“My uncle had me do this as punishment. When I’d fuck up, he’d make me reopen it—slice myselfopen since he wasn’t really supposed to beat me.”
“Uncle Jasper?” I whisper, fighting the burning rage.
“The one and only.”
“What do you mean by ‘he wasn’t really’ supposed to beat you?”
“He had a deal with my brother not to touch me, but sometimes I made him so angry he forgot about that deal.”
“You seem proud of that.”
“I liked pissing him off,” he admits. Of course he did. “I almost miss it.” His thumb finds that divot between my lower lip and chin, settling there.
“You saved me from getting my skin burned off.” It’s a bit of an exaggeration, but it would have felt that way.
“I’ll do a lot more than that. Kline is never touching you again. Their contracts don’t hold in the real world.”
“I know, but the Klines are going to want a union to satisfy their weird-ass rules of society. That society considers itself above the law.”
“They are above the law, but they’re not above me.” He leans in for a kiss. Cool metal presses against my cheek.
“If that’s fucking Pearl …”
“I want to fuck you with her,” he admits.
“Put her down.”
“Later?”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Later.” He nods as though it’s a forgone conclusion, setting her on the desk. “I should probably focus anyway. We need to talk about the marriage.”
“I told you?—”
“That you won’t marry me unless I tell you why I need to get married. Yes, I heard you loud and clear. Do you want to know or not?”
I sit up taller. “You’re going to tell me?” I might fall off this desk.
“The reason isn’t all that exciting; it’s what’s attached to it that I’d … well, it doesn’t matter.”
“Tate, wait. I wouldn’t want someone to force my deepest secrets from me. I shouldn’t have tried to force yours out of you. I was frustrated.”
He shakes his head. “I want to tell you.” He combs his thick fingers through my hair as if he needs to touch me. I run mine over his scar, kinda enthralled by it. “I have to marry someone by my fortieth birthday, or my brother stands to lose the inheritance owed to him by our uncle.”
“Just your brother?”
“Yes. Luke plans to share, but I doubt I’ll ever see it. Fucking Clarence is the executor. Hence why I’m not counting on it.”
“I’d think something like that would fall to Luke. Why does it hinge on your life choices?”
“Jasper did it to fuck with me.”
“Wow, from the grave? He’s committed,” I say. “You have some time, though.”
He shakes his head. “I promised my brother I’d find someone to marry this season, and if I don’t, I might lose his good favor. He thinks I’m not going to do it.”
“His good favor means a lot to you?”
