Page 63 of The Heir's Bargain

Such as when Fynn and Terin teamed up against Sylvia and Moris during a game of fifteen hundred after I had declined the offer to play. Fynn had let them win the first round, which only gave Sylvia and Moris a false sense of hope. After that first round, though, Terin and Fynn worked in tandem, taking them down. I watched from the sidelines as Fynn undoubtedly crept into my friends' thoughts to anticipate their next moves. Occasionally, though, Fynn would 'mess up' by putting down the wrong card or by doing something that would grant Moris a chance to gain a small lead to keep him and Sylvia off their trail.

However, in the end, Fynn and Terin would typically win. They would high-five and raise their pints of ale, which Fynn drank with less distaste every week.

As far as I knew, Fynn only read his opponents' minds when there were no bets or stakes in the game to keep it fair. But I often wondered if he ever felt guilty for the invasion. While he sometimes poked and prodded at my mind, he usually respected my privacy. But fifteen hundred was just a simple card game. Perhaps he didn’t feel guilty about it since no harm was done.

Or perhaps Fynn never felt guilty about anything he did.

When Moris whined, Fynn wrapped his arm around me, pulling me closer and saying, "What can I say? I'm a lucky man."

He would wink down at me, and then, despite my best intentions not to be affected by the man, a fluttering would erupt in the pit of my stomach.

I didn't want to like Fynn.

After all, I had thought I was over that foolish childhood crush years ago. But the more time I spent with Fynn, the more I realized the feelings had only been slumbering at the bottom of my stomach. Asleep and almost forgotten, but not nonexistent.

They meant nothing, though, I told myself.

There was no point in dwelling on them because what was happening between Fynn and me was purely platonic.

It had to be.

Chapter 15

FYNN

"You and Dani seem serious," Lukas said, the pieces of thick parchment sliding through his fingers as he shuffled the cards.

"That is because we are," I said, swishing the whiskey in the glass, the ice clinking against the sides.

It was the third day of the week, which meant Terin and I were at the Wilton manor, playing cards. We had been meeting the Wilton brothers for a game of cards for years, but suddenly, I craved ale and sticky floors.

Lukas hummed.

Over the rim of the crystal glass, I peered at my friend. "Lukas, you have never been one to hold your tongue. Do not bother now."

Lukas snorted. "Perhaps you should tell Rosalina that."

Groaning, I rubbed a hand across my face. "I have told Rosalina many times that she and I will never amount to anything."

"Is that so? From what I’ve heard, she’s waiting for you and Dani to end whatever you have going on so she can stake her claim."

"The only thing Rosalina has a claim to is her haughty attitude and upturned nose."

Across from me, Terin snorted and took a sip of his whiskey.

"Is Dani the one then?" Riley asked, his light blue eyes stark against his brown skin.

"The one?" I asked.

Riley nodded. "You know, your soul bond? Haven't you been searching for—" Riley jerked back. "Ouch."

My gaze snapped to Terin, who avoided meeting my gaze. I told him that in confidence, Terin thought.

I rolled my eyes. Leave it to my brother to gossip to his boyfriend about things that had nothing to do with him.

"Dani might not be my soul bond, but she's—she's different," I said at last.

"That's what he keeps saying," Terin whispered to Riley, who huffed a laugh.

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