Page 144 of The Sinner's Bargain

He shook his head. “I don’t know. She’ll go home, I suppose. It doesn’t matter.”

“It does,” I whispered. “Someone agreed for her to marry you. I doubt she volunteered. What will they do to her if she doesn’t uphold the bargain?”

Thoran studied me, his eyes searching. I could see he was trying to put some puzzle together and I didn’t blame him. I wasn’t making much sense.

“I’ll ask,” he said at last, and I exhaled.

“Thank you.”

He pressed a kiss to my forehead before pulling back to shut the water off. I was bundled up in a towel and carried from his room to mine.

He sat me down, frowning. “We’re moving your clothes into the other room when we get back.”

I chuckled. “You bought me half the store. Half of them are still in the bags because I have no room.” I gestured to the corner where I’d neatly stacked most of my new clothes. “I don’t mind using this room as my closet.”

Thoran pursed his lips, brows furrowed. “Then I’ll build a door. I don’t want you walking around the halls in a towel every morning.”

“You are not!” I gasped, horrified. I pointed to the beautiful wallpaper and intricate carvings lining the wall between our rooms. “You would destroy all of that. Besides, that wall is where your bed is and that thing can’t be moved. Where would you put it?”

His frown deepened. “Then I’ll move in here.”

I bit back my amusement by cupping his face between my hands. “I’m not giving up that view in the morning.” I kissed him softly. “How about I move my usual day wear into your room and leave the dresses in here?”

I watched him consider my logic and saw when he relented. “Fine. We’ll do that when we get back.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You want to move clothes on our honeymoon?”

His grin was slow and devastating. “We’ll take periodic and lengthy breaks.” He nipped lightly on my bottom lip. “We have a whole house to christen.” Heat washed up into my face and he laughed. I got a hard kiss on the mouth before he drew back. “Get dressed. I’ll be back in an hour.”

An hour wasn’t enough time to pull together a proper bridal appearance. My wedding to Jarrett took six years of preparations, thousands of hours and four seamstresses for my dress alone. A dress already packed and waiting for me at Jarrett’s estate where a small army of people had been enlisted to create a fairytale wedding that didn’t happen.

Yet, despite the grueling hours standing perfectly still for every fitting and listening to Mother organize every detail down to the length of the grass outside the church, this was the wedding that made me excited. Made me want to be someone’s wife.

Thoran’s.

I couldn’t wait, even with the heavy weight of trepidation curling tight around my nerves. I told myself Thoran would somehow figure it out, but I knew nothing could be that easy.

Still, I unearthed a dress from the closet, a simple, white attire with a square neck and thick straps over the shoulders. It fell in delicate layers from a cinched waist and swirled around my ankles. I added white pumps and applied a very light touch of makeup mainly around the eyes and, of course, Thoran’s favorite lipstick. My hair was curled and left down around my shoulders in a heavy cape. I added a long, black coat to cover the dress; it may not have been a real wedding, but I still craved the look on Thoran’s face when he saw me.

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves, to steel them. My fingers brushed the wool fabric covering my gown. My stomach in knots.

“I love him,” I told my scared reflection in the oval mirror. “He’s not Jarrett. He’s not going to hurt me.”

I believed it with my whole heart. I just hoped I wasn’t wrong.

I siphoned an ocean of air into my lungs and closed my eyes. My heart beat in my throat. Sweat stung the cuts across my palms that wiping on my coat only agitated.

“It’s going to be okay,” I whispered to myself.

A hand touched my shoulder, pressing a cold weight through my clothes. I spun, expecting Thoran and finding only air and silence. My hands jumped up to the spot now tingling with residual contact. My eyes scanned the room for a person I knew couldn’t have gotten in without me noticing.

I open my mouth. Not sure what I want to say, but I was saved by the soft knock on the door. As it always did, Thoran’s arrival stole any other thought and I found myself hurrying to answer.

He stood with an arm braced against the doorframe clad in a stunning suit in soft black that was definitely tailor made to fit every line and muscle of his perfect body. It stretched across his chest, narrowed at his waist, and accentuated the long lines of his legs. With his face cleanly shaven and his hair slicked back ... I sucked in a breath without thinking.

“Oh.”

Dark, hungry eyes that had been working the length of me from head to toe in languid strokes rose up beneath thick lashes and fixed on mine with a deep, guttural exhalation. “Christ, baby, I can’t wait until you’re all mine.”

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