Page 21 of Unbuttoning Her Brooding Boss

‘Nottime to get your phone back!’ He laughed. ‘Relax. It’s not midnight yet, so I don’t think the car’s about to turn into a pumpkin...’

‘I’m no Cinderella either,’ she said.

It wasn’t that she had an evil stepmother—she had a brother counting on her. A vulnerable brother, dependent on her.

‘Yeah, well, that’s good—because I’m no Prince Charming.’

She quickly glanced at him again, caught the unmistakable meaning in his words. She understood—there might be attraction, but there was no ‘happy-ever-after’ to be had with him.

‘No... you’re missing the noble white steed.’

‘Thank goodness. A horse would besucha hassle at border control.’ He sent her a sideways look. ‘But don’t get me wrong,’ he whispered. ‘Iloveto ride. Just not horses.’

She choked. He’d defused the moment—eased her embarrassment—with outrageous humour.

And, like her, the further they’d got from the city, the less burdened he’d become. Now that remote expression was gone, replaced with warmth and a smile.

‘So this is it?’ she asked, turning away from the dangerous proximity of him. ‘We’re here?’

Wherewasthis so-fabulous hotel?

‘Almost.’ He restarted the engine and turned the steering wheel. ‘I pulled over to wake you, so you wouldn’t miss it.’

He gestured to the view ahead of them. She turned to look, drew breath as she finally registered that they were in the midst of a majestic forest.

Tall, tall trees that had to be hundreds of years old surrounded them. Trees and ferns and ancient woodland that made her feel insignificant, yet special at the same time. It was like a lost world. There was no sign of human habitation aside from the track they were now driving down.

‘You’re sure you’re on the right road?’ she asked.

‘I’m sure.’

He drove for another ten minutes, taking them deeper into the forest. It felt as if they were miles from anywhere— as if they were entering a forbidden paradise. All trees and birds and isolation.

It was amazing.

‘Beautiful, isn’t it?’ he asked.

She just nodded, because words simply didn’t do it justice.

All of a sudden the road broadened, then ended in a wide circle. And at the apex a beautiful building had somehow materialised before them—a tall, two-storeyed, perfectly proportioned wooden palace.

The veranda that covered the deck, encircling it, was painted a lush green that blended with the forest canopy. The hotel was perfectly positioned to soak up the late-afternoon summer sun, and even from the car she could see it wasn’t some rough-hewn, hippy-ish bed and breakfast. The finish of the woodwork was perfect, and so finely detailed it had to have been built by master craftsmen.

It was like some sumptuous, treasure-filled hideaway found in a ‘journey-to-the-forbidden’ fantasy movie.

‘This isamazing.You’d never know it was here...’ She gazed up at it.

‘Exactly. Which is why it provides such seclusion. Wait ’til you see the private swimming pool. And it’s not far to a lovely winery. Can’t be all bad.’

Allbad?It was all brilliant.

She turned to Jack, entranced by his sudden infectiously buoyant mood. He walked round the front of the car and then opened her door, leaning over it to smile at her.

‘What do you think?’

Blinking, she forced herself to turn and look at the view that for a moment had paled in comparison to the sight of him.

She hadn’t seen such a beautiful place.Ever.Not in the photos her friends sent her to populate her blog with, not on the internet, not in the movies.

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