Page 95 of Regally Binding

She lifted her head off a marshmallow-soft pillow and stepped to the window. It was a grey suburban street with cars lining the road and light pooling from the dirty streetlights. It was like someone had painted a plain English city side street.

Liss inspected her room for a clue to where she was. The wardrobe and chest of drawers had a high finish, and boxing glove cufflinks sat in a pot on top of it next to a couple of bottles of aftershave, but it was without photos or homely touches.

Suddenly, footsteps padded outside the bedroom door, and she rushed back into bed. Briefly, she breathed in the scent that lingered on the duvet. It smelt of wood and citrus. This was Bear’s apartment. The lake image on his wall matched his screensaver.

The door creaked open, and Bear’s face, covered with stubble from the last couple of days, appeared through a gap in the doorway.

“How do you always know when I’m awake?”

Bear’s chuckle made her heart swell. “Must be my superpower.” The bed dipped as he sat. “Did you sleep okay?”

She stretched like a starfish and yawned. “Deeper than I thought possible. I must have been out of it. What time is it?”

“It’s nearly midnight. You slept all day.” The edge of his lips turned down briefly, but he returned to a non-committal smile. “Are you hungry? Because I can make you something.”

Liss held her hand to her mouth and closed her eyes. Regret tainted her breath. “I slept through our last day together. I’m so sorry.”

Bear reached for her and hugged her tightly. Once more, she smelt warm wood and citrus. She squeezed her eyes even tighter and attempted to write an unforgettable memory.

“Liss, you’ve been through a hell of a lot. Two weeks ago, you were opening up the pub for the last time. Your body can only sustain the trauma for so long. But I love that you felt safe enough to sleep soundly here. You needed it.” The heat of his body made her flush through the long T-shirt. It smelt of him. A car bumbled up the road outside. Its exhaust sputtered as it passed. These were their last hours together. Sadness tore her heart as he rested his chin on her head. “I’ll bring you food. I cooked a roast for whenever you woke up, but I’m guessing you’d rather toast or cereal?”

Her stomach growled as if disagreeing.

Bear pulled away to meet her eyes, and his face lit up with laughter. “Roast dinner with all the trimmings, then?”

She nodded enthusiastically.

“And how many potatoes? Because I feel you’re a roast potato kind of woman.”

“Six?” she replied with a wince, expecting him to tease her.

“That’s my girl,” he replied with a smile. “Six it is. I made seven in case.” She forced a smile until he’d left the room. Her face drooped, reflecting her heart. She wasn’t his girl and never would be. She’d tell the world she was a princess in twelve hours.

And I’ll never see him again.

Her whole body ached with the sadness that consumed her soul. The King needed her, but becoming a royal meant giving upher old life. But aside from Isla, she had no one else and nothing to stay in her current life for. Her two weeks with Bear had been incredible, but they couldn’t be together, even if she didn’t accept her royal title. They only worked because it was short-term. He didn’t do relationships, and nothing would change that. And it was the right thing for him. She didn’t want to get in the way of his work or be something else for him to worry about. Their lives were heading in different directions.

Liss stared at the lakeside image on his wall. He’d said she’d changed his rules in less than two weeks. But he’d regret that his life had to change to accommodate her. Becoming a royal was a complication he couldn’t add to his life of control and planning. And there were positives to her taking the throne too. She’d spend more time with Gable, Beatrice, and, hopefully, her grandad. There would be parties and trips as well.

She breathed in the scent of his pillow. As much as she tried to convince herself it was for the right reason, she couldn’t deny that without Bear, her happiness would always be tainted by the loneliness he saw in her. And she’d know that somewhere in the world, a man held her heart.

“Here it is,” he announced as he returned. He grinned as he held aloft a plate of heated roast beef, vegetables, Yorkshire pudding, and six roast potatoes. Bear popped it on a tray on her lap before raising his eyebrows at the question he didn’t need to ask.

“Yes, you can get under the duvet with me.” She smiled as she used food to push down her emotions.

He tucked himself in beside her.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” she asked as she sliced a roast potato and swooshed it through the gravy.

“I already ate,” he replied. “Besides, now I get to watch you eat. Bugger, that sounds creepy.” He winced. “But I don’t cooknormally, and I get a weird pride from how much you like my food.”

Liss’s chuckles turned into delighted groans as a roast potato dripping in homemade gravy touched her tongue. She hummed as she popped a bit of Yorkshire in too. Bear nodded with a beaming smile.

“My god, you’re amazing,” she replied, unashamed at her full mouth. Liss refused to linger on what the royal household would say if they saw her talking with her mouth full. She had a night of freedom left.

Bear updated her with family news while she gorged on his cooking. Strike had handed over all the necessary evidence and would return to Bear’s flat in the morning to take Liss to the palace, where Gable and Beatrice would support her for the big announcement. The police had Marianne and Alex in custody, although Alex’s hand in everything was less than they initially thought. He didn’t realise the pills contained poison but believed his dad was getting old and they were denying him the full support to help him pass on.

“Do you believe that?”

---