Page 198 of The Sinner: James

He cocks an eyebrow at me.

“And you had to go through all that crap to find out?”

Pursing my lips, I stay quiet.

He shakes his head in disbelief, crushing a bitter grin.

“You can be so fucking stubborn, Rain.”

“I had no choice.”

Still shaking his head, he combs his fingers through his hair, eyes tipped down before he puffs, annoyed.

“You had no fucking choice, you say…”

He tilts his gaze to me, aggravated.

“Really?” he tosses at me.

“Yeah. Really… It’s the truth, and you know it.”

He glares at me in disagreement.

“Is it…? Is it the fucking truth?”

He slides his hands into his pockets, inviting me to speak and explain myself.

“I didn’t want to be a trophy girl.”

His eyebrows tilt up, his expression lined with disbelief before a dejected chuckle falls from his lips.

“How can you fucking say that to me? What the hell is this, then?” he says, pointing around my place with a tilt of his chin.

“I didn’t want this at that time,” I say icily. “And what I wanted wasn’t possible. Besides, you would’ve kept me for a while and kicked me to the curb.”

Pivoting toward me, he slowly erases the space between us and slightly tips his head to the side, the ghost of a smile brushing his lips.

“You don’t know that,” he says, the emotion in his voice making my heart clench.

“Do you?” I ask, lifting an eyebrow.

He studies me for a moment, his eyes narrowing with a grin, a stark revelation glinting in his gaze.

Or is it perhaps amusement?

He looks at me with fresh eyes as I bring my hand to his chest and run my fingers over the lapel of his jacket, my gaze following the slow motion, his stare burning holes into my face.

I flick my eyes up.

Fire pours from his gaze as I trail his shirt and tenderly stroke his taut chest.

Distracted, he curves his lips into a sizzling smile.

“You lied to me toward the end,” I say.

A rush of blood colors his cheeks.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he says, his eyes guarded, unreadable this time.

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