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He gave a shrug. ‘It doesn’t matter. Do it. And if you want company in the middle of the night you know where I am.’
She wasn’t quite sure how he meant that to come out, but tingles were already dancing along her skin.
‘I don’t need you again until tomorrow afternoon. We’re going to visit the state hospital to see if you can give me some ideas of where to start with the overhaul.’
She stifled another yawn and tried not to let her head nod. She couldn’t quite believe how exhausted she felt. ‘How did I ever get through being a junior doctor?’ She shook her head. ‘Sometimes we were awake for nearly forty hours.’
‘But you weren’t crossing two time zones,’ he replied. ‘Believe me, it makes a difference.’
‘I guess it does,’ she said as they pulled up to the palace garages. She gave a frown. ‘I’m not quite sure how to get to my room from here.’
He parked the car and walked around, opening her door for her. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll show you.’
There was an elevator to take them upstairs. As soon as the doors slid closed Philippe turned to face her. He seemed so far away.
‘What do you think of Corinez so far?’ She could hear the edge of uncertainty in his voice.
She took a step closer and put her hand on his arm. From here she could smell his aftershave, see the shadow starting to show along his jawline. ‘I like it,’ she replied honestly. ‘And I want to find out more.’ She licked her lips and moved even closer. ‘And I like it even more that I can see how passionate you are about your country, and how much you want to make things better.’
He looked down at her, his hand sliding behind her waist. ‘That’s exactly how you are about Temur Sapora.’ He lowered his head so his lips were only inches from hers. His breath warmed her skin. ‘Maybe it makes us a good match.’
‘Maybe it does,’ she agreed as she moved closer until her lips were only millimetres from his. She couldn’t help but smile.
‘I sense you might be trouble,’ he teased.
‘I think you might be right.’ She smiled as his lips met hers. Every cell in her body started reacting. It had been too long—even though it was only a few days. She moved her hand up to behind his head, letting her fingers run through his thick dark hair. He tasted of coffee, strawberries and apples—all the things they’d eaten today—but it was his smell that enticed her more. She couldn’t place it, too many pheromones—or maybe that was exactly what it was, maybe they were more of a match than he thought and his pheromones were hooking her in. She didn’t care. All she cared about was this moment. Her body melded to his. She was already tired and somehow leaning against him made her instincts soar.
She didn’t even notice when the elevator doors slid open.
What she did notice was someone clearing their throat. Loudly.
They sprang apart and Philippe stiffened. ‘Luka.’ He nodded to the dark-suited man at the door. ‘You’re looking for me?’
The man started talking in a low voice, his eyes darting over to Arissa and giving her the most dismissive of glances. She was instantly uncomfortable. She waited a few seconds then slid out of the elevator before the doors closed again and started walking down the corridor, praying she was heading in the right direction.
Her heart was thrumming against her chest, part from the reaction to Philippe and part from the adrenaline coursing through her body in annoyance.
She turned a corner and sighed in relief as she recognised the corridor, finding her room quickly and closing the door behind her. She took off her jacket and shoes and flung herself down on the bed. Her head was spinning.
Last time she’d kissed him he was just Philippe, the doctor who was helping at the clinic. This time she’d kissed Prince Philippe of Corinez. Did it feel different? Her heart told her no, but her brain couldn’t quite decide.
And as she closed her eyes, she still wasn’t quite sure.
* * *
There was a thud. She twitched. A few seconds later there was another. This time she was more awake. She blinked and sat up in bed. What was that?
She’d fallen asleep fully clothed. The room was almost dark, the only light filtering in from outside. She shook her head and stood up. What time was it?
There was yet another thud. This time she located the sound and watched as snow slid down the window.
Really?
She looked out of the window and almost laughed when she realised what had been green grass earlier was now completely covered with snow. It wasn’t particularly heavy, so whoever was throwing snowballs must be taking their time to scrounge up enough snow.
She shook her head and opened the old-fashioned window, listening to it creak and hoping it wasn’t going to land on the hard slabs below. Five minutes in a palace and she might wreck the place.
Another snowball sailed directly past her ear, this one landing on the carpet in the room. ‘Hey!’ she shouted, turning around to try and pick up the snow. She scattered the snow back out of the window and leaned out, trying to catch a glimpse of who was outside. Turned out she was looking too far away.
Philippe was directly under her window, dressed in a navy-blue jacket. He had a mischievous look on his face.
‘Hey, sleepyhead. Want to go for a walk?’
She leaned her elbows on the window ledge. ‘I thought you said I was trouble,’ she teased.
‘Maybe I like trouble.’ He was grinning up at her. He held out his hands and spun around. ‘Let me show you the gardens while they’re dusted with snow. It never usually comes this far down the mountain this time of year. By morning, I guarantee it will all be gone.’
She shook her head. ‘Snow, in the middle of summer. It’s definitely weird.’
‘Come on.’ He waved her down. ‘Grab a jacket and some boots and let’s go.’
It only took a few moments to get ready. She threw on a whole new set of clothes: new jeans, a green top, a pair of boots and the only thicker jacket she’d brought with her. She laughed as she zipped it. It was navy blue. They’d look like a matching pair.
She made her way down the stairs and out into the cold night air. Philippe had moved nearer the door and was standing waiting for her. ‘What time is it?’ she asked. She hadn’t even had a chance to look at the clock. It felt as if she’d slept for ev
er. She wrinkled her nose. ‘Did I miss dinner?’ she asked as she stared up at the black night sky.
He laughed. ‘You definitely missed dinner. It’s nearly midnight.’
‘Is it?’ She felt her eyes widen. ‘I can’t believe I slept so long.’
He leaned over and touched her nose with one cold finger. ‘Jet lag. Told you.’
She gave a little yelp and jumped back. ‘Hey, you’re freezing.’
He reached out and grabbed her hand. ‘And I plan on getting you cold too. It’s summer. Who can wear gloves in the middle of summer?’
She shivered as his cold hand closed around hers. But she didn’t pull away. She didn’t want to. ‘You obviously should,’ she quipped. ‘But, hey, I can make the ultimate sacrifice and try and heat you up.’
‘I like the sound of that.’
He pulled her closer and put his arm around her shoulders. Even though the air was chilly she was much more conscious of the length of his body next to hers and the heat coming from it.
She shook her head as they started walking across the gardens. ‘Can’t believe I completely slept through dinner.’
He grinned and shrugged. ‘I could have left you to sleep, but I think you’d probably have woken up about three or four in the morning and not be able to get back to sleep. This way, you’re up for a few hours and will hopefully get back to sleep before breakfast rolls around.’
‘Where are we going for breakfast tomorrow, then?’ she asked.
He gave her a sideways glance. ‘I thought you might like to sleep a little later.’
‘And miss out on breakfast with you?’ Her stomach gave a squeeze. Maybe he was trying to let her down gently, or maybe he was just too busy to spend time with her. After all, what did a prince do all day—particularly one who wanted to reform his health service? The reality was he probably didn’t have time for her at all.
