He shrugs. “Call it what you want, but it won’t change the reality.”
“You can’t keep me here against my will.” I shove at his arms, and despite a moment of hesitation, he allows me to put some distance between us.
Some much-needed space.
A cocktail of panic and warmth spreads through my chest. The idea of being a prisoner again makes it hard to breathe, but the fact that they’re willing to do something so drastic makes me feel more wanted than I ever have in my life.
My god, am I fucked up.
Asher circles the kitchen counter but keeps his distance, obviously sensing I need it right now. “Little Doe, there’s more at play than just our desire to have you close.”
“I don’t care,” I snap. “I want to go home.”
“This is your home now,” Rowan growls.
“No, it’s not!”
Asher sighs, rubbing a hand down his face. He takes careful steps toward me, watching me like he would a frightened deer, but he pauses at a table beside the couch where a stack of files rests.
After rifling through them for a few long seconds, he tosses one onto the couch beside me. “Your grandfather is planning to sell you off to the highest bidder to strengthen family ties and to bring a worthy heir into the family business.”
My lips part in surprise, but I don’t move to pick up the file immediately. I’m too shocked to do much of anything other than stare at him.
“That’s why we had to move the timeline up,” he explains. “That’s why we can’t let you go home.”
“Not the only reason,” Rowan grumbles, but doesn’t deny any of the other claims.
“What do you mean he intends to sell me?”
“An arranged marriage,” Asher replies. “He plans to marry you off to an asshole like the one he set you up with last night. Someone who won’t respect you. Someone who will see you as a possession, rather than a partner.”
My stomach sinks. It makes so much sense now.
For the last year, my grandfather has been trying to convince me to meet men he deems worthy of my hand in marriage, but up until last night, I’ve been able to get out of it.
My mind wanders back to our call yesterday. It wasn’t the normal disappointment in me and my life choices. There was more insistence. Why didn’t I notice it at the time?
Probably because you were still reeling from your first threesome and your boyfriend keeping something from you,my mind provides helpfully.
“We’re not going to let that happen.” Asher steps closer to me, and when I don’t back away, he pulls me into his arms.
I sink into his hold, reveling in his steadiness. How is it possible that nothing rattles him? No matter how big something feels for me, he never wavers.
“Jeffrey Malone doesn’t take no for an answer,” I whisper. Every cell in my body begs me to run, but the men in this room have already admitted they won’t let me go.
“We’ve known this was coming for a long time, Hannah. Trust us to take care of this.”
I nod against his chest, allowing myself to relax into his hold.
If my options are between the two men who have made me feel more seen than anyone else in my life, or marrying a man I don’t know, don’t like, and who will treat me badly for the rest of my life, the choice is obvious.
But putting my trust in the men who have spent years lying to me?
It’s not as easy to let that go, even when the alternative is far worse.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
ASHER
