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After swimming, everyone said their goodnights, Steffan and Hattie insisting it was their turn to do scriptures, songs, and prayers with Kiera. Before Madeline knew what was happening, Nolan was walking her to her suite. Alone. There weren’t even bodyguards trailing him tonight. Did that only mean the castle was secure, or had he purposely sent them away?
She trembled at the thought of being alone with him, but she had to slow their developing relationship. One touch from him and she was quivering to be held close, to kiss him and forget her purpose here, his very heavy responsibilities, and his deceased wife that she didn’t want to compete with or be compared to.
What if they kissed and it was a failure compared to the many kisses he’d shared with the beautiful and perfect Queen Anne? Goodness. Did she need one more worry to add to the list?
They reached her door. Her suit was damp and her swimsuit coverup had wet spots on it. Nolan wore a T-shirt and swim trunks, but she could easily envision the well-formed chest, shoulder, and arm muscles under that shirt. His stomach wasn’t some six-pack like his sons’, but she didn’t care. They weren’t young anymore. She admired everything about Nolan, including the shape he’d kept himself in. If only she could trust his intentions toward her.
Leaning against her door, she murmured, “Thank you for a fun evening.” She grasped her door handle. It would be much easier to not address the elephant in the hallway.
“Madeline.” His voice was husky and filled with need. A need for her.
Her stomach flip-flopped. She looked into his blue eyes. How could she slow this down when she longed for him as much as he obviously did for her?
“Can we … talk?” he asked.
“Nolan,” she breathed out.
“Yes?” He leaned closer, and her brain waves short-circuited.
No! She was a successful and independent single mum. She didn’t fall to handsome men. Even if the man standing in front of her, staring at her as if he wanted her and only her, was the most intriguing, impressive, and powerful man in the kingdom. More handsome than Russell Crowe in her opinion.
“Whatever is happening between us needs to stop,” she rushed out before she could second guess herself.
“Stop?” His brow furrowed. He looked like she’d just ran over his dog, then backed up and hit the poor animal again for good measure.
She nodded in the affirmative, though she feared her lower lip quivered. The thought of not kissing him, not touching him, not growing closer as they had been was devastating. And that was far too dramatic for her to even think.
He gently cupped her chin with his palm. “You wantthisto stop?”
Madeline pulled in a quick breath.
His blue gaze grew in intensity as he trailed his thumb slowly across her cheek and along her bottom lip. Her mouth parted under his touch, her pulse racing.
Leaning ever closer, Nolan whispered huskily, “Madeline … I’m falling for you hard and fast. Please don’t tell me to stop.”
Madeline could not catch a full breath. His words were beautiful, his gaze consuming, his touch a fire she wanted to feel over and over again.
Something snagged in her mind. Her prayers for help and strength came to her rescue. His words weren’t beautiful; they were full of need, desire, and passion. She would not be consumed by those worldly desires. She was a Christian and lived her life with God’s help and strength, not the devil’s. As a single mum, she never would’ve survived without Jesus’s help. She wasn’t about to let her appetites rule her now. Even if the most enticing man in the world was asking her not to stop.
“No!” She shoved at his chest, pushed her door open, and backed away from him.
Nolan’s eyes were wide and injured. How could the strongest, most capable man in the kingdom be such an expert at making her fall for him?
“This isn’t right, Nolan,” she said. “I’m not some quick burn, and I’m not here to fill your passionate needs.”
“Oh …” He straightened and instantly looked remorseful. “I apologize. I didn’t intend …”
“Let’s focus on why I’m here.”
“Madeline, please.” He didn’t come toward her, but his eyes were intense. “I’m rushing you too fast, but ‘filling my passionate needs’ is not my purpose. Please forgive me. I’ve never felt like—”
Madeline held up a hand, cutting him off. She didn’t need him to bend the truth and claim he’d never felt like this. Obviously he had. He had felt deeply for his beautiful and sweet wife. “We’ve been friends, Nolan. Let’s keep the focus on our friendship and helping our kingdom.”
“Don’t cut us off before we’ve even begun. You know there’s something special between us. I’ll slow down, but I can’t stop pursuing you. Not feeling the way I do about you.”
Madeline’s eyes widened. How could she fit his words into the fears that festered in her? He’d take it slow. He felt something special. Oh my.
She searched his gaze, reading only sincerity there. “Let’s take it slow. Slow and steady wins the race.”
