that was close enough to the truth. That they’d kissed for the first time that night didn’t matter. The truth was still the truth.

“Interesting,” Samson mused. “And the fact that she’s trying to manipulate you with this sob story hasn’t crossed your mind?”

Of course Portia was manipulating him, but not the way Samson suspected. She was trying to get him to sleep with her. And fuck, he wanted that. “She’s not manipulating me.”

“I think you’re being played.”

Zane cursed. “Nobody is playing me! Don’t you see what he’s trying to do to her? She’ll be twenty-one in five weeks, and she’ll still be a virgin. Do you really want that on your conscience?”

“I’ve figured you for a lot of stuff, Zane, but gullible wasn’t one of them. You have a lot to learn about young women. She’s practically a teenager. She’ll do anything to get around her father’s rules. She’ll lie, she’ll make up stories to elicit your sympathy. Heck, that’s why we chose you for this job: because you don’t soften when somebody tells you a sob story.”

“It’s not a sob story. Her father is condemning her to a life as a virgin. Do you have any idea what that means for her?”

“Don’t lecture me on this issue. I know what it means. And I know that no father in his right mind would want that on his daughter. He loves her. All he’s trying to do is protect her from herself.”

“That’s a lie!”

Samson huffed. “Fine. You wanna know how I know she’s lying to you?” He rounded his desk and opened a drawer. A moment later, a manila file landed on top of the desk.

“Open it, look on page three.”

Hesitating, Zane took a step and reached for the folder. He slowly opened it and turned to page three. He scanned the notes. Halfway down, his eyes stopped.

One of her favorite lies is to claim she’s a virgin and her father is trying to prevent her from losing her virginity, it read.

“No …” Zane shook his head. Had she lied to him? Had she made it all up so she could gain his sympathy and goad him into sleeping with her? Was she some sort of nymphomaniac who couldn’t keep her hands off the men around her?

No, he couldn’t believe it. At the beginning, her kiss had been so innocent. Her reactions to him were honest.

“Do you believe me now?” Samson asked.

Just because it was written in black and white, didn’t mean it had to be true. But he didn’t contradict Samson any further. Samson was wrong; they were all wrong about Portia. He knew her better. He’d seen her tears when she’d told him about her fate. He’d looked deep into her and understood that there was no pretense, no lie to her words.

“She wouldn’t lie to me.”

Then he turned and left Samson’s office, ignoring his boss’ voice calling after him.

***

Samson tossed and glanced at the clock on his bedside table. It was still mid-afternoon.

“I know it’s bothering you,” Delilah said softly and sat up.

It was one of the drawbacks of being blood-bonded: your mate always knew when something was wrong, and when he couldn’t sleep, Delilah couldn’t either.

“I’m sorry, sweetness,” he said and turned toward her, pulling her into his arms. “But something doesn’t feel right.”

“Do you think that Zane’s claim has any merit at all?”

“No. You know as well as I do that no father would do that to his daughter. You know I wouldn’t.”

She smiled at him, and he felt the love between them radiate. “I suspect you’ll run background checks on any man who comes near Isabelle?”

Samson grinned. “You bet. But as soon as she’s eighteen, she’ll be entertaining offers. And he’d better be gentle with her, or I’m gonna take his head off.”

Delilah pressed her lips to his cheek. “What’s really bothering you about what Zane said if you don’t believe he’s right?”