Page 82 of Heavy Crown

He carries me the short distance to the bed, and then he tucks the covers around me.

“You’re probably going to say no,” I say, “but will you stay until I fall asleep?”

He draws in a deep breath, and his dark eyes search my face. “I should say no.” Instead, he comes around the bed and crawls across it beside me. “But I cannot.” He lies beside me, and when I curl into him, he tugs me closer.

We lay like that, wrapped in each other in silence. The clock in the kitchen ticks away the minutes, and I’m amazed he’s giving me this. Of the two of us, up to now, he’s been the one maintaining any semblance of distance. If it was up to me, I’d glue myself to him. Only a slight exaggeration.

He sighs into my hair. “If I could, I’d unmake the world, and when I built it again, I’d live in this moment forever.”

The declaration, a hair’s breadth from saying he loves me, makes my heart stutter to a stop.

“I’m going to have a lot of regrets, Rory. But my time with you will never be one of them.” He kisses the top of my head. “Never.”

I’m stunned into silence.

“Get some sleep,” he murmurs.

My emotions are jumping all over the place trying to reconcile Alex’s normal reserve to this guy in my bed. Not one but two proclamations that are an inch or two from professing his love. Someone like Alex would never say those things if he didn’t genuinely mean them.

I lie in his arms, breathing in his sandalwood scent, and although I didn’t believe it was possible, the chamomile tea must be working its magic, because I’m drifting into sleep. The last thing I’m conscious of before I’m drawn under are Alex’s warm lips pressed against my temple.

In typical Posey fashion, she arrives the next afternoon when she’s done work with chicken noodle soup, heavy on the broth, and a slew of local gossip.

As I scarf down the soup, Posey fills me in on all the people across the island hit with food poisoning. Turns out, Café Plutus sourced their lettuce from the same place as a bunch of other restaurants. Derrick must have fallen ill, but he never reached out to me. Despite what I told Alex, we parted on the understanding I’d get Alex to back off his family’s company. I didn’t agree so much as I didn’t protest. With some time and perspective, I can admit no one deserves to be treated so poorly, and I shouldn’t have let it happen.

“Kane tells me Alex was worried about you yesterday.” Posey lounges on the couch and slings her arm over the back. “I know I said I wouldn’t pry, but I’m totally prying. What’s going on there?”

“I can’t believe Alex’s favorite bodyguard fed you gossip.” I stir the soup she gave me. Although I didn’t go to work today, and I wasn’t one hundred percent myself early this morning, I’m back to feeling fine this evening.

“I get the best gossip from all sorts.” She waggles her brows. “Now I want yours.”

I hold my soup in my mouth while I run through my options. When I’ve made up my mind, I swallow. “The last time you implied something, there wasn’t anything going on.”

“Ooh.” Posey sits forward. “And now?” Her eyes sparkle with mischief.

“A fling, maybe? I don’t know. He’s been very clear he has to marry a Bellerivian or someone from royalty. Whatever this is, it’s not going anywhere permanent. It’s weird to have the parameters of a relationship laid out so concretely so early.” Especially when I’ve never been so certain so early that I long for more than he can give.

“A fling with the future king. Be a great story someday when you’re far enough away to tell it.”

Hearing her speak the truth is harder than I expected. Someday, Alex will be nothing but a great story. No longer part of my life. No longer my nightly companion. A memory.

“Is that an actual rule?” She frowns and taps her mouth with a manicured nail. “It’s a custom for sure. But a rule? I don’t know.”

She must have glimpsed the disappointment on my face. Her friend collection means she reads people annoyingly well.

“Alex made it sound like a rule.” I take another mouthful of soup, and I ignore the hope blooming across my chest. He wouldn’t lie to me. The things he’s said to me—whatever is in place can’t be as simple as him deciding he wants to be with me.

“How is the fling going? Worth it or not so much?” She picks up her midnight brownie from the plate on the coffee table and takes a bite.

“Worth it, no question.” The recollection of his lips pressed to my temple last night as I drifted to sleep springs to mind, and he’s so much more than that one moment. The tenderness and the caring from someone who isn’t prone to those behaviors is astonishingly addictive. “This might be TMI.” Nothing ever seems to be too much for Posey. “But have you ever slept with someone, and it was like...” I struggle to describe the almost out-of-body experience of being with Alex.

“This goes two ways—really terrible or next-level amazing.”

“Next-level amazing,” I say, and I take another spoonful of soup. “But like, and this is going to sound weird, as though we’d been together before?”

Posey scrunches up her face. “Amazing and boring?”

I laugh and chuck the crust of bread I planned to dip in my soup at her. “Is this your way of telling me sex with Brent has become boring?”