James
"Is that supposed to be a joke?" she asks, voice quiet. Tight. A thread pulled taut.
"No," I murmur. "It's a fact."
I watch the color drain from her face, but she doesn't look away. "You're insane."
"Probably." I let my gaze drop to her mouth, watching the way her lips part with the weight of what I've just told her. It would be easy to lean in. To press that line just a little further, see if she responds back. But I don't. Not yet. I step back instead. Give her a breath of space, because I've already taken so much. More than she realizes. Wait for her to erupt any second. And I was right.
"What the fuck are you saying?!" she snaps, voice slicing the quiet like a blade. "Are you insane? What makes you think I'd marry you?!"
There it was. The fight. The fury. The storm I've been courting since the moment our paths crossed. I smile. A fraction wider this time.
"Because you will," I say, low and certain. "Because you don't have a choice. Not in this."
