Page 95 of The Heir's Bargain

But Fynn didn't need any help.

And I hated it.

I hated it more than anything because what had happened last night was never going to happen again. It was a fluke, a blip, a one-time event.

As it should be, I told myself.

After washing up, I dressed and hurried to the door, bags in hand. With a hand wrapped around the doorknob, I peered over my shoulder, my gaze falling atop the sleeping prince.

Peace blanketed Fynn's features.

I bit the inside of my cheek, my brows drawing together.

Then I cracked the door open and stepped out into the hall, putting the summer solstice behind me.

"Sleep well, Dani?"

I inhaled, my back hitting the door. The latch’s click was loud and piercing in the otherwise silent hall.

I quickly smoothed out my features as I spun and faced Terin. "Yes, why do you ask?"

Terin shrugged. The skin beneath his eyes was a light shade of purple. There was no need to ask how he slept. "You all right? You seem?—"

"I'm fine," I spat, peeling myself away from the door. "He's still sleeping."

Terin's gaze flicked to the closed door, then to me, a question in his expression.

I gripped my bags tighter and hoped Iappeared more put together than I felt.

He yawned and rubbed a palm over his face. "I was about to head downstairs for some tea and a quick bite. Care to join?"

"Uhm. Actually," I said, adjusting the strap of my bag hanging on my shoulder. "I was on my way out. I have a training I need to get to later this afternoon."

"On the day after the solstice?"

I lifted a shoulder, then dropped it. "I don't make the schedule. I only follow it."

Terin stared at me, his features a carbon copy of Fynn's. Guilt bloomed in my stomach.

He nodded. "Very well then. Is Fynn heading out with you?"

"Nope, only me," I said, moving away from the door and slipping by him.

His gaze narrowed as I passed, his head tilting to the side. "Are you sure nothing is wrong?"

I twisted my hands behind my back and forced a smile onto my face. "I'm sure."

"All right. Have a safe trip back."

"You too!" I said, already racing down the steps.

I stepped inside the carriage, mumbling a quick thank you to one of the staff members. When the door clicked shut, I leaned my head against the back of the seat, trying to settle the rising nausea.

Last night was a fluke, I reminded myself for the one-hundredth time. I didn't care what Fynn said. We were so deep in this fake courtship that we could no longer tell what was real or fake. The line had been completely blurred, swiped through in the sand and washed over by an unsuspecting wave.

While we had both been drinking earlier that night, by the time we had stepped foot into our suite, we had been entirely sober. It was a piss-poor excuse to succumb to my needs.

I straightened.

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