Page 124 of Hollow Court

This was the part I had been bracing myself for, what I had been working myself up to say. So why did my mouth suddenly feel so dry?

A man doesn’t deserve anything he isn’t willing to fight for.

I took a deep, fortifying sip of my drink.

“Then I would have asked you to come back to Lochlann with me.”

Her lips parted, her eyes widening in a rare display of vulnerability. “Oh.”

I would have almost smiled at the sight of her speechless, except that she was giving me exactly no indication how she felt about that.

But then, hadn’t she already?

You weren’t under obligation to want something just because I did.

The question wasn’t really what either of us had wanted then. It was what we wanted now. So I met her eyes solidly, finishing what I had to say.

“To be clear, I still want that,” I told her plainly.

She blinked several times. “What?”

I thought about everything I could tell her, but ultimately, I settled on the simplest version.

“I want you to stay. Not as my fake betrothed, but as my real one. I don’t want to play any more games with you. At least,” I added with a smirk, “not unless they’re the fun kind.”

She huffed out what might have been a laugh, or might have been a slightly hysterical sob.

“I’m sorry,” she finally said. “I just need a little bit of time, to process all of that, if that’s all right?”

She said it like she thought it wouldn’t be, because she wasn’t used to being given a say at all, let alone time to make that decision. I wouldn’t pretend it was exactly what I wanted to hear, but it was more than fair.

“Yes, Lina,” I said firmly. “There’s no rush, and there’s no obligation. Take all the time you need. I’ll just…head back to my rooms.”

Though leaving her was the absolute last thing I wanted to do, I stood to go, turning toward the door.

“No,” she said quickly.

I paused, spinning back to face her.

“I mean, we have a big day tomorrow, and we could both use some good sleep.” She was avoiding my gaze, and I couldn’t help the relieved smile that spread across my lips.

“Lina, Love, do you want me to sleep here?” My tone was teasing.

She heaved a small, resigned sigh, the barest hint of a smile on her lips. “I don’tnotwant you to sleep here.”

My grin widened. “Well, with that overwhelming endorsement, I wouldn’t dream of being anywhere else.”

And I meant it.

If a little time was all it took to finally start building something real with her, that was a price I was more than willing to pay.

FORTY-ONE

Galina

This time,I wasn’t surprised to find myself wrapped around Davin when I woke up.

I was, however, unwilling to let kindly old Anna come in on us this way. When her second knock sounded at the door, I all but shoved him out of the bed.