Love Story Next Door!: Cinderella on His Doorstep / Mr Right, Next Door! / Soldier on Her Doorstep

She averted her eyes. “I didn’t make the decision to stay in town until later in the day.”

He glanced at the carton. “What have you got there? You’re holding it like it’s a newborn baby.”

The color in her cheeks intensified. “Actually it’s something very old and priceless.”

Alex couldn’t imagine. “In that case let’s take it home in my truck where it will be safe and we’ll enjoy that delicious dinner you made. The aroma that filled the kitchen was mouthwatering.”

Her startled gaze flew to his. “Then you haven’t eaten it yet?” She sounded disappointed.

“I ate part of it, but when I realized you’d gone, I put the rest of it in the fridge for us. After the trouble you went to, I didn’t want to eat all of it alone.”

It frustrated him she still wasn’t convinced. When he didn’t seem to be getting anywhere with her, he tried a different tactic. “Why don’t I hold the carton while you gather your things. Tomorrow I’ll drive you back for your car. I have to come in town again anyway on business.”

She bit the underside of her lip, increasing his desire for her. Hopefully it was a sign she was weakening. “All right,” she finally sighed the words, “but please don’t drop it. I couldn’t replace it for a long time.”

That sounded cryptic. At this point he was consumed by curiosity.

“I promise I’ll guard it with my life.”

It could be your life, Alex.

With her heart hammering, Dana handed him the carton. A few minutes later she’d packed everything in her bag and they left the hotel. In truth she hadn’t wanted to stay here at all and had dreaded returning to the sterile room after accomplishing her objective. For him to have shown up tonight thrilled her to her tiniest corpuscle.

When they reached the truck, she lowered her bag behind the cab, then took the carton from him while he opened the doors with the remote. “Let me hold it again until you climb inside.”

Alex could be so sweet. When she was settled, he gave the carton back and carefully shut the door. After they left Angers he flicked her a penetrating glance. “Did you discover anything of interest when you were opening boxes today?”

“Without tools I couldn’t see inside one of them and none are marked. It was very frustrating, but tomorrow’s another day. How’s your orchard going?”

“Thanks to those lunches, I’ve accomplished two more hours of work this week. At this rate I should be finished by the end of the next one.”

The days were going by too fast. Dana was starting to panic. “What’s your next project?”

“To tackle the undergrowth between the château and the winepress building.”

Before long everything on the outside would be done. That left the interior. With his work ethic, he’d have the place ready for tourists in no time.

She felt his eyes travel over her. “What are you thinking about so hard?”

“All the work you’ve been doing without any help.”

“It’s the kind I like.”

Dana admired him more than she could say. “You obviously love the outdoors.”

“I’ve always needed my freedom.”

Oh—she knew that. Alex had already defined the boundaries of their relationship to the month of August. How else had he managed to elude marriage all these years? Deep in thought she didn’t realize they’d entered the estate until she heard the gate clank behind them. He drove around to the side entrance and turned off the engine.

When he got out of the cab and opened her door, he flicked her what looked like a mysterious smile. “I’ve been looking forward to a midnight supper with you. It appears tonight’s the night.”

She’d dreamed of such a night. “Aren’t you tired after slaving out in the heat all day?”

“On the contrary, I feel energized.” On that exciting note he used his remote to let her in the château and turn on lights. While she hurried through the pantry, he followed with her bag and some purchases of his own.

“Where do you think you’re going in such a rush?” He’d taken the pot out of the fridge and placed it on the stove to heat.

“I thought I’d put this away first.”

He eyed the carton. “It’s dark upstairs. You might fall and break whatever it is you’re guarding so jealously.”

Dana couldn’t afford for that to happen. “You’re right.” She put it down on the counter.

“Why don’t you sit on the bench while I wait on you. After slaving over our dinner, you deserve a rest.”

“I’d rather help, but first I need to wash my hands.” She walked to the sink where she saw the note she’d left. When she’d written it, she never dreamed Alex would have come looking for her to bring her back. Her pulse was off the charts.

His actions had to mean something, but she was a fool if she thought he wanted more than a few weeks pleasure with her under his roof. Like this morning when she’d succumbed so easily, she could do it again and that frightened her.

Dana had been the one to ask if she could stay at the château. If anything, she’d been the one to take advantage of Alex, not the other way around. Whatever happened from here on out, she would have to accept the consequences and live with them.

Soon the smell of the meat wafted past her nostrils. When she turned, she noticed he’d already set the table. Along with French bread and the bottle of the wine they’d enjoyed the other night, he’d added an old silver candelabra with new candles.

Once he’d lit them, he turned off the kitchen light, transforming the room into an incredibly intimate setting. His eyes beckoned her to come and sit. The gleam in those dark depths sent a tremor through her body.

She twisted her napkin nervously as he brought the contents of the pot to the table in a wonderful old round bowl with handles. After sitting down opposite her, he ladled a portion for both of them onto their plates. “Bon appetit.”

Dana hoped it was good and took a first bite. To her surprise it didn’t taste like anything she’d ever eaten before. She took another, but it needed something. Maybe a baguette would help.

Alex had already eaten most of his. “My compliments to the chef. Among your many talents you’re a superb cook, Dana.”

She put her spoon down. “No, I’m not.”

He flashed her a curious glance. “Why do you say that?”

“Because it’s awful. I—I wanted to make you something spectacular,” she stammered. “It’s not.”

“What do you call it?”

“See?” Tears threatened. “Even you don’t know what it is.”

“Isn’t it beef?”

“No.”

“If you’re trying to tell me this is pickled pigs feet, I’m surprised it’s this delicious.”

“Wrong animal.”

One dark brow lifted, giving him a sardonic look. “Cow?”

“No.”

“Horse?”

“No!”

“Frog’s legs?”

She shook her head. “You’ll never guess. I found the recipe in my mother’s French cookbook I brought with me.”

He cocked his head. “Then this could cover anything from brains to innards to tongues.”

“This is more of an ‘end’ thing. The marchand at the boucherie told me it was a great delicacy,” she confessed.

“An end thing…” She could hear his brilliant mind turning over the possibilities.

When nothing was forthcoming she said, “It’s oxtail. How can the French eat it? I think it’s disgusting!”

Chapter Seven

ALEX’S explosion of laughter echoed off the limestone walls. It was the deep male kind, so infectious her tears turned to laughter, too.

He reached for her hand and squeezed it. His touch shot warmth through her system. “I’m touched that you went to so much trouble for me.”

“I should have fixed you something I love. Because you’re the kind of man you are, you would never say anything to hurt my feelings, but even I can tell this would have to be an acquired taste. It’s too mild and fatty, a terrible thing to serve a hungry man.”

“Terrible,” he teased. His gaze slid to hers. It was alive with emotion. “Let’s have some wine with it.”

“No—wait—”

Her cry resounded in the room, wiping his sensual smile away. “Why? What’s wrong now?”

“Nothing. It’s just that I bought us a special surprise while I was in town. Since I didn’t think I’d be seeing you before tomorrow evening, I hadn’t planned on producing it yet, but under the circumstances I think now is the perfect time.”

“Do I get to open it?” He looked and sounded like an excited schoolboy waiting to tear away the wrapping on his long-awaited birthday present.

She nodded. “But please be careful.”

In a few swift strides he reached the counter. She got to her feet and moved closer to watch him. The carton encased an old green bottle of wine packed in straw. He drew it out to examine the magenta and cream label. She’d already had the privilege. In fact, she’d stared at it for a long time, hardly able to believe she’d been able to buy anything so precious.

His face paled. “Domaine Belles Fleurs Coteaux-du-Layon Cuvee D’Excellence, 1892, Anjou, France.” As he spoke the words, he sounded like a man who’d gone into shock.

Suddenly his eyes shot to hers. They were on fire. “Where did you get this?” His voice trembled.

“I went to an impeccable source. Madame Fournier was able to put me in touch with Monsieur Honore Dumarre, a wealthy businessman and wine connoisseur living in Angers. He had three bottles of Domaine Belles Fleurs from different vintages in his wine cellar. When I explained why I wanted one, he was gracious enough to sell this to me.”

She could see Alex’s throat working. Even his hand was trembling. “A bottle like this can cost upward of five thousand dollars. Even meeting his full price, he’d have an almost impossible time parting with it.”

Dana smiled. “Once in a while it helps that I’m Jan Lofgren’s daughter. The fact that he’s shooting his latest film on the Belles Fleurs estate went a long way to make up his mind for him. I threw in the fact that the new owner lived on the other side of the world until now and has never tasted his family’s wine before.”

Alex resembled a war victim suffering shell shock. “I have no words for what you’ve done,” he whispered, “but you have to return it and get your money back.”

She took a fortifying breath. “I knew you’d say that, but I did it for the pleasure it gave me. Do you know he wants to meet you? He’ll be phoning you to make the arrangements.”

Alex’s face darkened with lines, revealing the remote quality she sometimes glimpsed, the quality that made her shiver. “Didn’t you hear me, Dana? If you don’t return it, I will.” He’d already taken possession of the bottle and put it back in the carton. It sounded like he hadn’t heard anything else she’d told him.

Her chin lifted defiantly. “That was my gift. It came from my own savings, not the studio’s funds, in case you were worrying.”

“If your father knew about this…”

At the mention of her dad, her anger was kindled. “Do you intend to tell him?” she fired. “Go ahead. But if you think blackmail will make me change my mind, then you don’t know me at all.”

“Dana,” his voice grated. “This isn’t the kind of thing you give someone.”

“Well, pardon me, but I thought I just did. Some friends give cars—jewels—in the profession my father works in, I’ve seen it all. It pleased me to give you something of your mother’s history, the only tangible evidence left of a thriving estate. Where’s the romance in your soul?”

His hands knotted into fists. “We’re talking about your hard-earned money.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “There’s money, and then there’s money. I’ve never had anything I wanted to spend it on before. But I should have remembered that you’re in dire straits and need to get the taxes paid, so I tell you what. You go to Monsieur Dumarre. When you get the money back, you use it to make another installment to the bank so you can get out of here sooner and pursue your career.”

Blind with pain, she grabbed her bag and flew down the long corridor to the foyer. She didn’t need a light upstairs. Dana knew the place blindfolded. The second she reached her room, she threw herself on the bed.

“Dana—”

She might have known he’d be right behind her. Now she couldn’t sob into the pillow. “Come back downstairs so we can talk.”

“I’d rather not.”

“Then I’m coming in. Just remember I gave you a choice.”

When she heard the door open, she sat up on the bed and turned on the flashlight next to her bed. At first glance he looked ashen-faced, but maybe it was the starkness of the light against the dark.

Alex pulled the chair away from the writing table he’d provided earlier and sat down. He leaned forward with his hands clasped between his legs and stared at her for several tension-filled moments. “Your gift has overwhelmed me.”

She lowered her eyes, too full of conflicted emotions to speak.

“Dana—how can I make you understand I’ve never known generosity like yours. I’m touched beyond my ability to express what I’m feeling.”

His sincerity caused the tightness in her chest to break up. “I guess I wanted us to know what it tasted like so much, I went overboard in your opinion. But honestly, Alex, it wasn’t that much money.”

“How much?” he demanded quietly. “The truth.”

“He gave me a discount as a welcome-to-Anjou gift for you. It only cost three thousand dollars. You see? Not as much as you’d imagined. It’s less than what I make a month.”

A sound of exasperation came out of him. She wanted to reach him, but how?

“Can’t you understand how happy it made me to find a bottle of wine that came from your vineyard? After seeing the condition it’s in now, it’s like—I don’t know—it’s like finding this amazing treasure.”

The torment on his handsome face killed her. “There’s only one way I’d accept it,” his voice grated.

She jumped off the bed. “I won’t let you pay me for it, so I’ll keep it for my own souvenir from France. One day I’ll open it for an important occasion a-and I’ll remember,” her voice faltered. “Now let’s forget the whole thing, because I have.” She started for the door.

“Where do you think you’re going?” He was on his feet in an instant.

“Down to the kitchen to throw out the rest of that awful Hochepot en boeuf.” Dana had to get out of there before she blurted what she really wanted to say—that she was in love with him, the gut-wrenching kind that went soul deep!

Her father would call it temporary madness, but he would have to be careful because this intensity of feeling had happened to her mother after meeting the enigmatic Swede. Her world had never been the same after that, either.

“The dishes will keep.” Alex had caught up to her near the top of the stairs. He swept her in his strong arms like she was weightless and carried her back to the turret round.

“No, Alex—” she cried, trying to squirm out of his tight grasp. “Now you’re feeling sorry for me like I’m a little girl who’ll be all better with a peck on the cheek and a lollipop.”

He laid her on the bed and followed her down so he half covered her with his hard-muscled body. She felt his fingers furrow into her hair, as if he loved the texture. “You don’t have any comprehension of what I’m feeling. Would that you were a little girl I could send home to your daddy. But you’re not,” he muttered in what sounded like anguish.

“You’re a big girl I’d like to keep locked up in this tower for my pleasure.” His lips roved over her features, setting tiny fires. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Her heart leaped. “Then stop tormenting me and really kiss me. I’ve been in pain since this morning when Saskia interrupted us.”

“I’ve been in pain much longer than that,” he confessed.

The way his mouth closed over hers produced such ecstasy, she knew nothing except that this marvelous man was creating a vortex of desire deep within her. No other feeling in the world could compare. They gave kiss for kiss, savoring the taste and feel of each other. Divine sensations held her in thrall.

As time passed she needed to get closer and slid her hands around the back of his head, luxuriating in the freedom of touching and kissing him. He groaned against her tender throat. “You have no idea how much I want you.”

The feel of their entwined bodies created heat, making her feverish. His caresses caused her breathing to grow shallow. “Alex—” she cried in a rapturous daze, clinging to him with helpless abandon.

“What’s wrong?” he whispered against her swollen lips.

Wrong?

His hands stilled on her shoulders. “Am I frightening you? This is all too new to you, isn’t it. Tell me the truth.”

In that second while her mind was still capable of hearing him, she felt her heart plummet to her feet. Didn’t Alex know she’d cried out his name in a state of euphoria?

The thought came to her that he would never have asked that question if he’d considered her his equal. That was because he didn’t see her as a mature woman. It stunned her that his first impression of her still clung to him. In his eyes she was a girl disobeying her father’s wishes—a girl so impulsive she thought nothing of sleeping in a château with a stranger and worse—spending $3,000 of her money on a whim.

Dana forgave him for that. Of course she did. She was also aware few men would have been as decent in this situation. But as long as he saw her in that light, it took away some of tonight’s joy. Maybe no man would ever take her seriously if she continued to be associated with her father. Neal had been a case in point. Slowly she removed her arms from around his neck.

Tonight this unparalleled experience had given her a lot to think about. Though it killed her, she eased away from him. “You didn’t frighten me, but I guess if we’re being truthful, I am somewhat nervous that things have escalated so fast.”

His handsome profile took on a chiseled cast before he got up off the bed. He stood at the end with his powerful legs slightly apart, away from the flashlight’s beam. “I made a vow I’d never cross your threshold while you stayed here. Tonight I broke it, but I swear to you it will never happen again.”

“Alex—there’s no one to blame. We both lost our heads for a little while. It’s human. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I enjoyed every minute of it, but as long as we’re being honest, I wish you’d tell me something.”

His shadowed eyes swept over her in intimate appraisal, waiting.

“Would you rather I left? Arrangements have already been made for me to stay in Saskia’s room at the Metropole.”

The way his mouth tightened into a thin line made her shiver. “That decision is entirely up to you. Meet me at the truck at seven-thirty in the morning and I’ll drive you to Angers to get your car.”

Her heart thudded till it hurt. By asking him that question, she’d proved she was the girl he’d called her, not a woman who acted on her own. Let it be the last mistake she made. “Thank you. Good night.”

His dark eyes impaled hers before he disappeared out the door.

She sat on the bed for a long time pondering what to do. A girl would have a meltdown. A woman would brazen her way out of this.

He’d told Saskia that Dana was part of his staff; therefore she’d behave like an employee from here on out. She’d fix the lunches, but beyond that she’d leave him alone until she left the château. The man didn’t have time for drama. He was in a hurry.

At six-thirty the next morning, Alex got up to fill the truck bed with debris. Might as well take another load to the landfill on the way to Angers. When he drove around the front of the château, his pulse sped up to find Dana waiting for him. She looked sensational in white pleated pants and a mini print top of blues and greens on a white background. He’d never known a woman so appealing, all golden and fresh as a piece of summer fruit.

“Good morning.” She said it with such a friendly demeanor, last night’s fireworks might never have happened. The minute she climbed in the cab, she brought the fragrance of strawberries with her, probably the result of her shampoo.

“You sound rested.”

She opened her window. “I had a wonderful sleep.”

His fingers tightened on the steering wheel as they headed for the gate. Throughout the endless night his desire for her had never cooled. He could still taste her mouth, feel the mold of her body. Though he’d told her it was her decision about staying or leaving, he hadn’t meant it. The château wouldn’t be the same without her in it. He’d made up his mind to do whatever was necessary to keep her sleeping on the premises.

“When I came down to the kitchen a few minutes ago, I couldn’t find the wine bottle.”

He flicked her a shuttered glance, feasting on her lovely profile. “I put it in the wine cellar for sakekeeping.”

She flashed him an enticing smile. “That’s where it should have been all along. Thank you.”

Something was going on in that unpredictable brain of hers. Silence stretched between them. Before they left the landfill he said, “How would you like to tour Angers castle this morning? There won’t be as many tourists this early. We’ll escape the worst of the heat.”

To his surprise she gave a caustic laugh that didn’t settle well. “Do you know you’re so much like my father at times, it’s uncanny?”

His black brows met together in disbelief. “How did he get into this conversation?”

“When has he ever not been a part of it in some way or other? Last night you lit in to me. This morning you’re trying to placate me. That has been his modus operandi since I was a child. Throw Dana a tidbit and she’ll forget.”

He gunned the engine and streaked out of there until they were beyond the view of any workers. Then he slammed on the brakes beneath the trees. Turning to her, he slid his arm along the back of the seat and encircled her warm nape with his hand. He could feel her pulse quicken beneath his fingers.

“I haven’t forgotten one second of what happened last night and know in my gut you haven’t, either.” Unable to stop himself, he kissed her neck, knowing her skin smelled that sweet all over. “The fact is, I want you to stay at the château and was hoping to tell you that while we took a little time off to play. You were right about Jack being a dull boy.”

“I wasn’t planning to leave,” she stated quietly, jolting him in that inimicable way of hers. “As for Jack, it’s a well-known secret dull boys are usually the most successful because they never waiver from their goal.”

Dana understood him so well, it hurt.

“Knowing how anxious you are to get the estate ready for the public, you won’t be doing either of us a favor by taking me through that monster castle. I have my own plans for today. Thank you anyway.”

The desire to drag her off to an undisclosed location and kiss her until she cried for mercy was trumped only by the knowledge that she wasn’t going to run away from him yet. He bit her earlobe gently before separating himself from her so he could start up the engine.

Neither of them spoke for the rest of the drive into town. He didn’t mind. For now it was enough to know she didn’t want to leave the château. She loved everything about it including his damn grapes lying dormant inside those gnarled trunks.

It seemed the only drawback in the scenario was Alex.

“There’s my car.” Her voice jerked him from his torturous thoughts. He maneuvered his truck through the hectic morning traffic and pulled into a parking spot near hers.

She alighted before he could help her down. “You didn’t need to get out,” she told him as he followed her to the car.

“I’m the one who told you to leave it here overnight. Just looking to make sure everything works.” He watched her get in, then shut the door for her. After checking the tires, he told her to pop the trunk. “Everything looks good.”

She started the engine. “Thanks for driving me in. See you later.” As she backed out and drove off, he waved until he couldn’t see her golden head anymore. Turning sharply on his heel, he walked two blocks to the post office to collect his mail.