Page 74 of The Kingdom's Reckoning
The chair creaked as Rian stood. "I’ll go see about snagging us a couple of loaves and leave you two to?—"
"I’ll join you." Myra threw her bag over her shoulder.
"That’s really unnecessary," Rian said, but Myra was already ushering him out of the room.
The door clicked shutbehind them, and Myra hurried down the hall, determined to put as much distance between herself andLaurince. She needed to shake off the embarrassment before she could safely see him again.
"Is he a bad snuggler? Is that why you’re fleeing the scene? Did he drool on you, but you don’t have the heart to tell him?" Rian whispered at her back, trailing only a foot or so behind her. "You know, if the two of you wanted the room, I could have found?—"
Myra whipped around, and Rian had to catch himself before he barreled straight into her and sent them both tumbling down the stairs.
"There is no 'us.' Got it?" she snapped, her fists digging into her hips.
Rian smirked. "That’s not what it looked like this morning."
"It didn’tlooklike anything. We wouldn’t have been…" Myra hesitated, struggling to find the right words.
"Entangled?" Rian suggested, wiggling his brows.
Myra groaned. "In the same bed if it hadn’t been because of you!" She poked him in the chest. "When we returned, you were sprawled across the entire bed."
He rolled his eyes. "We both know he and I were never going to fit in the same bed, anyway."
"You could have at least told us we were all sharing a room!"
Rian lifted his shoulder with a smug look. "It was more fun this way."
"Morefun? You are preposterous!"
"That’s a funny way to say genius," he said, punctuating it with a wink.
"How doesthatmake you a genius?" she asked, pointing back to their room.
Rian cocked a brow. "Why do you think he invited you to come with us?"
"Because he felt bad for me," Myra answered, though the words didn’t sit right on her tongue.
"If you truly think that’s the reason, then you haven’t been paying attention," Rian said, moving past her and heading down the stairs.
Myra bounded after him. "What other reason is there?"
Reaching the bottom of the steps, Rian looked over his shoulder and grinned. "Think about it, Haze."
But the way Rian said her nickname differed from the captain. Casual and platonic, and certainly not in a way that sent her heart thundering.
Myra’s eyes widened.
But then she recalled the captain teasing her about Rian, and she shook her head, dismissing the thought.
"No, you’re wrong. He thinks I have feelings for you."
Rian laughed and grabbed her shoulder. "Everyone has feelings for me, Mys."
"Idon’t." She tipped up her chin and tossed off his hand.
"Oh, trust me, I know." He leaned toward her and whispered, "But don’t worry, it’ll be our little secret." He playfully flicked her chin with his thumb before turning toward the counter and flagging down the innkeeper.
Begrudgingly, Myra followed him. As she stood at the bar, her brows furrowed as a strange sensation tickled the back of her neck. Before she could identify the source, a smooth, low voice from behind startled her.
