Page 46 of The Heir's Bargain

"I said it's none of my business! I don't care what you did before. I only. . ." I groaned and pressed the heels of my palms against my temples. Once the pressure dwindled, I let my hands fall. "I suppose I hadn't fully thought through the repercussions of courting you."

Fynn's gaze narrowed, and I shifted beneath it. He was only a foot away now, and I could feel his breath touch my forehead. "When have you ever cared about what others thought of you, Dani?"

I blinked. "I don't."

"Then why are you so upset?" He tilted his head, and a single brown wave fell across his forehead. "Because it's not like we are actually courting one another, right?"

I swallowed. Hard. "Right. It's just—it's the principle of the thing."

"The principle?"

Unable to do or say anything else as the space between us grew smaller, I nodded.

Fynn cackled. "All right, fine. Next time, I'll?—"

I shook my head and interrupted, "No, next time, I'm choosing where we go and what we do."

"Fine, if that's what you want," Fynn said.

"It is."

"Then it's settled."

"Good."

"Good," Fynn repeated, crossing his arms over his chest, mocking my stance.

I didn't know why it bothered me. Like Fynn had said, I knew his history. While I might not have known all the details—and quite frankly, I didn't want to know them—Marisil's hurt gaze bothered me. I didn't like my soldiers—or anyone, for that matter—thinking that I was another woman fawning over a charming prince.

His gaze bounced across my face, his brown eyes flicking between mine. "Are you really that upset about this?"

Sighing, I rubbed my face with my palms. "I don't know, Fynn. It's just. . ." My words melted into the air.

But Fynn wasn't going to let this go.

"Just what?"

I tipped my head up to the sky, gathering my thoughts. "I have a lot riding on this. I'm not doing this simply to get my mother off my back."

"Like I am," Fynn mumbled, still loud enough for me to hear."Got it."

"Are you—are you mad at me now?"

Fynn sighed, shaking his head. "No, of course not."

He smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. When he made to turn around, I grabbed his arm. If I had to talk about my feelings, so did he.

He looked down at the spot where my fingers curled around his arm, holding him in place. "Let go of me, Dani."

"Tell me what's wrong first."

"I have a lot on my mind today. Terin said something earlier to me that must still have me shaken."

My grip around his arm loosened. "What did he say?"

Fynn stepped back, forcing my hand to fall. He picked up his sword. "Nothing for you to worry about."

My brows scrunched together. Everyone's thoughts might have been wide open for Fynn to take, but it was often hard for Fynn to voice his own. However, there was only one thing in this world that Fynn refused to discuss, one thing that put him on edge and made his anger quick to rise.

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