The last block of tension within her crumbled. Her skin tingled and without thinking she smiled back—a mere curve of her lips. She didn’t speak. There was nothing to say in that simple, perfect moment.
And slowly, as she basked in the warmth, her vision softened around the edges.
Vaguely she heard a low, muttered half-laugh. ‘You sure there isn’t something you want to run away from, fairy princess?’
She was too drowsy to bother answering. The plain truth was that she liked to look.
At him.
CHAPTER FOUR
THERE WAS NO LIGHT. She couldn’t see him… She could only hear his cry for help, the sharp thump as he fell. He couldn’t—wouldn’t—get up, and she didn’t have the strength to lift him on her own. And they were so alone.
‘Dan, please…’ She begged him to try. ‘Please!’
‘Steffi?’
A deep, abrupt voice, right in her ear, yanked Stephanie from the darkness.
She sat up so quickly her seatbelt jerked and pulled her back against her seat with a thwack.
‘You okay, there, sweetheart?’
Jack Wolfe was leaning over her, looking at her, his intense sky-blue eyes filled with concern and something she wasn’t willing to name. He lifted his hand to her shoulder, holding her still so she didn’t jump again. A calming, reassuring gesture. Only it made her heart thunder more.
She blinked, gazed into the deep blue of his eyes.
‘Sleeping Beauty isn’t supposed to have nightmares.’
He spoke quietly, but she heard the question in his tone.
Her wariness mounted as she wakened fully. What had she said? What was he thinking?
‘I’m no Sleeping Beauty,’ she muttered.
He sat back, giving her space, breaking the spell.
Good Lord, how had she fallen asleep? And how freaking mortifying. She was so embarrassed she didn’t know what to say or where to look. Had she called out—given herself away? What else had she said or done? Snored? Drooled? Quickly she glanced down, checking her dress.
‘Relax, princess, you look as perfect when you’re sleeping as you do when you’re awake.’
‘You think I look perfect?’ She tried to tease back, but she was too breathless and it came out all weak and woebegone and pathetic, embarrassing her even more.
‘You know I do.’
She couldn’t stop a small smile at that low-voiced growl. A glow of pleasure lit her up from the inside and eased the panicked pace of her pulse. She sneaked a glance at him.
He was smiling back at her—a small smile that barely broke through his seriousness. The curiosity in his gaze faded as another kind of emotion swirled and the heated intensity built, turning the atmosphere in the car sultry. She felt sucked into the centre of a burning bubble. Her brain rendered only one thought—move closer.
Uh… No. Bad idea.
She cleared her throat, embarrassment returning now she was wide awake and practically drooling over him. ‘What time is it?’
‘Not time to get your phone back!’ He laughed. ‘Relax. It’s not midnight yet, so I don’t think the car’s about to turn into a pumpkin…’
‘I’m no Cinderella either,’ she said.
It wasn’t that she had an evil stepmother—she had a brother counting on her. A vulnerable brother, dependent on her.
‘Yeah, well, that’s good—because I’m no Prince Charming.’
She quickly glanced at him again, caught the unmistakable meaning in his words. She understood—there might be attraction, but there was no ‘happy-ever-after’ to be had with him.
‘No… you’re missing the noble white steed.’
‘Thank goodness. A horse would be such a hassle at border control.’ He sent her a sideways look. ‘But don’t get me wrong,’ he whispered. ‘I love to ride. Just not horses.’
She choked. He’d defused the moment—eased her embarrassment—with outrageous humour.
And, like her, the further they’d got from the city, the less burdened he’d become. Now that remote expression was gone, replaced with warmth and a smile.
‘So this is it?’ she asked, turning away from the dangerous proximity of him. ‘We’re here?’
Where was this so-fabulous hotel?
‘Almost.’ He restarted the engine and turned the steering wheel. ‘I pulled over to wake you, so you wouldn’t miss it.’
He gestured to the view ahead of them. She turned to look, drew breath as she finally registered that they were in the midst of a majestic forest.
Tall, tall trees that had to be hundreds of years old surrounded them. Trees and ferns and ancient woodland that made her feel insignificant, yet special at the same time. It was like a lost world. There was no sign of human habitation aside from the track they were now driving down.