The Duke's Runaway Princess (Love By Accident) (11 page)

Mary waved that aside. “Goodness, we can clean this stuff up any old time. You two go on and have a nice night.”

Zarah was already shaking her head but Mary was having none of that. “Don’t even go there, my dear,” she interrupted before Zarah could utter a word. “You’ve already told me that you’re facing a dull salad up in your apartment because Suzanne is out on a date tonight anyway. Might as well go out and have a nice dinner instead of that healthy stuff you’re always eating.”

Derrick looked back to Zarah who was obviously trying to frantically figure out a way to escape from his plans for her tonight. He didn’t say a word, just watched with amusement as she sifted through one excuse after another in her mind, discarding each because she knew they wouldn’t work.

“Fine,” she replied, grudgingly accepting his elbow.

“I love it when a woman is excited to be with me,” he commented and winked at Mary.

“Don’t let her fool you,” Mary called out. “She’s been jumpier than a kitten in a mouse factory. And I suspect it’s because she’s been waiting for you to show up again.”

Derrick laughed and pulled Zarah out of the shop. When they were outside, he simply bent low and kissed her open mouth, eliminating the possibility of hearing her contradict Mary’s assertion. He liked thinking that this little woman was just as eager as he was.

“What movie are we going to see?” she asked when she realized they were now walking down the street. His kisses tended to make her mind go blank. She even glanced backwards to see how far they’d walked while she’d still been in that kissing moment. Thankfully it wasn’t too far and she sighed with relief.

“I thought we could have dinner at my place, then perhaps I could entice you to join me in my viewing room for some romantic comedy while you watch the screen and I devour your delicious body. Does that sound appealing?”

Zarah had trouble breathing after that suggestion, because it sounded more appealing than she wanted to admit, even to herself. “How about that new action movie down at the cinema?” she countered.

“My idea sounds like more fun.”

“Your idea sounds more dangerous,” she mumbled.

Derrick chuckled and pulled her closer, putting his arm around her waist. “I think you need to live on the dangerous side once in a while.”

They walked to the cinema, a smallish building that showed only two movies at a time. Normally, they were a little out of date, not able to get the biggest releases on the opening weekends. But it was an intimate setting that most of the people enjoyed. If they wanted to go to a first run movie, they probably weren’t living in Willingham.

There were only three restaurants in the village. The coffee shop counted as one because it had baked goods for breakfast that could also be purchased all day long. The diner served a wholesome, family style meal that most of the residents used for lunches or a fast dinner. But there was also a small café that served a very good lunch and dinner with various entrees during the week. Since tonight was Saturday, the specialty was Italian, and they served a very good fettucini alfredo with either shrimp, chicken or vegetables. Zarah ordered the pasta with the steamed vegetables while Derrick ate the chicken meal. The garlic bread was loaded with butter, the wine was extremely good and the pasta was thick with cheese.

She sat nervously across from him, prepared to be nervous about being out with Derrick, but his charming personality simply wouldn’t allow her to be anxious. He engaged her in various arguments that had her laughing at his ridiculous stances on subjects as far reaching as the Chinese economy to the various chocolates served in Switzerland versus Belgium. By the time dessert was served, a thick, creamy, decadent cheesecake with a chocolate and strawberry topping, Zarah was laughing at anything he said, knowing that he was just trying to keep her relaxed and enjoying the night anyway.

The movie was funny and light and she almost forgot about the fact that Derrick held her hand throughout the whole show. She loved the intimacy of the smaller theatre and the way he possessively kept on touching her. It made her feel special and wanted, even though he appeared to be watching the movie the whole time.

On the walk back to her apartment, Zarah was nervous, knowing that Suzanne wasn’t home and they had already gone much further sexually, than she was ready for. Would he expect something more? Would he want to come inside?

“Hey,” he said and stopped in the middle of the street.

Zarah turned to face him, looking up at him nervously.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

She took a deep breath and looked down at the middle of his chest. “I’m nervous about what you’re going to expect and what I won’t be able to deliver,” she finally said.

“I expect to kiss you goodnight at your doorstep. And I expect to see you or talk to you tomorrow and I’m very much hoping you won’t continue to hide from me like you have over the past several days.”

Hearing those words, Zarah breathed a huge sigh of relief. “That’s all?” she asked, a small smile starting to form on her face.

The sound Derrick made was half a groan, half a laugh. He wanted this woman more intensely than he had ever wanted any other woman. But he also wanted her to make the choice of her own free will, and to do so consciously, without the heat of passion clouding her judgment. He wanted to wake up with her in his arms and not see the regret in her eyes. So if it meant going slowly, he was more than willing to do that for her. It might kill him, with a slow, tortuous death, but he’d love it the whole time.

“That’s all,” he replied firmly, taking her hands and placing them in the middle of his chest, then bending down to gently kiss those incredibly enticing lips.

Zarah couldn’t believe the relief that surged through her body with his reassurance. “That would be very nice.”

“What? The kiss or not hiding from me?” he teased.

She laughed and bent backwards to look up at him. “Since the hiding thing isn’t actually working, it would be nice to kiss you and know that it won’t go any further than that.”

Derrick just about punched himself. He hadn’t meant to reassure her that they wouldn’t go any further. He definitely meant to take this woman to bed and make love to her until she couldn’t move any longer. That had better happen sooner rather than later, because he wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold out with this restraint he was exhibiting.

But if it meant he could kiss her and hold her without the fear he normally saw when he approached her, then he would do what he must and just leave her with a kiss.

They continued to walk towards her apartment, the night sounds surrounding them and the humidity creating an atmosphere of intimacy. They laughed and joked about the movie and when she reached her apartment, she looked up at him, eager to experience his kiss. She didn’t understand the groan he emitted but reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, uncaring about anything other than just feeling his firm lips against hers, tasting him once again.

Chapter 8

Zarah showered, rubbing the soap against her body in an effort to try and clear her mind of the erotic images she kept conjuring up at all times of the day. She couldn’t seem to get the memory of his body out of her mind, nor his hand as it gently held her breast, his thumb rubbing against her nipple as she watched in fascination as her body had responded to his touch.

They’d been out with each other almost every night this week and she was screaming with frustration whenever he left her with just a kiss. Sometimes that kiss was gentle, sometimes more probing and passionate. But no matter what, she was still left at her door, longing for more, but unsure how to tell him that.

She was shivering with the memories of those kisses and his teasing looks while her body’s need increased with each passing day. As she showered, she pictured what he’d looked like that day at the lake, his muscles gleaming in the sunshine as the water streamed off of him.

She shut off the water and stepped out of the shower, toweling herself dry as quickly as possible. She glanced at the clock on the wall and knew she’d have to hurry. She had a great deal of things to do and not much time to accomplish all of them because she’d been thinking about Derrick much too often lately.

The phone ringing made her jump and she dropped the towel. With numb fingers, she hurriedly reached down and picked it up, terrified that she might be exposed once again with Derrick’s all-knowing eyes to catch yet another glimpse. Could he see her through the phone? She even looked at the window to make sure the blinds were drawn, so terrified of what he could make her feel.

With a sigh and a shake of her head because of her silly reaction, she walked over to the phone and picked it up. “Hello?” she spoke into the receiver.

Half of her was expecting Suzanne to ask her to meet her somewhere, which they often did when they’d been running around too often lately. But the deep voice was exactly the man she’d wanted to avoid for another few weeks. Or years.

“Zarah, I need your help. Do you think you could be ready for dinner in an hour?”

Zarah’s fingers gripped the receiver and she couldn’t think for a long moment. Finally, she shook her head and gathered herself together. “No. I can’t. I’m sorry.”

There was a long moment of silence and then she heard him sigh. “Look, I know you’re not busy tonight because I’ve already checked at Mary’s shop for you. She said you’re not working and your roommate told me that you’d be home tonight. She said something about you reading too often whenever you’re not with me so don’t try and tell me that you’re busy because I won’t believe you.” He paused before he added, “I thought we agreed earlier in the week that you weren’t going to avoid me any longer. Does that promise still stand? Or have you changed your mind for some reason that I need to know about?”

“I….”

“No, don’t even come up with another excuse. If you say you can’t help me out, that’s one thing and I’ll understand perfectly. We’ve had something going this week and I’m sure it is scaring you. Normally, I’d give you some space so you could come to terms with what is going to happen between us, but I really need your help tonight. I have some guests coming in from out of town and I need help with them and you’re the only person I know that can handle the situation.”

Zarah bit her lip and wondered how she could get out of this situation. A part of her really wanted to see him again tonight. But another part of her, the sensible part, knew that she was getting in deep with Derrick. She was going to get hurt if she didn’t pull back from their relationship. “Suzanne really….”

“Don’t go there, Zarah,” he said softly with a laugh. “I saw Suzanne at the coffee shop about twenty minutes ago and she said you didn’t have any plans for the evening.”

Zarah sighed with frustration. “What time?” she asked belligerently as she accepted her fate for the night.

He didn’t take offense. In fact, he laughed at her frustration. “That’s my girl. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

She loved his laugh and smiled in response despite her irritation at the way he’d cornered her into seeing him tonight. “I can get there on my own.”

“No way. If I leave you to get here, you will find some way to get out of the evening. Wear something nice. Suzanne said you have a whole stash of clothes that would be appropriate, which I’m guessing is a story in itself that I’ll have to coax from you at some point. Thank you in advance for your help tonight and I’ll owe you.”

With that, he hung up the phone and Zarah glared down at it. She hurried back into her bedroom and surveyed her wardrobe options. At the moment, she simply pulled on a robe because she still wasn’t sure what she wanted to wear to what seemed to be an important dinner for Derrick.

She thought about calling Suzanne to demand to know why she’d left her hanging like that but the woman walked into the apartment at that same moment and Zarah turned her glare from the phone to her friend. “Why didn’t you back me up and tell Derrick I had plans tonight?”

Suzanne froze, her purse and bag halfway between her shoulder and the chair she was about to dump everything into as she stared back at Zarah with a confused expression. “Derrick? Who is Derrick?”

Zarah rolled her eyes. “You know exactly who he is and don’t play dumb with me. The Duke of Waren? Derrick Huntington?”

Sudden understanding dawned on Suzanne’s face and she let her bags fall into the chair. “I honestly didn’t know his name. Everyone simply refers to him as The Duke. I know he has several close friends around town but they never reveal any personal information about him. He’s a very nice man,” she said as she opened the fridge and to pull out the already opened bottle of wine then took down a glass to pour herself some. “Why are you upset? He’s a gorgeous guy, he’s extremely nice, has a reputation for taking huge companies that are in trouble and making them healthy again…what more could you want in a guy?” Her grin was wide and mischievous as she added, “I bet he’s fantastic in bed too! With a body like that, one has to wonder!”

Zarah knew that Suzanne wouldn’t really understand. She herself didn’t completely grasp what the issue was with Derrick. The man just made her uncomfortable. And after this past week, she was terrified of being alone with him again tonight. She flopped onto the couch and took several deep breaths, trying to clear her mind of all the erotic thoughts that popped up whenever she thought about the man under discussion.

Things had gone from casual and fun to something….more. She didn’t want to define whatever she was feeling, knowing that it wasn’t in her future.

She closed her eyes and leaned back against the sofa cushions. “He
is
great in bed,” Zarah groaned, then her eyes popped up to look at a stunned Suzanne, realizing what she’d just revealed.

“Oh no you don’t!” Suzanne said as she spotted Zarah’s attempt to back track from that statement. “Details!” She hurried over to the sofa, crossing her legs underneath her at the opposite end and stared at her roommate expectantly.

Zarah’s shoulders slumped because she knew that Suzanne wouldn’t relent until she had the whole story. “I sort of went for a swim earlier in the week down at that lake behind the Fisher’s house.”