Page 106 of The King's Maiden

But I had to remember it wasn’t his fault. I had to believe that maybe there was hope for him. That he could see the truth—if not about me, then about Landon.

And Landon…

It didn’t surprise me—him falling for her.

That much I’d expected. But it surprised me he seemed poised to do something about it. Move against me when he’d always been on my side.

We weren’t opponents in this battle.

And I still believed I needed him to win it.

I’d take him off the board, if necessary. I’d be the King who sacrificed his Knight to take the Queen and end the game for good. But I prayed it wouldn’t come to that.

Which is why I searched tirelessly for solutions. Ones that wouldn’t force me to drag up old wounds. Ones that wouldn’t force me to break through the protection in his mind.Something—anything—that wouldn’t force me to direct his hand and break her heart.

But if I couldn’t find one?

My next move had been written in the by-laws of Camelot Court at the start, and if I couldn’t find a way to alter my strategy—to avoid hurting even one of them—I wouldn’t have another choice.

I had to defeat the biggest opponent, or we’d all be wiped off the board.

Chapter Thirty

QUINN

Once we got back from the party, Landon had all but ripped me out of my dress and tossed me on the bed. I got the feeling he’d been waiting all night to do it. I couldn’t say I minded one bit.

I’d been waiting, too.

But even after wrapping his arm around my thighs and forcing my ass into the air so he could take his time making me come apart, he didn’t push for more.

The doubts and uncertainty I’d left on the bench came rushing back, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask him about it that night.

A few nights later, I had to do it. I had to know why we hadn’t gone further. If it was really about the upcoming challenge and worry over how I’d handle it or if it was something else.

He lay beside me on the bed, his eyes closed, and his arm tucked up under his head. His face had relaxed the way it usually did right before he fell asleep. But I wasn’t even close to restful, and that he could doze off so easily bothered me.

I sat up abruptly. “Why haven’t you tried to sleep with me?”

He blinked a few times, the muscle in his jaw working as he processed the question. “I’m trying to sleep with you right now.”

He eased up onto his forearms before sitting up fully on the bed.

Obviously, putting distance between us.

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

His features tightened, eyebrows drawing in as his mouth turned down. “I don’t understand why you’re asking me that.”

“You don’t?”

I couldn’t keep the hurt out of my voice. It rang out clear as a bell between us, the sound as damning as the silence that followed it.

He climbed off the bed, going into the bathroom to grab a warm washcloth like he usually did when the afterglow faded. But we both knew he was buying himself time and avoiding the question. Handing me the damp cloth, he stepped back from the bed.

Carefully maintaining his distance.

I held the cloth in my open palm, making no move to use it. Staring up at him, I fought past all the insecurities rising and forced out what I wanted to say.

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