Page 49 of The Duke Who Saved Christmas
I finished the last of it and put the empty cup in the bin by the entrance to the carpark. “Thank you. You don’t have to take me home. I can walk.”
He put his cup in the bin, staring at me. “Sylvie. It’s zero degrees out here, it’s dark, it’s cold, and there’s black ice everywhere. You can’t walk home.”
I waved a hand. “Please. Of course, I can.”
He grabbed my shoulders and manhandled me across the carpark to a black Range Rover.
All right.
Manhandled was a strong word.
I didn’t exactly put up a fight, and he was hardly hauling me across the carpark on his shoulder, but still.
“Really, it’s fine, I—”
He released me to dig into his pockets and pull out his keys. The car beeped, and the cars in front were illuminated by the headlights.
Thomas reached around me and opened the passenger side door. “Get in.”
“I can—”
“I’m not asking you, Sylvie. Get in, or I’m going to throw you in.”
“You are not!”
“I most certainly am, and if you keep arguing, I’ll shove you in the fucking boot.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “That’s kidnapping!”
“Oh, boohoo. Kidnapping you in the cold, dark, icy weather to make sure you get home safely. I’m sure you’llsurvive.” He kept hold of the door and rested his other hand on the top of the car, effectively trapping me in.
My only way of escape was to getinthe blasted car.
Not that it mattered at this point. I was really quite aware of just how close to me Thomas was. There was barely an inch between our toes, and if I so much as twitched to the left, my head would touch his arm. I didn’t have a lot of room to move at all, but neither did he.
Still, that didn’t stop my stubborn arse from glaring at him for a good minute before I sniffed. “Kidnapping is still kidnapping, regardless of the reason.”
“Are you always this stubborn and argumentative or is it reserved just for me?” His lips tugged to the side in a wry smirk.
My tongue darted out to wet my lips, and his gaze briefly dropped to my mouth.
“Don’t flatter yourself, Thomas. You’re not that special.”
“Oh, so you’re an arsehole to everyone?”
“You know, you’re close enough to me that with one swift jerk of my knee, you’ll be wishing you never laid eyes on me again.”
That little smirk slowly morphed into a full grin, and he leant in closer to me, adjusting his footing to the side, almost pushing me further into the triangular gap of the open door and the front seat.
“Now why would I wish that?” he asked in a low voice, still grinning. “My life is so much more fun with you and your attitude in it.”
My heart thumped against my ribs, and a shiver twisted its way across my skin, making the hair on my arms stand on end.
What was he doing?
“Sylvie,” he said, tilting his head so his lips were close to my ear. “Get in the bloody car,” he whispered.
His breath fluttered my hair, and the warmth of it just ghosting my cheek as he pulled back only heightened the sensation of the goosebumps that were prickling across my skin.
