AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yep. Great. Goodnight.”
Brenda approached. She was a pretty brunette, and her smile was huge. She held out a pillow and blanket.
“Thank you, Brenda.” Derek took them from her.
“I’ll be back with another set,” she said, a twinkle in her blue eyes.
“Thank you.”
Derek set the folded blanket on her legs, gently lifted her head and neck with one hand, and slid the pillow underneath. She reclined back against the soft pillow and was lost in his eyes. It was dim in the plane, romantic even. How far away were Ollie and Braxton that she hadn’t heard two large men make a peep? It wasn’t that big of a plane. When would the flight attendant return? Was this the right time to kiss this handsome prince? How would she ever keep her distance and her head screwed on straight if she did kiss him? Alternate reality didn’t begin to describe the situation, and they weren’t even in his romantic and mystical kingdom yet.
“Better?” Derek whispered huskily.
“Perfect,” she admitted, biting at her lip.
Instead of leaning down and kissing her, he unfolded the blanket and tucked it over her arms and legs.
“You can’t sleep with your shoes on,” he said.
“I have before,” she admitted.
“Somebody needs to take better care of you.” He gave her a look that made her want to forget a short lifetime of hard work and fierce independence and give her heart to him this instant. “I propose that somebody should be me.”
Her heart threatened to race away from her. She swallowed hard. “I don’t know about that. We’ll see if you’re qualified for such a demanding job.”
“I’ll prove my qualifications this week.” His smile changed from teasing to tender. He was going to kiss her, and she would be helpless to resist him.
“Here you go, Prince Derek.” Brenda was back with another fluffy pillow and soft blanket. “What else can I get you? Drinks? Snacks? Dinner? Something to read?”
Derek looked at Ellery.
“I’m hoping to sleep, but thank you for asking,” Ellery said. With how fast her heart was beating and all the anticipation of kissing Derek being ripped away once again, she didn’t know that nine hours was long enough to settle down and sleep.
“Of course.”
“Thank you, Brenda.” Derek nodded to the water bottles already in the holders of their chairs. “That’s all I should need until morning. I hope you can rest as well.”
She smirked at him, as if him wanting her to rest was some signal. “Me too.” She grinned at Ellery and walked away, murmuring, “Lucky girl.”
Ellery’s eyes widened. Apparently, Brenda was a matchmaker. It was refreshing she wasn’t hitting on Derek like so many women did. Ellery had no right to be jealous of all the women chasing him, but she felt it all the same.
Derek kneeled next to her reclined lounger and started unlacing her running shoes.
Ellery sat up. “I can do that.”
“Already done.” He slid her left shoe off and then unlaced the right and slid it off. Ellery prayed her feet didn’t stink. She’d showered after work and put on a T-shirt and comfortable yoga pants, socks, and her favorite running shoes, packing a small bag of toiletries and more workout clothes. She was excited to see what Derek’s ‘royal stylist’ Arianna had waiting for her. It felt like a fairy tale. Would Arianna be her fairy and Derek her prince?
She had to stop those thoughts. Especially with him tucking the blanket over her feet, straightening to his feet, and gently guiding her onto her back with his hands on her shoulders. Ellery’s heart was going to beat right out of her chest.
Derek lowered her onto the chair until she was lying flat on her back again, staring up into his handsome face.
“Comfortable?” he asked.
“I don’t know if comfort is how I would describe what I’m feeling at the moment,” she admitted, then wished she could bite off her own tongue.
Derek’s grin became knowing and charming. “I can relate,” he said in that husky voice she loved. “I have no idea how I’ll get any sleep with you so close.”
Ellery blinked up at him, completely lost in his blue eyes and the hope of a goodnight kiss overwhelming her. She had already lost touch with reality and they weren’t even half an hour into this trip. Could she let herself get lost in the fantasy of being Prince Derek’s girlfriend for a week as she helped protect his family from Hattie Ballard, and then somehow go back to real life and denying her heart’s deepest desire?
