Page 34 of Scarred Crown

“I thought you liked them.”

“All those hours I’ll never get back,” I mutter.

He laughs a little harder. “Serves you right for faking it. That’s what you get. Dissatisfied. Time could’ve been spent on something enjoyable.”

The darkness hides the heat creeping up my neck and into my cheeks. He does not need to see how easily he can still embarrass me. Something more enjoyable? We tried that, didn’t we?

When he kissed me at sixteen, a door opened, one I never realized was there. For him, the kiss confirmed he didn’t want the door opened. If only he left it closed. I’ve never been able to figure out how to seal it shut again. My stomach rolls at the memories.

“Trust you to bring horror films back to some sort of sexual innuendo,” I say to mask my discomfort.

“I thought that was quite clever, actually.”

“You would.”

Silence settles between us, and my heart pounds in my ears for a completely different reason. Now I wish I could see him, figure out what might be crossing his mind. What happened to us? But I know, don’t I? No matter what we told ourselves, told each other, our friendship wasn’t built to last.

“No more pigs,” Nick whispers. The bed shifts under his weight. “You should get some sleep.” His voice is farther away.

Sleep? Between being this close to Nick and the wild animals outside, I might never sleep again. Then I realize I should be on the floor. “Did you move me? I thought I went to sleep on the floor.”

“I did. Had no choice. You were moaning and groaning so loudly as you tossed and turned on the floor, I couldn’t sleep. My poor ears couldn’t take it anymore.”

“There is no way that’s what happened,” I scoff.

“Since you were sound asleep, you’ll have to take my word for it. Would you like me to recreate your various noises?”

My first instinct is to say no, but then I change my mind. Might be a decent distraction from my morbid thoughts. He’s terrible at impersonations. “I would, yes.”

“Oh, I’m so uncomfortable,” Nick says in a high-pitched voice. He thrashes around, tugging the covers off me and making various absurd noises.

“I think you must be mistaking me for one of the other women you’ve shared a bed with.” I hope he can’t hear the smile in my voice. His ridiculousness knows no limits.

“I can make those noises, too, if you want. They generally sound quite different.” His voice is pitched low.

I swallow, and warmth surges from my belly to someplace it should not go. His ability to pivot a conversation from lighthearted to panty-dropping is something I’ve witnessed, but I’ve never been a participant before this trip. He’s shameless.

“My poor ears couldn’t take another demonstration,” I say.

“True. Probably a bit wilder than you’re used to.” He rotates away from me, taking the blankets with him.

Probably more than a bit, but I’m not admitting anything in a dark room while we’re sharing a bed, and my heart is threatening to gallop away.

“Any word on the extra bed?” I ask.

“Nope. Any word on your return flight?”

“You mean our return flight? I can book it whenever you like.”

“My father sending you here makes no sense if there isn’t an emergency. Is there an emergency, Secretary Jensen?”

“The coronation. Your father wants you home to help plan.” His formal tone grates on me even though I made my bed on the floor to avoid any chance of us growing closer. Formal is a lot more stable than the coziness we were tiptoeing into earlier. I guess the gentleman in Nick isn’t quite dead since he couldn’t leave me on the floor. That door between us, the one I wish I could slam shut, cracks open a little wider. There’s a chance Nick will slam the door for me when he realizes his father is ill.

“You should go back. I’m sure, unlike me, he needs your help.”

The tone of his voice is like nails on a chalkboard—arrogant, dismissive. He doesn’t want me here, doesn’t need my help. Fair enough, I suppose. He didn’t ask for me to track him down, invade his tent, his bed. But I made a promise to King George, and I’m not letting him down. I swore to drag Nick home, and when the time comes, that’s exactly what I’ll do.

“I’m not going anywhere without you,” I say, turning my back on him.