Page 76 of A Kingdom Restored

He smiled disarmingly at her. “My time with you has always been so contested, I’m jealous of anyone who manages to claim a moment that could have been mine.”

“Your cousin Max is nice enough,” Merletta said. “But he’s not exactly a threat. A little young for me, don’t you think?”

Heath grinned. “Actually, he’s the same age as you.”

“Oh.” Merletta considered this. “I suppose you make him seem young. You’ve always been old for your age, at least since I’ve known you.” She searched his face thoughtfully. “You have changed, you know, since we met. You’ve grown. You’re more…solid now.” She gave him a rueful smile. “Or maybe I just think that because I’ve come to depend on you more.”

That surprised a laugh out of Heath. “If only that were true,” he protested. “If anything, you seem to do better without my interference in your world.”

Merletta shifted again, leaning her head against his shoulder. “Never,” she declared.

Her eyelids drifted down, unbearably heavy after the exhausting day. The boulder was uncomfortable at her back, but Heath’s arm around her was warm and reassuring. He must be tired, too, but he showed no sign of flagging, his presence strong and steady. Someone out of Merletta’s range of vision asked him a question. She didn’t even try to hear the words of his reply, just sinking into the comforting rumble of his voice. Her head had slipped from his shoulder to his chest, and she could feel the vibrations as he spoke.

It was soothing, almost like the current’s gentle flow.

Merletta came to suddenly as her head slipped forward. She seemed to have shifted—she was now curled up more or less on Heath’s lap, his arms around her keeping the chill of the night at bay. She looked up groggily to find his eyes on her, a smile in their depths.

“How long have I been asleep?” she asked.

“Probably two hours,” he told her. “I saved you some food.”

A glance around showed that the fire was burning low, and the area was mostly deserted. She could see Bianca picking her way toward them, past guards who were laying out simple pallets near the fire.

“What are those?” she asked, taking note of several shelters which hadn’t been there before.

“The carriages caught up an hour ago, and they’ve set up simple tents,” Heath explained. “I think you’re sharing with Bianca.”

Merletta pushed herself off Heath’s lap. He let her go, but he seemed reluctant.

“Why did you let me sleep so long?” she asked. “You must be uncomfortable.”

“A little,” he admitted. “And I let you sleep because holding you in my arms for two hours was one of the best experiences of my life.”

Merletta’s breath caught in her throat. He had said the words simply, almost unemotionally, but that did nothing to hide the intensity behind them. All the unsaid words, the impossible hopes were spilling out of his eyes as he watched her in the firelight.

Longing rose up in Merletta, so sharp it was almost painful, so deeply intimate she could find no words for it.

“Can you imagine if it was this easy?” she whispered, reaching up to lay her fingers on his chest. She felt bold in the flickering light of the flames. “If we could just…be together?”

There was a definite edge of sadness to Heath’s smile. “I don’t dare to. That’s the sort of imagination that has the power to make reality unendurable.”

Merletta swallowed, her mind full of everything and nothing at once. The intensity of Heath’s full attention was a weighty thing, not to be taken lightly. His eyes roamed over her face, as if he was memorizing her, and she saw his gaze linger on her lips.

Almost unconsciously, she leaned forward.

“Merletta, you’re awake.”

Bianca’s cheerful voice reminded Merletta of her surroundings, and she shifted quickly away from Heath.

“I have some food for you, and a pallet where you can sleep properly. Come on.”

Merletta didn’t even look back at Heath as she rose. Their moment was broken, their time stolen away just as it began. It had always been that way for them, and Heath was right. Dreaming of a different future was too dangerous a distraction from the reality they had to deal with right here and now.

* * *

The next day passed more quickly. Merletta rode with Heath, and she could feel his tension mount as they drew closer to Arinton. The carriages had left very early, but the riders still overtook them before noon. Sage waved wearily to Merletta as they passed, looking like she hadn’t slept much on the hard ground either. The prince’s group, who’d stayed in the nearby manor, reconnected with them at about the same time.

Heath and Merletta shared no more charged moments. Mostly they whiled away the time with catching each other up on everything they’d missed in recent months.

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