Page 46 of His Runaway Princess

She could feel her face heat at the thought.

Staring at the doors leading to the nursery, Amalia didn’t know what to think, to feel.

Ryker slid his arms around her waist and pulled her back into his chest. “What are you thinking?”

Amalia rested her arms on top of his. “I’m thinking about the future.”

He rested his chin next to her temple. “A future with me in it?”

This time, Amalia took her time to respond. “I don’t know that I can see a future without you in it.”

She could feel his chuckle vibrating in his chest as much as she could hear it.

“I am happy to hear that.”

“You’ll have to move here. I don’t know if you’d have to renounce your citizenship or if you can be a dual citizen. Your children won’t be Drasils.”

Another chuckle. “You mean our children?”

Amalia nodded.

He used gentle pressure on her hips to turn her to face him. The look on his face had turned serious. “As long as I get to stay married to their mother, I can live with that.”

And then he kissed her.

* * *

It had beena conscious choice for Ryker to spend the night in Amalia’s apartment.

The choice to fall asleep together wasn’t quite as deliberate, but more a choice of omission.

His go bag had been sent to her quarters, at her request, so he could change out of the clothes he’d spent the day in. Athletic shorts and a t-shirt had seemed like a safe enough choice when they weren’t planning to leave the apartment for a while.

Had it been in the back of Amalia’s mind? She had suggested they watch a movie in the most comfortable place in the apartment knowing it would be her room? From the tour earlier, Ryker could concede that it appeared to be.

Sleeping together on her bed - on top of the covers - hadn’t been part of the plan.

But what happened, happened.

When he woke, the room was as darkened as he’d ever seen a room in one of the lands of the midnight sun. She’d pressed a button to pull heavy curtains closed over the windows, but the lights inside and then the glow from the screen that appeared from the ceiling kept him from realizing just how dark it became.

As he slid off the bed, he used his phone for enough light to find his way. A moment later, he found the switch in the bathroom. When he emerged, the princ... - no Amalia - slept on.

He had to get used to calling her by her name, a change that wouldn’t come easily.

Slipping out of the room, he made himself a cup of coffee before going onto the balcony. Leaning against the balustrade, he sipped it as he stared over the ocean beyond.

When he finished, he returned the mug to the kitchen and went to check on Amalia.

She slept on.

With the light from the bathroom, he could make out a few of her features. Much of her dark blonde hair had fallen out of the messy bun she’d pulled it back in the night before.

The worry and concern had disappeared from her face as she slept.

Ryker feared that if he watched her sleep much longer, she’d wake up and find it a bit creepy rather than contemplative. Instead of waiting for that to happen, he sat in one of the chairs near the fireplace and scrolled through the messages on his phone. They still hadn’t discovered what caused the communications breech. They also had no idea what happened in his office - or if they did, no one was talking.

He sent a quick message asking for an update, but bypassed Saddois. Ryker didn’t trust the man. Not at the moment.

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