Page 134 of The Sinner's Bargain

His shoulders jerked with the sound that left his chest. A sound of cold amusement and frustration. It reflected in his eyes when he raised his head to peer down at me.

“Did I hurt you?”

I shook my head, hands reaching to cup his face. “No, but what’s wrong?”

His hesitation cut through pieces of my sanity as I waited. But rather than say, he pressed a kiss to my brow. Took my hand and led me to the chair I’d just evacuated. I was pulled into his lap. His thighs were hard muscles under my backside.

I instinctively leaned into him. My arms finding their place around his shoulders. His found their way around my waist. Across my back to my shoulders. His lips grazed mine.

“Fuck, baby, I’m so tired.”

I pressed him to me when he rested his brow to my chest. My fingers stroked his hair.

“Whatever it is, I know you’ll figure it out.”

After a long moment of silence, Thoran drew back and rested his head against the chair. His half-hooded eyes settled on my face

“I didn’t tell you everything, love. But I need you to hear it all before you say anything, okay?”

Despite the warning, despite steeling myself for whatever he was trying to ease me into, my stomach whined. The roast and carrots threatened to rebel. I could feel them turning into rocks in my belly. My heart thumped and I hoped he couldn’t hear it.

“Okay,” I said, assuring us both that I was ready.

“Before my father died, he and my uncle had an agreement that I would take his place as the eldest. The house. The fortune. The legacy. The business. That’s how it always worked. The eldest got everything.” He skimmed his palm up my thigh to my hip. The warmth of his skin burned through the fabric of my skirt. “My cousin Ronin is an idiot. Reckless, power hungry, and a gambling addict. He lost everything his parents left him in under a year. I tried to help him in the beginning. I paid off loan sharks and his debts until I realized he wasn’t going to stop and if I kept bailing him out, he’d never learn. So, I offered to get him therapy. I booked him into rehab and a hundred different programs, and he refused to go. He’s cold and bitter that I refuse to help him anymore, and recently, he became aware of the clause.” He shook his head slightly. “It wasn’t a secret. I guess he just didn’t hear that part during the reading, but...” he furrowed his brows and looked down at where his hand was on my hip. “My father added in his will that I needed to be married before my thirty-fifth birthday.”

“Oh!” I said, finally understanding what Jeannette meant by a new bride every year. Thoran was trying to uphold his end of the will, but the women kept dying. “How much time do you have?”

Thoran made a small chuckle. “None. My birthday’s in two weeks.”

I felt myself tense. “What are you going to do?”

Thoran shrugged. “I can give up everything my grandfather worked towards. My life. My future. My business. Or...” Hard chips of amber settled on my face. “I get married or try to one last time.”

The answer was an obvious one. Of course he needed to get married. This was his family’s home. He kept it going after his parents died. He ran the business. Even if he hated the house, he cared for it and protected it. His cousin wouldn’t do that. I didn’t know the man enough to pretend to understand what he was going through, but he wasn’t Thoran, and this wasn’t his home.

“Thoran, I’ll—”

His palm was over my mouth before even I could register what was about to come out.

“No.” He lowered his hand. “I won’t marry you, love. I will never marry you.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

THORAN

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