Page 112 of The Heir's Bargain

He twisted the end of my braid between two fingertips, then gently tugged it, pulling me closer.

Fynn had been right in the tavern. While some things might have changed over the past few months, most things had stayed the same.

At the end of the day, he was still my best friend, the person I could always count on to put a smile on my face and calm my nerves.

"Better late than never, right?" I asked.

He cupped my cheek with his palm, and I leaned into the touch.

"Always better late than never," he said, smirking.

As Fynn got up, I asked, "Don't you have some princely duty to attend to?"

He shrugged, tucking his book beneath his arm. "If you mean listening to the lords prattle on and on about trivial pursuits? Sure, plenty. But that's what my morning naps are for," he said with a wink.

I went to nudge him, but Fynn dodged it and curved an arm around my waist, pulling me close.

"What's with the extra trainings?" he asked.

"You mean to tell me you don't know everything that is going on in your kingdom?"

He bumped his hip against mine. "I know plenty, Ferrios, but there are some things I pay more attention to than others." He dragged his gaze over me as if he was drinking me in.

For a moment, I forgot all about my father’s speech during today’s training, the growing unrest in the southern kingdoms, and how the upcoming mission would help us gain an advantage over our enemies.

Perhaps I let Fynn’s question go by the wayside because I did not want to get my hopes up.

While the leaders were getting closer to narrowing down the squad that would be assigned to the upcoming mission, it was still too soon to say anything. I didn't think I could deal with the ramifications if I told Fynn about it and wasn't chosen. I had been messing up so much the past few months that it seemed precarious to hope to be selected for this mission. And in truth, there wasn't much to tell. My father and the generals were keeping the details of the mission quiet until the squad was chosen.

To make matters worse, the scathing glances from some of the other captains in the battalion had recently returned. I had dealt with my peers' cynical gazes when I was a private, but I had thought I had proven myself to them already. But as several soldiers passed by, their sneers were only more caustic when they saw Fynn standing beside me.

Courting was supposed to make things simple, but perhaps that was a foolish thought to have had in the first place.

I did not want to give anyone reason to think Fynn had anything to do with me being chosen for a simple mission. So, unwilling to take that risk, I kept quiet as Fynn pulled me close, his warmth blanketing me, a shield from everything else going wrong in the world.

Not that Fynn seemed to notice as he tipped my chin up and leaned down, sweeping me into a dizzying kiss.

For the rest of the week, Fynn continued to show up. Some days, he only had time to chat for a few minutes before he had to head out. On other days, we would walk through the nearby park, talking about nothing and everything all at once. On those days, I forgot why I previously had feared courtships.

But then again, courting Fynn wasn't like any of the days I had spent with my mother's potential suitors. There was no talking about the weather to pass the time or asking simplistic questions like what one another’s parents did. Fynn and I already knew each other's past and present. And yet, somehow, the silent moments were few and far between. When there was silence, it wasn't awkward or uncomfortable. It was peaceful.

Whenever Fynn talked, I was hanging on to every word, and he mine.

It was easy.

It was simple.

It was like nothing I had thought it would be and everything I had once feared dreaming it could be.

The nerves were long gone because I finally realized I didn’t need to be anyone but myself with Fynn.

Courting Fynn, I found, wasn't all that different from being friends with him—besides the fact that my hair was always a little messed up and my clothes were more wrinkled than they had been prior to seeing him.

However, I was finding that I did not mind that too much, either.

Chapter 28

DANI

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