flying?’
‘It seemed silly to bother you with something I have to deal with myself.’
‘That’s a typical Alyssa answer!’ He laughed quietly. ‘Good. It means you’re still there underneath the nerves.’
‘Thank you for understanding, Lysander,’ she muttered under her breath.
‘Don’t mention it. Thank
you
for being so brave.’
The royal jet began to thunder down the runway. Lysander held her hand tight until they were airborne.
‘There. That’s all there is to it,’ he reassured her, withdrawing his hand from beneath the blanket. ‘Although you still look pretty frail. Why don’t you go and have a lie down? I have a bedroom for long haul flights.’ He indicated adoor behind them. Alyssa was on her guard instantly, and saw him realise why.
‘You don’t need to worry about me. I’ll be far too busy out here, what with paperwork, and Ra’id … you know,’ he said casually.
‘As kind as your offer is I really shouldn’t, Lysander. It’s my job to be here to keep an eye on Ra’id, and if you’re busy with work—’
‘Nonsense,’ he interrupted her. ‘I will need you to be on top form once we land and return to the palace. Ra’id is bound to be bursting with excitement then and will need some calming down. I’ll get another staff member to play some games with him until I am free to entertain him myself. I’m giving you an order to rest.’
Alyssa nodded. After her restless night, the chance to catch up on her sleep and ignore her fears for a while—even if it was in the surroundings of Lysander’s own room—was too tempting to miss.
He showed her into a compact cabin. It was perfectly equipped and totally unthreatening, she was glad to find. The carpet was so thick, it felt quite natural to kick off her shoes and dig her toes into its softness as she looked around. The bed was large and uncluttered with the duvet and pillows covered in a plain tan slip. The masculine theme continued through to the room’s brown upholstery and the air seemed tinged with the faint suggestion of his signature aftershave.
‘Stay in here for as long as you like, Alyssa.’
His guiding hand gave her a light pat.
‘Thank you.’
There was nothing forced about her smile now. As she went towards the bed Lysander reached out andpulled back the duvet for her. She hesitated, eyeing him with suspicion. Taking the hint, he dropped the coverlet and took a step back from the bed. With that reassurance, she got in. Before she could stop him Lysander covered her over. It was like being enveloped in a cloud. She closed her eyes. There was a slight pressure from his hands as he settled the cover around her. It eased, returned again for a fraction of a second, and then was gone.
‘Try and get some rest.’
His words came from somewhere safely over by the door. Alyssa smiled without opening her eyes. After her long, sleepless night, she really couldn’t stay awake any longer.
Lysander didn’t leave the room straight away. He paused, then on impulse returned to her bedside the moment she was asleep. After a second’s hesitation, he kissed her lightly on her cheek.
‘Sweet dreams,’ he murmured, and then quickly left the room.
Why in the world did I do that?
he wondered, making his escape. He closed the door behind him, but that was the last sensible thing he did. He didn’t stride away, putting a good distance between him and temptation. Instead, he stood with one hand on the door handle, thinking.
There was only one problem with Miss Alyssa Dene—and that was the fact that there
was
no problem. She had the body of an angel, and a mind to match.
That was the highest praise Lysander could give. He’d known a lot of women, but they were all too easilydistracted by his money and influence. None of them had shown a fraction of Alyssa’s nerve and determination. There was no doubting her courage. She didn’t think twice about standing up to him, and the way she hid her fear of flying from Ra’id
‘It seemed silly to bother you with something I have to deal with myself.’
‘That’s a typical Alyssa answer!’ He laughed quietly. ‘Good. It means you’re still there underneath the nerves.’
‘Thank you for understanding, Lysander,’ she muttered under her breath.
‘Don’t mention it. Thank
you
for being so brave.’
The royal jet began to thunder down the runway. Lysander held her hand tight until they were airborne.
‘There. That’s all there is to it,’ he reassured her, withdrawing his hand from beneath the blanket. ‘Although you still look pretty frail. Why don’t you go and have a lie down? I have a bedroom for long haul flights.’ He indicated adoor behind them. Alyssa was on her guard instantly, and saw him realise why.
‘You don’t need to worry about me. I’ll be far too busy out here, what with paperwork, and Ra’id … you know,’ he said casually.
‘As kind as your offer is I really shouldn’t, Lysander. It’s my job to be here to keep an eye on Ra’id, and if you’re busy with work—’
‘Nonsense,’ he interrupted her. ‘I will need you to be on top form once we land and return to the palace. Ra’id is bound to be bursting with excitement then and will need some calming down. I’ll get another staff member to play some games with him until I am free to entertain him myself. I’m giving you an order to rest.’
Alyssa nodded. After her restless night, the chance to catch up on her sleep and ignore her fears for a while—even if it was in the surroundings of Lysander’s own room—was too tempting to miss.
He showed her into a compact cabin. It was perfectly equipped and totally unthreatening, she was glad to find. The carpet was so thick, it felt quite natural to kick off her shoes and dig her toes into its softness as she looked around. The bed was large and uncluttered with the duvet and pillows covered in a plain tan slip. The masculine theme continued through to the room’s brown upholstery and the air seemed tinged with the faint suggestion of his signature aftershave.
‘Stay in here for as long as you like, Alyssa.’
His guiding hand gave her a light pat.
‘Thank you.’
There was nothing forced about her smile now. As she went towards the bed Lysander reached out andpulled back the duvet for her. She hesitated, eyeing him with suspicion. Taking the hint, he dropped the coverlet and took a step back from the bed. With that reassurance, she got in. Before she could stop him Lysander covered her over. It was like being enveloped in a cloud. She closed her eyes. There was a slight pressure from his hands as he settled the cover around her. It eased, returned again for a fraction of a second, and then was gone.
‘Try and get some rest.’
His words came from somewhere safely over by the door. Alyssa smiled without opening her eyes. After her long, sleepless night, she really couldn’t stay awake any longer.
Lysander didn’t leave the room straight away. He paused, then on impulse returned to her bedside the moment she was asleep. After a second’s hesitation, he kissed her lightly on her cheek.
‘Sweet dreams,’ he murmured, and then quickly left the room.
Why in the world did I do that?
he wondered, making his escape. He closed the door behind him, but that was the last sensible thing he did. He didn’t stride away, putting a good distance between him and temptation. Instead, he stood with one hand on the door handle, thinking.
There was only one problem with Miss Alyssa Dene—and that was the fact that there
was
no problem. She had the body of an angel, and a mind to match.
That was the highest praise Lysander could give. He’d known a lot of women, but they were all too easilydistracted by his money and influence. None of them had shown a fraction of Alyssa’s nerve and determination. There was no doubting her courage. She didn’t think twice about standing up to him, and the way she hid her fear of flying from Ra’id
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