The Lost Princes of Ambria 06 - Taming the Lost Prince by Raye Morgan

his eyes in wonder. “You don’t believe that.”
    He glanced back at her, frowning. “Who cares what I believe, Kayla. What does it matter?”
    “Of course what you believe matters. How are we going to get to the bottom of all this if we just throw out theories without exploring them?”
    She saw the torture in his eyes and melted. “Listen.” She grabbed his arm and pressed close so she could talk to him softly. “Whatever they think you did, whatever it turns out to be, we’ll handle it. Nothing is going to drive you away. We won’t let it.” His gaze locked in hers. “I won’t let it,” she whispered, her love for him in her eyes.
    He reached up and his hand cupped her chin, fingers trailing across her cheek. He didn’t say a word, but something in his eyes said volumes. I need you, Kayla , they seemed to be saying. Don’t ever leave me. I don’t want to live without you. Never again .
    She saw it as clearly as though he had said the words aloud. But she also saw what followed—a regret, a denial. She’d seen his true feelings, but at the same time, she saw why he couldn’t act on them. It was all there. As Pellea had said, read them and weep.
    He dropped his hand and looked away and she put distance between them and cleared her throat.
    “Tell me about the horse,” she said coolly.
    Something flashed in his eyes and he turned away, then steeled himself and turned back and said, “Let’s get some food first. Where’s the closest place to get some food around here?”
    She led him there and they entered the fast-food cavalcade, all chrome and neon flashing lights, with simple tables and chairs and a counter for ordering your food. Colors screamed from all sides and music was loud and aggressive. He scanned the place, then looked down at her and shook his head, his eyes amused.
    “Are you going to tell me this is one of your favorite places?” he said skeptically.
    She raised her chin and tried to keep from smiling, though his gorgeous eyes were tempting her to laugh. “Hey, I hang out here all the time.” She glanced around the room while he grinned at her obvious lie. “And anyway, you asked for something close.”
    He bit his lower lip and attempted to adjust the criteria. “How about the closest decent food where you can also hear yourself think?”
    “Say no more,” she said and led him to the escalator, then around two corners and onto a quieter walkway. “How about this?”
    She would have thought the Two for Tea tearoom might have been a little too precious for his taste, but he smiled and nodded. “Looks great,” he said.
    She grinned. “I hadn’t figured you for finger sandwiches,” she said.
    “That shows how little you really know me,” he replied, and escorted her in.
    Every table had a lace cloth. The tea was served in fragile cups and saucers and the trays of scones and little sandwiches were passed from table to table by girls in Victorian costumes. Music by Debussy, Liszt and Chopin filled the air. Kayla sighed. Just what they needed to calm the frantic mood of the day.
    They sat, ordered and then smiled at each other across the table.
    “We came here to talk,” she reminded him.
    He made a face. “Yes.” He sighed. “What was the subject again?”
    “The horse.”
    “Ah, yes. The horse.” His eyes widened, full of innocence. “Okay, I did steal the horse.”
    She gasped. “What? I thought you were going to convince me it was all a misunderstanding.”
    “There was no misunderstanding. I stole him.” Reaching out, he took her hand in his. “There was a good reason.”
    “Oh, Max,” she said, swept up in a sense of despair.
    “Let me tell you how it came to be.”
    She nodded, willing to hear him out. But tears were threatening and she knew he could tell. “Please,” she said shakily.
    He nodded, then took his hand away from hers and stared at the wall. “While I was living in Mercuria, I rented a room from a family, the Minderts, who had once been