Page 109 of The Kingdom's Reckoning
"Isn’t it obvious?" Myra asked, her hands still resting on his sharp jawline.
"Apparently not," Laurince muttered.
Myra exhaled.
Are all men really this daft?
She had only been this close to him once when they were dancing, and even then, she didn’t dare stare too long at his features out of fear of being found out. But what had she been afraid of? Why had she let herself go without seeing him this close up before? His jaw was sharp as a knife. The corners of his eyes were wrinkled from years of laughter, and softened the hard edges of his cheekbones. Her attention dipped to his mouth, where his lips were set in a flat line. She looked to the spot where she knew a small dimple hid. As she observed him, her breaths shortened, and the thump of her heart pounded harder.
"Haze?"
"Yes, Laurince?" His name was no more than a breath on her lips.
He swallowed, the bump in his throat rising and falling. "Why do I make you nervous?" he asked again, his voice low and his pupils dilating. He brushed her collarbone with a knuckle, sweeping a stray hair away. The touch sent a chill across her skin, and heat pooled low in her stomach.
The beat of her heart was an echo in her ears. It hummed, pounding, threatening to burst through her ribcage. Her eyes dipped to his lips again. He scraped his bottom lip with his teeth, and she wondered if he was even conscious of doing it.
"Myra," Laurince said, placing his hands on her waist, his fingers pressing against her. Layers of fabric separated his hand and her skin, yet goosebumps rose in the wake of his touch.
What had he asked her? She couldn’t think straight.
She inhaled, hoping to steady her shaking hands. But it only made it worse because when she breathed, all she could smell was him: pine, crushed leaves, and smoke.
"Because," she said, her voice airy as Laurince’s grip on her tightened ever-so-slightly, "when I’m with you, I can’t help but think…"
"Think what?" he prompted.
Myra bit her lip, and Laurince’s attention fell to it. When he dragged his gaze back to her eyes, none of the previous stars that twinkled from the embers pierced through the darkness. There were a million thoughts that passed through those all-consuming eyes. A silent permission.
"Use it, Myra."
Without any effort, Myra plucked the golden thread that whipped around them. Curiosity and tension danced across the thread in such a way that filled her entire being with a foreign, insatiable hunger. It was sweet yet sour. Warm like a hearth, yet it sent a scattering of toe-curling chills crawling down her spine.
She rose to her knees. Laurince snaked his hand further around her back, the warmth of his touch spreading across her skin and tickling her spine. He leaned forward, or she did. She didn’t know, nor did she care, not when?—
A crack of a twig and a quick hiss had both of them snapping their heads toward the cave’s entrance.
Myra’s nose crashed into Laurince’s cheek as he smashed her against his body.
"Fuck," Laurince spat. A glimmer of steel sparkled in the corner of her eye, where he held his sword.
"Shit, sorry," Rian said, holding up his hands. "Am I…am I interrupting something?"
Myra jolted backward and out of Laurince’s arms. She plopped on the ground beside him, unable to move any further, her limbs liquid.
Rian chuckled and rocked back on his heels. "IhopeI’m interrupting something because if not, then I just walked around the woods for nothing."
Mortified, Myra dropped her face into her hands, mumbling a curse.
"Why don’t you take another walk then, huh?" Laurince asked.
"Too late. I gave you plenty of time—more than I should have if I’m being honest." Rian strolled around the fire. He patted Laurince on the shoulder. "You’ve got to be quicker than that, Lo. If you need some pointers, let me know."
If Myra could scream without embarrassing herself more, she would have. Tomorrow, she would have some choice words with Rian—royalty or not.
Rian grabbed his bag and pulled out a blanket. He spread it across the ground. "But hey, don’t mind me. You’re more than welcome to carry on with…whatever that was."
Laurince looked at Myra, a brow cocked. She immediately shoved him.
