Page 167 of The Sinner's Sanctuary

“How’s yours?” I ask, because it’s the only one that matters to me.

“All over the place,” he admits, turning back to me.

I hold out my hand, and he steps forward to take it. We pull ourselves into a hug, and I grip him tight. I still don’t know what the ultimate outcome of their talk was, but it feels less important than the fact that’s here withme.

I feel the buzz of his phone against my thigh through his pocket. He backs out of the hug and checks it. “Fischer,” he mumbles. “Says we’re welcome to stay.” He chuckles. “And change the sheets.”

“When do I get to meet your bestie?” I ask.

“Any time,” he says. “If you want.” Then he sighs heavily. “So, I don’t know when she’s going, but she did more or less agree to the annulment.”

“More or less?”

“I can’t imagine she’ll stick around long, but she was pretty upset. Like—scared.”

Fuck. That had to have been awful to watch. “I’m sorry.”

“I can’t just abandon her, you know?”

“I get it.”

“I wish it hadn’t gotten so fucked up.”

“Hey.” I cup his neck. “Youbothneed this. Whatever you need to do to make this work for both of you—do that. But the marriage has to go. You were fucking dying.”

To my surprise, he tears up. Sucking his lips into his mouth, he nods as he takes a deep breath. When he lets it out, he puts his hands around my wrists and stares at me as one tear falls. “I’ve still got you, right?”

“Yeah. Still not going anywhere.”

“I couldn’t have done this without you,” he says.

“Well, we’ll never know, but I’m glad you did it.”

His grip tightens with urgency. “At the risk of scaring you off, I want you in every way that means anything.”

My chest fills with emotion. It’s a declaration that answers all my lingering questions, that makes me fall for him even harder, which I didn’t think was possible. “You’ve got me. I’m not scared.”

“What I mean is I’m gonna want to marry you.”

There’s not enough room in my body to hold what I’m feeling for him. It needs out, so I press my mouth to his. “You need to pace yourself,” I say before kissing him again.

“I will. I promise. That was a heads-up.”

“It’s hot,” I tell him, running one hand up his chest and digging the other into his hair to bring his mouth back to mine.

His tongue slides in and strokes deep. A moment later, my back is against the wall, and I’m wrapping a leg around his. He breaks the kiss to assess my clothing situation and slides his hands up my T-shirt. “I can’t have anyone thinking you’re available. That’s all.”

“That’s it, huh?” I ask with a gasp as his fingertips graze my nipples.

“Nothing more to it,” he says, leaning in to suck a mouthful of my neck. “Other than it’s always so good with you.”

“It might not always be.”

“I accept that. I’m not perfect, either.”

“You shouldn’t tell someone you’re not perfect when you’re trying to get in their pants.”

He smiles. “I would absolutely fuck you into this wall if I could.”

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