Lana laughed, a sound he could never get tired of hearing, and took his arm again. As they shopped, he noticed her becoming more comfortable. She began talking with the shopkeepers and with him. She was animated and it no longer felt like she was clutching his arm out of fear. She held onto him in a more companionable way.
He had been shocked to hear about what a sad, solitary life Lana had led. He knew that she’d been kept out of the public eye but he had no idea how far her family had gone to keep her safe. Looking back, he remembered their first walk through the forest and saw it in a new light. Her wide eyed wonder at the canopy of trees above them. Her frightened curiosity, like a skittish cat. Her way of staying silent and waiting for him to explain things rather than putting her ignorance on display. It was yet another layer added to this already complex and intriguing woman on his arm.
They arrived back at the tavern and he looked around for Nym but the dice game was over and the table empty. She must have already retired for the night. Sleep sounded like a good idea to him, so he led Lana back up to their room and shut the door behind him, barring it for good measure. Coalfell was a reasonably safe town, but you could never be too careful. He propped his quarterstaff next to Lana’s and turned toward her.
She was watching him in that quiet way of hers, as if she were waiting to see what he would do next. Her hands were clasped at her waist, her back straight and her chin lifted, every inch a princess. Just the sight of her like this was enough to make it hard to breathe. He took an involuntary step toward her, unable to stop himself and she responded by taking a step back, never breaking eye contact. There was a look of challenge in her eye, as if she were almost daring him to chase her, to catch her.
He stopped, watching her watching him, not sure of what to do next. He finally looked away and his gaze fell on the bed. They had slept next to each other every night since Nym had joined them and it no longer felt strange, but this was different. It was a bed rather than the ground and they were alone.
“I will make a pallet on the floor,” he told her, hoping to set her at ease. “You should have the bed. I’m used to rough conditions.”
“Nonsense,” she replied at once, turning away. “The bed is large enough for both of us. I trust that you will be a gentleman.” She swept her cloak off and hung it on a peg on the wall. Removing her coat and shoes, she sat at the table and started brushing her hair with an ivory comb she had purchased earlier in the day. He watched her for a moment but she was studiously ignoring him so he hung up his own cloak and began preparing for bed himself.
He was stretched out on his back under the covers when she finally blew out the lamp and joined him. There was a good foot or so of space between them and he was very aware of every single inch. The urge to reach out and clasp her hand or stroke her hair was almost more than he could take so he turned on his side, facing away from her and tried to pretend that he was alone. Her soft breathing didn’t help and sleep was a long time coming.
* * *
Lana woke the next morning feeling more rested than she had since her escape from Loral. She opened her eyes groggily and tried to get her bearings. She was loath to leave this soft, warm bed and start traveling again but she knew she must rise soon. With a start, she realized that she was no longer on her side of the bed. At some point in the night, she and Clay had shifted until they were together in the middle. He was laying up against her back with his arm around her waist.
Not wanting to wake him and unsure of what she should do next, Lana went very still. Part of her wanted to stay exactly where she was and enjoy the feeling of being close to him but another part wanted to run from the room. As she was warring with herself, she realized that his breathing had changed. It was no longer the soft, slow breaths of slumber. He had woken up as well. Lana pretended to be asleep, waiting to see what he was going to do. If he pulled her closer she wasn’t sure if she would have it in her to stop him. She wasn’t sure she would want him to stop.
After a moment, he carefully removed his hand from her waist and turned to lay on his back. She softly let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and closed her eyes, relieved and disappointed. She could feel Clay rise from the bed and heard his footsteps as he walked around to her side. He put his hand on her arm and shook her lightly.
“Lana,” he said softly. “Wake up. We must depart soon.”
Lana opened her eyes slowly and nodded at him, unable to speak quite yet. Clay put on his shoes and cloak and began gathering their belongings. She rose and did the same, shooting one last look at the bathtub. She wondered when she would be able to bathe again. Sighing, she turned away and followed Clay out the door.
They found Nym downstairs, seated at a table with her own belongings and waiting for them. She smiled widely as they joined her. A serving girl came by
