The Duke's Runaway Princess Page 0,41
holding her in place as his tongue tasted her sweetness, pulling her forward…
The knock on the window startled both of them. Zarah looked around Derrick who was too busy sighing with frustration. “It’s Joe,” he said with resignation.
Zarah looked through the window at the handsome man smiling into the car with a huge grin on his face. When his fingers did a little wave, Zarah couldn’t help but smile back at him. “I think you’re correct.”
“I know I’m right.” He pulled away and yanked the door open. “No one else would be so rude as to interrupt an interlude but Joe.”
Joe laughed heartily and a moment later, both men were giving the macho man hug with rib breaking smacks on the back as they greeted one another. “Why the hell did you have to interrupt, old man? You know where the door is.”
Joe laughed harder as he pulled back, then wrapped his arm around a lovely blond woman who was standing to his side, rolling her eyes and smiling apologetically towards Zarah. “I’m so sorry. I tried to drag him away, but he insisted that you were being mauled, my dear,” she said to Zarah who was just coming around the front of the car.
Derrick was glowering at the new couple, but he put his arm around Zarah’s waist as soon as she came around and introduced her to them. “Zarah, this is Joe and Alicia. Joe pretends to be important, but it’s really Alicia who runs the country.”
Joe laughed harder and Alicia smiled brightly. “You’re too kind. And too accurate!” she laughed.
“Guys, this is Zarah,” he said and looked down at her. “Actually, I don’t know your last name, do I?” he said as the realization occurred to him. “What is your last name?”
Zarah couldn’t take the risk that he would recognize her family name, so she stepped forward and took Alicia’s hand in hers, greeting her warmly. “It’s an honor to meet you, Alicia.”
The older woman smiled brightly and covered Zarah’s hand with hers. “It’s a delight to finally meet someone who flusters our handsome Derrick as much as he does the ladies.”
Zarah blushed as both Joe and Alicia laughed while Derrick rolled his eyes. “Don’t scare her away, Alicia. She’s been running from me for the past week.”
Alicia’s startled eyes came back to survey Zarah. “You’re running from him?” She linked arms with Zarah’s and led her inside. “Oh, this is a delicious story! I’ve never heard of a woman running from Derrick. Usually it’s him who is trying to escape from their sticky little grasps. Women certainly don’t run away.”
Joe reached up to slap Derrick as they too turned to enter the house. “Losing your touch?” Joe asked.
Derrick wanted desperately to tell his old friend off, but he knew that any kind of irritation would only whet Joe’s interest even more so he tried to downplay his accidental comment. “She’s just a friend.”
Joe laughed and shook his head. “Alicia would kill me if I treated my friends like you were treating Zarah a few moments ago. Don’t even try to hide it, old man.”
Derrick thought a change of subject was a good idea. “What the hell are you doing out here tonight anyway?”
“Can’t two friends get together for a nice, relaxing dinner once in a while?”
“Of course,” Derrick replied as he closed the front door and guided Joe into the great room where Alicia and Zarah were already seated. “But you’re not one of those men who know how to relax, so cut the crap and tell me what’s going on so I can get you out of my house.”
Joe laughed even harder while it was Alicia’s turn to roll her eyes. “He needs your financial advice, but doesn’t he always?” Alicia called from the sofa.
Derrick raised an eyebrow in Joe’s direction. “What have you done now?”
“It isn’t what I’ve done. It’s what I think the banks are trying to convince me to do. I’ll run their suggestion by you after you’ve fed me so you can tell me what you think.”
Zarah heard the words and desperately wished she could be a part of that discussion. She’d helped so many people in the village to increase their business and get them online so their presence could expand, but right now, hearing the prime minister talk of a potential top down, country wide banking policy change, her mind was distracted from Alicia’s conversation as she tried to come up with reasons why she should be part of