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CHAPTERELEVEN
Hattie used the bathroom, brushed her teeth, smoothed some delicious vanilla-scented lotion all over her body, put on some mint-flavored lip gloss, and had the strangest urge … to pray.
That was dumb. Despite the few muttered mistakes in her mind recently, she wasn’t the kind of woman who turned to God in times of trial or uncertainty. She refused to humble herself and trust in her Heavenly Father when He had taken so much from her. This was simply a crazy situation, and she was wishing desperately for the opportunity to stay with Steffan. Heaven wouldn’t help her be with him. He was far too good for her. A gentleman doctor, accomplished, driven, far too kind and patient. She and the good Lord both knew she and Prince Steffan were not a match.
She did ask her earthly parents up in heaven if they could somehow help her through this mess with Franz. She wished she could ask for a miracle to get to know Steffan better, stay in Augustine and date him, but it wasn’t to be.
Would he leave his royal family, his beloved hospital, his life, for her?
No way.
He made her feel like she was better than she was. He and Aliya were too kind and welcoming. Hattie wasn’t something special like they both made her out to be.
But she wanted to be … for him.
Shaking her head, she dredged up her courage and walked out of the bathroom. The sun was gone, but the evening light still filtered through the large windows, and her princely benefactor was ... kneeling next to the bed praying.
Hattie could only stare. She’d never seen anything so appealing. She wished she had her phone to snap a picture of his well-built body humbly kneeling.
This man was not only a tough alpha male, brilliant doctor, and a gentleman who took care of her with no ulterior motives. He was humble, good, true …
She didn’t deserve him in any way.
Hattie resolved then and there that she would not ask him to leave Augustine after they took care of Franz. It wouldn’t be fair to him. She’d already asked too much of him and Jensen, putting their necks on the line for her.
Not only was Steffan’s place here—with his family and his career—but he was so good he glowed. She couldn’t be with a man like that. Nobody but her parents, and maybe the organizers of charities that she self-funded who she’d never met in person, would think she even deserved to be.
As if he sensed her there, he glanced up and his handsome face split in a smile. Even in the dying light, she could see his blue eyes. They were a dusty, smoky blue filled with warmth and desire for her. She didn’t know Steffan as well as she’d like, but somehow she knew his desire was pure and wouldn’t be used to push her to do anything beyond kissing and snuggling.
What a man. Sadly, he could never be her man. Was it selfish of her to savor the next six hours with him before they needed to hike to that lake? Probably. But everybody who knew Hattie would say she was a selfish billionaire, so it fit. Just another reason she wasn’t worthy of Steffan.
He stood, and she could appreciate his lean, firm body encased in a simple T-shirt and joggers. He reached up as if to clasp the stethoscope she suspected was almost always around his neck. When he didn’t grasp anything, he quickly folded his nicely-formed arms across his chest.
“I hope Aliya didn’t embarrass you, but I really would love to hold you close …” He paused, and her body threatened to combust. “So you can rest before we have to go.”
She didn’t care what his motivation was to hold her close, only that he did it.
“Okay,” she squeaked out, swallowing against her suddenly dry throat.
“Give me just one moment.”
He hurried past her, his warm, clean scent making her as weak as his inviting smile. As the bathroom door shut, she walked to the large window and rested her head against the cool pane. What was she doing? She should be worried about whatever Franz was trying to pull off tonight, but Jensen was so capable. Augustine’s police chief had protected her five years ago from being framed for murder. Tonight, she wanted to focus on Steffan. She’d deal with the idiocy of letting her heart get more entangled with his … tomorrow.
He exited the bathroom and thankfully, it was dark enough that she could only see his outline. If she got one more glimpse of his blue eyes, she’d falter on her promise to herself and beg him to go with her when she left his country early tomorrow morning with a no-return stamp on her passport.
Steffan walked around the bed, stopping right in front of her. Her nerves ramped up. This felt far too intimate, like they were playing married or something. He held out a hand to her and waited. Hattie drummed up her courage and put her hand in his. Warmth and a sense of rightness washed over her. No matter how welcoming people around the world were and how fun and laidback her travel companions, she hadn’t felt like she was at ‘home’ like this. Not since the last time she and Sadie had been at her house with her parents and aunt and uncle, the week before they were killed.
For years, she’d been looking everywhere in the world, spending time with a huge variety of people, hoping to find that feeling again.
Until this moment and that kiss earlier tonight … she’d failed.
“Hattie, I want you to know I would never take advantage of this situation. I will keep things pure between us.”
“You are a great man,” Hattie burst out with.
Such a great man. Far too great of a man for her.
“Thank you.” He released her hand, lay down on his back, and scooted over to make room for her. She was relieved yet again when he laid on top of the covers. She was plenty warm simply being close to him; she didn’t need the intimacy of climbing under the covers.
