The Duke's Runaway Princess Page 0,48
to gather up her belongings and still maintain her modesty by clutching his shirt around her. But she was too tiny and the shirt had so much material, she was losing her grasp of her dress and underclothes as she tried to find his bathroom. In the end, he got out of the bed and helped her, handing her the shoe and bra that she dropped. He led her into the bathroom and turned on the shower for her. “I’ll shower in another bathroom. Otherwise, you’ll definitely be late.” He kissed the top of her head and headed out of the area. “I’ll meet you in ten minutes for breakfast.”
“I don’t have time for breakfast,” she called back, watching to make sure he was going to leave the bathroom before she let his shirt drop from her shoulders.
Derrick knew exactly what she was doing and laughed softly. He stopped leaving the bathroom and walked over to her. Bending down, he kissed the top of her head then swatted her cute bottom. He chuckled when he heard her squeak while he walked out and closed the door to give her some privacy.
Fifteen minutes later, he was surprised to see her coming out of his bedroom, fully dressed but with her hair twisted into a knot on the back of her head and his shirt covering her cocktail dress from the night before. He was impressed because women, in his experience, took hours to look this good. He finished buttoning his shirt as he walked up to her. “You even smell delicious,” he said as he bent down and nuzzled her neck.
“None of that!” she said but laughed at his tickling.
“Definitely more of that,” he countered but put an arm around her waist. “But later. Now I need sustenance because you wore me out last night.”
Zarah smacked him lightly on his flat, hard stomach because of that comment. “I didn’t do anything last night! You’re the one who kept bothering me. I was sleeping innocently, trying to regain my energy while you were merciless.”
He laughed as they descended the stairs, hugging her gently. “I plan on depleting your energy again tonight. What time are you finished with meetings and work at Mary’s place?”
Zarah considered her schedule, ignoring her guilt at being with a man outside of marriage. Rashid was a wonderful brother, but she wouldn’t let him take away this kind of happiness. She would be extra careful about the pregnancy issue, but for right now, she was going to enjoy Derrick as much as possible. She had five more months before she promised to come home and fulfill her royal obligations to marry some disgusting man. For now, she was just a woman in….love?
Derrick was pulling out the chair in a pretty little sun room where he obviously ate breakfast each morning since it was set up with coffee and tea already. “What’s wrong?” he asked, instantly sensing that something had changed in her.
Zarah looked up at the handsome man who was still holding the back of her chair. Was she really in love with this man? He was incredibly striking, wildly passionate and brought out feelings in her that she didn’t know existed. His confidence and intelligence were so attractive that, seeing his confidence or brilliance in action, sometimes sent a shiver down her back with excitement. But was it love? Or was it simple lust?
Lust implied a physical attraction, which she definitely felt with Derrick. But what she was feeling right now was much more than just a physical need or interest. It was deeper, more intense. Could it be love?
She was suddenly sad because she didn’t want to be in love with a man she couldn’t spend the rest of her life with. She wanted to fall in love with her husband, to grow old with him and fight with him and raise a family side by side with the man.
“Nothing,” she said and looked down at her lap as she placed her napkin across her thighs, smoothing it out for an additional moment to get her facial features back under control.
“That look wasn’t ‘nothing’,” he countered as he took the chair across from her. He didn’t press immediately because his housekeeper bustled into the room, carrying warm croissants and muffins along with a huge bowl of freshly cut fruit with brightly colored berries and watermelon.
“This looks delicious!” she commented, smiling at the grandmotherly housekeeper. The kind woman smiled warmly before leaving the two of them alone to