As she got dressed, she told herself that she was above that kind of attraction, that when the time came for her to finally venture into the dating world, she’d pick a much different man. A man who could stimulate her intellectually, a man who made her laugh: a man nothing like Reese Kinkaid. She checked her reflection in the mirror, then feeling much more in control, headed for the sunroom and breakfast.
But her resolve didn’t last past the door to her room, where she found Reese waiting for her. Leaning casually against the wall, one foot crossed over the other, his hair was still wet from the shower, and the black shirt he wore only made his eyes that much bluer in the morning sunlight.
“Good morning. I thought you might need some help finding the sunroom,” he said, straightening up and holding out his arm.
She tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow, trying not to react when a thrill shot through her when he bent his elbow and squeezed her fingers between his muscles. “Thank you, that would be nice; the castle is so big,” she managed to say, her voice only shaking a bit. “It must have been wonderful growing up here; so many places to hide.”
Reese laughed. “I didn’t do much hiding when I was a kid, in fact, I spent as little time inside as I could,” he said, then a look of surprise appeared on his face. “I mean, I’m not the brainy type; it’s a bit of an embarrassment to my parents.”
Sarah was so surprised that he’d confided in her, it took her a second to respond. “I’ve always been different too. I was only twelve when I graduated from high school,” she said.
He studied her for a second, then nodded. “I guess maybe you can understand,” he said, then fell silent.
When they got to the sunroom, Stephen and Patience were waiting for them. “Has anyone seen Simon yet?” Reese asked, holding out a chair for her.
“No one has seen him,” Stephen reported. “Not in the castle and not in the village.”
Reese looked over at her. “Well, it looks like I’m going to be your shadow for a little longer,” he said, a grin on his face.
Her stomach sank and a thrill rushed through her all at the same time, and for a second, she almost lost herself in his eyes but managed to recover just in time. “It’s not going to be very exciting,” she said, trying to sound unaffected but feeling her cheeks pinken.
Chapter Six
***Reese***
Reese saw the strange mix of emotion on Sarah’s face and wasn’t sure what to think; she looked slightly pleased, but also frightened at the prospect of him spending the day with her. She covered both emotions quickly enough that he couldn’t be sure, and he felt the first thrill of a challenge awaken inside him. Sarah was clearly going to be difficult to figure out, and there was nothing he loved more than a challenge.
After breakfast, they all headed back to the lab, and he settled himself into one of the comfortable chairs, planning to sit and watch quietly. But then his parents came back out of the lab. “Sarah is going to need some help moving a few things around; would you mind helping her?” his father asked. “Your mother and I have an appointment we just can’t miss.”
Reese knew that it must be important if they were willing to leave him alone with Sarah. “Sure, I can help her. I’m not going anywhere today,” he said, shrugging his shoulders, but filled with excitement at the thought of being alone with her all day.
His father gave him a stern look. “You behave yourself; don’t think we haven’t noticed what you’re trying to do,” he said.
Reese was a little surprised that they’d noticed, but played it innocent. “I’m just trying to protect her from Simon,” he said.
“And prove that you’re right,” his mother interjected. “Just be nice, Reese. Sarah has an amazing mind, but she’s innocent.”
“Or she’s pretending to be,” he said, looking over at her.
She was standing in front of an open cabinet that was full of boxes, and three-ring binders overflowing with papers. When she grabbed one of the boxes, it nearly went tumbling to the floor, but she managed to catch it, then started slowly carrying it across the room. He sighed and got up from the chair, knowing that he couldn’t let her try and move everything by herself.
“Go on, I’ll help her,” he said, shooing his parents away with his hand. “I’ll behave.”
Half an hour later, Sarah was curled up on one of the couches, an open box on the floor next to her. “You can’t possibly read all of this today,” he said, shaking his head.
“I told you it was going to be boring following me around,” she said, grinning up at him.
“Why do you even need to read all that?” he asked, annoyed that he was going to have to sit while she read through all the boxes.
She shrugged her shoulders. “It’s just how I work. I need to know as much as I can about what we’re doing, and what’s already been done. Something in here could be important and it got missed, or it might spark an idea,” she said.
Reese couldn’t argue with her logic, so he threw himself back down in his chair, thinking it was going to be a long day. After only a few minutes of staring into space, he got up and began pacing around the room. After he’d circled the room a few times, Sarah looked up, watching him make one more circuit of the room, her face growing more annoyed with each step.
“If you can’t sit quietly, you’re going to have to leave; you’re driving me crazy,” she finally said.
He grinned at her. “Good crazy or bad crazy?” he asked.
“The kind of crazy that’s going to make me throw something at you in the hopes of knocking you out so you’ll stop pacing around,” she said, then returned his grin.
Reese sighed. “Fine, I’ll go find something to read,” he said.
“Fine,” she said, then went back to reading.
When he came back from the library, she didn’t even look up, and he was a little annoyed, but sat down and opened the book. But it wasn’t long before his eyes began to grow heavy, and soon, he was fast asleep, the book resting on his chest. He woke several hours later with a stiff neck and a splitting headache, only to find Sarah in the same place, but the pile of boxes much smaller.
He stood and stretched, looking at the pile of boxes. “You couldn’t have possibly read all of that already,” he said. “It’s only lunchtime.”
Sarah looked up at him, but she had a faraway look in her eyes, and it took her a few seconds to answer. “I’m a quick reader,” she finally said.
“Well, I think it’s time for a lunch break,” he said, shoving boxes out of the way so she could get up. “How did you move all these anyway?”
“I’m not helpless,” she said, then looked up at the clock. “I should have been done with these already, so I think I’ll skip lunch; you go on ahead. I’m not that hungry.”
“Nope, you’ve been sitting here for hours, so it’s time for a break,” he said, taking the papers from her hands and setting them on the table. “That will all still be here when you get back.”
She hesitated. “I really should get it finished.”
Reese was becoming suspicious. “Why? What’s the rush?” he asked. “Are my parents rushing you?”
“No, but the sooner I get it done, the better,” she said. Then shrugged her shoulders. “I guess you’re right. I just get so caught up sometimes, I don’t want to quit.”
***Sarah***
Sarah didn’t want to tell Reese the real reason she didn’t want to stop for lunch, couldn’t tell him the real reason, so she got to her feet, hoping that it would be a quick lunch. She’d spent the morning so distracted by him that it had been nearly impossible to concentrate; only once he’d fallen asleep had she been able to actually work, and even then, she kept finding herself watching him.
Now, she had a mess in the lounge, and hours left before she was finished; the last thing she wanted Stephen and Patience to find when they got back was her in the middle of the tower of boxes. But her brain just wasn’t absorbing things as quickly as it usually did and she k
new it was because of the man walking next to her, and that if she didn’t get some space from him soon, she’d have to stay up all night.
The thought of spending the night that close to Reese, who would probably insist on staying with her, made her body begin to tingle, and she wanted to curse. This wasn’t supposed to be happening right now, and certainly not with someone who clearly didn’t trust her, which confused her as well. She hadn’t missed the way he watched her, the distrust in his eyes, the carefully worded questions designed to trip her up—she just wasn’t sure why he was suspicious of her.
She hated being distracted by all of it, the feeling of desire unlike anything she’d felt before, Reese’s constant presence, and hoped that when Stephen and Patricia got back, it would all go away. But that wasn’t going to help her this afternoon, she realized as they walked into the sunroom; she still had to make it through the rest of the day.
When they’d filled their plates, she asked, “Has Simon shown up yet?”
Reese studied her for a minute, then a teasing smile spread across his face, and she braced herself. “Tired of me already?” he asked.
She took a few bites of her food, waiting for her heart to stop pounding in her chest. “I just figured you had other things to do besides watching me read,” she said, pleased that her voice sounded normal.
“Well, while it is riveting to watch you read, I think I spent most of the morning sleeping,” he said, still grinning at her.
“And snoring,” she said, unable to help the grin that spread across her face.
“Are you teasing me?” he asked, pretending to be shocked.
She felt herself blush and quickly looked down at her food, moving it around on the plate. “You were snoring but softly,” she said, thinking about his long eyelashes resting against his cheek as he slept, and blushed even deeper.
“I talk in my sleep too,” he said, then paused until she looked up at him. “I hope I didn’t say anything to embarrass you. I think I might have been having a really nice dream about you.”
A thrill shot through her that was so powerful, it took her breath away and for a second, she couldn’t break eye contact with him, but then one of the servants came and took their empty plates and the spell was broken. She picked up her water glass, her hands only shaking a little, took a long drink, her eyes closed, then set it down without looking at Reese.
“I think I should get back to work,” she said and got to her feet, turned, and headed for the lab.
He caught up to her just outside the sunroom. “Hey, I was just kidding. I won’t snore anymore, I promise,” he said, flashing her another grin.
Something inside her gave; anger surged to the surface, carried along by her frustration and confusion as a thrill rushed through her again. She turned on him. “I know this is all just a joke to you, but this is important to me,” she said. “Can you please just leave me alone and let me work?”
The anger drained away as she stomped down the hallway to the lab, and she couldn’t help but smile at the memory of the look on his face. She could feel his eyes on her back as she walked away, but didn’t hear him move for almost a minute before the sound of his steps began to follow her. When she got the lab, she headed straight back to the couch with a renewed sense of focus, relieved to know that he’d leave her alone now.
Reese picked up his book, shot her a wounded look, then chose a different chair and flopped down in it, making her want to laugh. But she stifled the laughter, not wanting to encourage him, and picked up the papers she’d been reading when he interrupted her for lunch. Soon, she was lost in the research, her mind totally focused, Reese forgotten, and everything around her faded but the science in front of her.
The sun was just beginning to set when she finished, her eyes hurt, she had a stiff place in her neck, but her mind was full with ideas that she couldn’t wait to share. She stood up and brought her arms up above her head and stretched, feeling her muscles protesting after so long in the same position, and groaned. The sound of Reese clearing his throat reminded her that he was there, and she quickly lowered her arms and turned around to face him.
When their eyes met, his were full of desire and it hit her like a punch in the stomach, driving the breath right out of her and making her body throb instantly. “Oh, I...” she couldn’t seem to find any words. “I forgot you were here.”
Reese got up slowly from the chair, his eyes still locked on hers. “Isn’t that what you asked for?”
Chapter Seven
***Reese***
When Sarah didn’t answer right away, he started toward her, his eyes locked on hers watching the desire blossom in them as he got closer. Her tongue darted out of her mouth as she moistened her lips nervously, and he couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to kiss her. He realized that he really wanted to know. But just as he got close enough to pull her into his arms, she stepped around a pile of boxes and out of his reach.
“I...um...thank you,” she stammered, her eyes on his mouth. “I just got finished.”
“Then I’m free to bother you again?” he asked.
Her eyes got big, and a blush crept up her cheeks. “No, that’s not what I meant,” she said, glaring at him.
He held his hands up. “Okay, okay, I’ll behave myself, but it’s not going to be easy,” he said, trying to suppress a grin.
“I’ll make it easy on you and go up to my room,” she said, turning to leave, then stopped. “When are your parents supposed to be home?”
“Well, they aren’t going to be home tonight,” he said, just remembering. “You were so lost in that stuff you were reading, I guess you didn’t hear.”
She frowned. “Maybe I’ll just eat dinner in my room tonight,” she said.
Reese felt a little guilty; she had been working hard all day getting through everything she’d hauled out of the lab, and she needed a break. Being cooped up in her room wasn’t much of a break. “I have a better idea,” he said. “Let’s go into the village for dinner. Cook won’t make much since Mom and Dad are gone anyway. There’s this great little place right on the river; we could sit on the patio—it’s a beautiful night.”
He could see that she was tempted, and it suddenly seemed very important that she agree. “You haven’t really experienced Loughmore until you’ve been to the village. Come on, it’ll be fun,” he said. “The place I want to take you to dinner doesn’t have a set menu; they just bring you whatever is freshest that day.”
“I saw the village out of my window last night,” she said wistfully. “I wouldn’t mind seeing it up close.”
“Well, then let’s go,” he said. “We’ve been inside all day, and some fresh air wouldn’t hurt either of us.”
“Okay, but I want to change first,” she said, her eyes suddenly full of excitement. “I won’t be long.”
When she came back from her room a few minutes later, she was wearing a simple lavender sundress that left her shoulders bare and gave him a nice view of her shapely legs. He couldn’t help but let his eyes linger as she crossed the room, her cheeks pink, each step exposing just a little of her thigh, making his insides clench tightly in anticipation. Shaking off the feeling, he took a quick breath and reminded himself who the seducer was in this relationship.
But Sarah’s freshly washed face, framed by her bouncing curls, did something to him deep inside, and when she smiled at him, his heart leaped in his chest. “You look very nice,” he said. “Maybe I should go change.”
She smiled up at him shyly. “That’s okay; you look just fine. I just don’t get a chance to dress up very much,” she said. “Don’t make a big deal out of it.”
He studied her for a second, realizing that the last thing he wanted to do right then was rile her up. Somewhere over the course of the day, he began to believe that she really was who she said she was. It still left some unanswered questions, but as his suspicions began to fade, he found himself with something entirely different replacing it, and it suddenly became
important that Sarah enjoyed her first trip to the village.
“We’ll go out through the kitchen. It’s a lot closer,” he said, holding out his hand.
She looked at his hand and then up at him, a bit unsure, but finally took it. He was immediately aware of how tiny her hand was in his, and as they made their way through the castle, he realized just how small she was. Unbidden, the thought Pixie once again popped into his mind, but he pushed it away. No one had seen a Pixie in generations. But as they made their way through the castle, he couldn’t help but wonder, couldn’t help but notice that all the signs pointed to it.
That opened up so many more questions, but he firmly pushed the idea from his mind and concentrated on navigating their path through the castle instead. When they came into the kitchen, the serving staff began to twitter among themselves, bringing an older woman scurrying out of a back room.
“Reese, what are you doing in here?” she demanded. “You know my rules.”
He grinned at her, grabbed her, and planted a kiss on her cheek. “We were just passing through, Millie. We’re going to have dinner in the village,” he said. “I didn’t want to leave without letting you know. You should take the night off.”
There was more twittering in the kitchen, but the staff quieted down when Millie raised her hand. “That’s a nice idea, Reese, but we all still have to eat,” she said.
“That you do, but maybe you should do that eating someplace else, like maybe in the village,” he said. “It’s all been arranged.”
Millie beamed with pleasure. “You spoil us, Prince Reese,” she said bowing to him.
Rescued By The Fae Prince (Fae 0f Ballantine Book 3) Page 4
