Chapter 65 · The Heir’s Heartbeat

Carson’s palm stopped against my side, his thumb hovering just above the contract mark.

“Take your hand off me.”

“Ivy.”

“Take it off.”

“Tell me to let you fall.”

My breath caught. “What?”

“You want me to obey?” His grip tightened just enough to keep me against him. “Command me.”

His voice dropped beside my ear. The hard edge was still there, but something underneath it had cracked open.

“You don’t get to make this about us.”

“It’s always been about us.”

“You want the throne.” I shoved at his chest. He didn’t move. “That’s what this is really about. You want the power to own the city.”

His fingers flexed against my waist.

“I don’t want the throne.”

I laughed. Short. Ugly. “You expect me to believe that?”

“I want a wife who can tell me when I’m breaking.”

My laugh died.

Carson leaned closer. His breath warmed the shell of my ear, and the heat of his body pressed through the thin fabric between us.

“I want someone brave enough to command me when I stop knowing the