Page 96 of Sweet Royal Romance Suspense

Could he simply keep teasing and kissing her? It was two in the afternoon. He could distract her for the rest of the evening. Tomorrow would he have to drive her down the mountain, then take a car to the airport? Her flight was at ten a.m. She could miss it. And ‘break her mama’s heart as she was achin’ for her like a root canal with no dentist in sight.’ He loved the way her mama talked and their obvious familial love. He didn’t want to cause any of them more pain. But …

He needed to talk to Ray. Even if she absolutely had to leave him, she had to have protection. Who did Ray know? His fiancée Macey was close with the infamous Sutton Smith. Curt needed to stop being selfish with Aliya’s time and start setting up protection to escort her home and watch over her until the men were apprehended. But if her security didn’t get set up, she couldn’t leave until it was. So he kept putting off doing anything about it.

“Can I please see your shop? Pretty please with sugar and kisses on top?”

“Sugary kisses? Now that’s more like it.”

She kissed him, but it was much too short. Then she was pulling away and fluttering those eyelashes at him again. He didn’t know a world where he could resist her.

“You want to venture out in the rain to see my messy shop?”

“It would make my day.”

Dang. He wanted his kisses to make her day.

“Okay.” Might as well get it over with. He might feel awkward when she realized that every project was in various stages of completion or non-completion. She’d notice his climbing gear. How would he explain any of it?

They donned raincoats and boots. Hers were much too large. He ignored the gnawing turn of his stomach. Aliya was so great. She took everything in with wide-eyed wonder. If only he could keep her here, someday take her hiking and exploring with him. He didn’t want to spend one moment without her, but he was ready to get out in his mountains again. If she had to leave him tomorrow, he could keep himself busy and distracted.

The rain came down in sheets. The guards were close to the house, dressed in slickers and hats and probably trying to get some relief from the weather. Curt lifted a hand and pointed to the shop. The closest guard gave him a thumbs-up and followed them.

It was nice to get outside and breathe in the fresh air, but it was crazy wet out here. The mud clung to their boots and threatened to pull his too-big boots right off Aliya’s feet. Curt assisted her and they finally made it into the large shop. He shut the door behind them and turned on the overhead lights to chase away the gloom of the murky day.

“Oh my,” Aliya breathed out. She stared around in wide-eyed wonder, then looked at him with this awed look, and then she slipped the boots off and started moving. Since he hadn’t been out here in almost two weeks, it was dusty. He liked to keep it clean and as dust-free as possible, which wasn’t easy in a wood-working shop. He had a Powermatic Dust Cyclone which pulled a lot of the dust out of the air when he was working, but it still settled on surfaces like it would in a home.

“You have to walk me around and tell me all about each item,” she begged, looking back at him and gesturing frantically, as if she had to know about everything right this minute.

“Okay.” Why had he worried about her coming out here? This was Aliya. She was interested and delighted and wouldn’t think he was a head case.

They walked in a circle around the shop. He started with his tools, giving him time to show her what he’d created later. He showed her his edge banner, table saw, spindle line boring machine, circular saw, jigsaw, chisels, orbital sander, bandsaw, jointer, planer, router, almost everything in his tool chest … She even thought his Milwaukee cordless drill was ‘amazin’’ and wished her daddy could have one.

She told him the tools were perfect, but she wanted to know about everything he’d created with them. That was harder, but he nodded and kept moving.

He first showed her the clocks he’d started last month. The two extra bar stools to add to the four he had. The half-completed square dining room table made of hickory and the chairs that would be made of mahogany to contrast. The end tables for the living area and the two dressers and the desks for the spare bedrooms.

She oohed and ahhed and told him time and again how talented he was. She had him show her how to use the tools, and he enjoyed touching her hands and wrapping his arms around her as he guided her.

Finally, it seemed she’d exhausted her questions and fascination, but then she pointed to the corner. “Is that what I think it is?”

He licked his lips. “Rock climbing gear.”

“You’re a rock climber too? Oh, my, just when I think my hunky prince can’t get any hunkier.”

He smiled, but his stomach churned. He hadn’t climbed anything since the day Suzanne had died. “We probably should get back,” he said quietly.

She gave him a curious look but only nodded, as if recognizing his discomfort. Showing her his projects was a show of trust, but telling her about his former climbing obsession, and what had resulted from it, would be even harder.

They put on their rain gear and walked back through the downpour to the cabin. When they got inside, he was surprised that it was almost dinnertime. They cooked chicken and veggies as she asked question after question about his wood-working projects and the intricacies of rock climbing. He had the answers. He was an expert in both areas and could give textbook answers without going into emotionally dangerous areas.

After dinner, they did some laps around the house and up and down the stairs, and she asked him questions about the various wood surfaces and furniture throughout the house that he’d made, how much of the work he’d actually done on it, and cussed him for ‘downplayin’’ his talents when he’d originally admitted to her that he’d done the woodwork in the house.

They settled onto the couch, snuggling and listening to the nonstop rain.

“I have a question burnin’ inside me. A couple, actually.”

Curt stiffened and waited.

“Why didn’t you want me to see the shop?”

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