Love Story Next Door!: Cinderella on His Doorstep / Mr Right, Next Door! / Soldier on Her Doorstep

“I’d rather not.”

“Then I’m coming in. Just remember I gave you a choice.”

When she heard the door open, she sat up on the bed and turned on the flashlight next to her bed. At first glance he looked ashen-faced, but maybe it was the starkness of the light against the dark.

Alex pulled the chair away from the writing table he’d provided earlier and sat down. He leaned forward with his hands clasped between his legs and stared at her for several tension-filled moments. “Your gift has overwhelmed me.”

She lowered her eyes, too full of conflicted emotions to speak.

“Dana—how can I make you understand I’ve never known generosity like yours. I’m touched beyond my ability to express what I’m feeling.”

His sincerity caused the tightness in her chest to break up. “I guess I wanted us to know what it tasted like so much, I went overboard in your opinion. But honestly, Alex, it wasn’t that much money.”

“How much?” he demanded quietly. “The truth.”

“He gave me a discount as a welcome-to-Anjou gift for you. It only cost three thousand dollars. You see? Not as much as you’d imagined. It’s less than what I make a month.”

A sound of exasperation came out of him. She wanted to reach him, but how?

“Can’t you understand how happy it made me to find a bottle of wine that came from your vineyard? After seeing the condition it’s in now, it’s like—I don’t know—it’s like finding this amazing treasure.”

The torment on his handsome face killed her. “There’s only one way I’d accept it,” his voice grated.

She jumped off the bed. “I won’t let you pay me for it, so I’ll keep it for my own souvenir from France. One day I’ll open it for an important occasion a-and I’ll remember,” her voice faltered. “Now let’s forget the whole thing, because I have.” She started for the door.

“Where do you think you’re going?” He was on his feet in an instant.

“Down to the kitchen to throw out the rest of that awful Hochepot en boeuf.” Dana had to get out of there before she blurted what she really wanted to say—that she was in love with him, the gut-wrenching kind that went soul deep!

Her father would call it temporary madness, but he would have to be careful because this intensity of feeling had happened to her mother after meeting the enigmatic Swede. Her world had never been the same after that, either.

“The dishes will keep.” Alex had caught up to her near the top of the stairs. He swept her in his strong arms like she was weightless and carried her back to the turret round.

“No, Alex—” she cried, trying to squirm out of his tight grasp. “Now you’re feeling sorry for me like I’m a little girl who’ll be all better with a peck on the cheek and a lollipop.”

He laid her on the bed and followed her down so he half covered her with his hard-muscled body. She felt his fingers furrow into her hair, as if he loved the texture. “You don’t have any comprehension of what I’m feeling. Would that you were a little girl I could send home to your daddy. But you’re not,” he muttered in what sounded like anguish.

“You’re a big girl I’d like to keep locked up in this tower for my pleasure.” His lips roved over her features, setting tiny fires. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Her heart leaped. “Then stop tormenting me and really kiss me. I’ve been in pain since this morning when Saskia interrupted us.”

“I’ve been in pain much longer than that,” he confessed.

The way his mouth closed over hers produced such ecstasy, she knew nothing except that this marvelous man was creating a vortex of desire deep within her. No other feeling in the world could compare. They gave kiss for kiss, savoring the taste and feel of each other. Divine sensations held her in thrall.

As time passed she needed to get closer and slid her hands around the back of his head, luxuriating in the freedom of touching and kissing him. He groaned against her tender throat. “You have no idea how much I want you.”

The feel of their entwined bodies created heat, making her feverish. His caresses caused her breathing to grow shallow. “Alex—” she cried in a rapturous daze, clinging to him with helpless abandon.

“What’s wrong?” he whispered against her swollen lips.

Wrong?

His hands stilled on her shoulders. “Am I frightening you? This is all too new to you, isn’t it. Tell me the truth.”

In that second while her mind was still capable of hearing him, she felt her heart plummet to her feet. Didn’t Alex know she’d cried out his name in a state of euphoria?

The thought came to her that he would never have asked that question if he’d considered her his equal. That was because he didn’t see her as a mature woman. It stunned her that his first impression of her still clung to him. In his eyes she was a girl disobeying her father’s wishes—a girl so impulsive she thought nothing of sleeping in a château with a stranger and worse—spending $3,000 of her money on a whim.

Dana forgave him for that. Of course she did. She was also aware few men would have been as decent in this situation. But as long as he saw her in that light, it took away some of tonight’s joy. Maybe no man would ever take her seriously if she continued to be associated with her father. Neal had been a case in point. Slowly she removed her arms from around his neck.

Tonight this unparalleled experience had given her a lot to think about. Though it killed her, she eased away from him. “You didn’t frighten me, but I guess if we’re being truthful, I am somewhat nervous that things have escalated so fast.”

His handsome profile took on a chiseled cast before he got up off the bed. He stood at the end with his powerful legs slightly apart, away from the flashlight’s beam. “I made a vow I’d never cross your threshold while you stayed here. Tonight I broke it, but I swear to you it will never happen again.”

“Alex—there’s no one to blame. We both lost our heads for a little while. It’s human. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I enjoyed every minute of it, but as long as we’re being honest, I wish you’d tell me something.”

His shadowed eyes swept over her in intimate appraisal, waiting.

“Would you rather I left? Arrangements have already been made for me to stay in Saskia’s room at the Metropole.”

The way his mouth tightened into a thin line made her shiver. “That decision is entirely up to you. Meet me at the truck at seven-thirty in the morning and I’ll drive you to Angers to get your car.”

Her heart thudded till it hurt. By asking him that question, she’d proved she was the girl he’d called her, not a woman who acted on her own. Let it be the last mistake she made. “Thank you. Good night.”

His dark eyes impaled hers before he disappeared out the door.

She sat on the bed for a long time pondering what to do. A girl would have a meltdown. A woman would brazen her way out of this.

He’d told Saskia that Dana was part of his staff; therefore she’d behave like an employee from here on out. She’d fix the lunches, but beyond that she’d leave him alone until she left the château. The man didn’t have time for drama. He was in a hurry.

At six-thirty the next morning, Alex got up to fill the truck bed with debris. Might as well take another load to the landfill on the way to Angers. When he drove around the front of the château, his pulse sped up to find Dana waiting for him. She looked sensational in white pleated pants and a mini print top of blues and greens on a white background. He’d never known a woman so appealing, all golden and fresh as a piece of summer fruit.

“Good morning.” She said it with such a friendly demeanor, last night’s fireworks might never have happened. The minute she climbed in the cab, she brought the fragrance of strawberries with her, probably the result of her shampoo.

“You sound rested.”

She opened her window. “I had a wonderful sleep.”

His fingers tightened on the steering wheel as they headed for the gate. Throughout the endless night his desire for her had never cooled. He could still taste her mouth, feel the mold of her body. Though he’d told her it was her decision about staying or leaving, he hadn’t meant it. The château wouldn’t be the same without her in it. He’d made up his mind to do whatever was necessary to keep her sleeping on the premises.

“When I came down to the kitchen a few minutes ago, I couldn’t find the wine bottle.”

He flicked her a shuttered glance, feasting on her lovely profile. “I put it in the wine cellar for sakekeeping.”

She flashed him an enticing smile. “That’s where it should have been all along. Thank you.”

Something was going on in that unpredictable brain of hers. Silence stretched between them. Before they left the landfill he said, “How would you like to tour Angers castle this morning? There won’t be as many tourists this early. We’ll escape the worst of the heat.”