Page 85 of My Queendom for a Horse

That calms Sean down, and he helps tuck me into the passenger side of Aleks’ new car.

“This car is loud,” I shout, once the engine roars to life.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Sean says as he closes the door.

I lean against the door and press my lips to the glass. Then I blow him a raspberry.

I thought he would think it was sweet, but Sean looks horrified.

“Just drive,” I mumble.

Aleks obliges, speeding away from Argan Manor way, way too fast.

“My stomach does not like that,” I say, closing and opening my eyes slowly.

“Hang in there, zaychonuk. I’ll get you there soon.”

“Rabbit? I’m not a rabbit.” But I’m too tired to argue with him. Besides, I kind of like that word—zaychonuk. I’ve heard people use it, but no one ever has for me.

I think I drift off, because seconds later, the car’s stopping. And a blink later, Aleksandr’s opening the door. A split second after that, I’m shoving my purse at him. “You get the key.”

“The—what?”

“The key to the room. I can’t find it.” I practically dump the entire contents of my purse on the ground.

Aleks retrieves most of it, and, blessedly, finds my key. “But where do we take this?” He looks at the blank card with the hotel name written on it in befuddlement.

It makes me laugh.

“What’s funny?”

“My room is number three oh five. On the third floor. Room five. I remember because that was the first three numbers in my phone number in college. Three oh five. But my phone wasn’t on the third floor in college.” I lean closer to him and blink a few times until I can focus. “It was on the fourth.”

Aleks helps me reach the third floor, and he even figures out how to open the door, but then he tries to leave.

“Wait.” I grab his lapels.

“I need to go back to the barn,” he says. “I’ve been gone too long.”

“No,” I say, suddenly desperately sad at the thought that he won’t be with me. “I need you to stay.”

He blinks. “Stay?” He peers past me. “On that single bed?”

I shove his chest. His very solid, very nice chest. “You’re not a horse right now. You should sleep on a bed, and I’m tired. Too tired to take you to the barn.”

“I’ll go there and sleep in the stall—I can make up something if someone shows up,” he says. “I’ll come back and grab you in the morning.”

“No,” I say.

“Trust me, zaychonuk, in the morning you’ll remember how mad at me you are. You’ll be glad I didn’t stick around. Or I will. . .”

His words remind me that I am upset with him. “I cannot believe you just showed up like that—”

“You’re not mad I came. You’re upset that I’m not helpless anymore.”

He makes no sense, and I’m still standing in the doorway. Alone. “Why would I want you to be helpless?” I sigh. “Either go or stay. Stop standing there, talking to me. My head hurts.”

“You’re wrong.” Aleksandr leans toward me.

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