just give up.”
Right now that seemed like a perfectly fine plan. She’d eyed another person across the road who looked suspiciously like someone from the airport. He wouldn’t be the first she’d seen and managed to escape today. “Yes I can. When I find out how to catch a taxi in this place, that is.”
“It’ll be expensive.”
“That’s the least of my worries right now.” She disconnected and started walking briskly. Less than three meters down the sidewalk, the hairs prickled on the back of her neck. Was someone watching her? Or was this place simply making her paranoid? She glanced around and sure enough the guy from across the road was less than ten meters behind her. She didn’t think it was paranoid to say his eyes were trained, almost aggressively, on her. He lifted a mammoth black camera. And aimed.
Instinct took over and Holly’s legs charged ahead of her. Bags swinging at her side she ran as fast as she could but the sound of her heart break-dancing in her chest was overridden by feet pounding the pavement behind her.
Was he chasing her?
Stupidly, she looked behind—horrified to see she was being stalked by not one but three crazed-looking men, closing the distance between them far quicker than she liked. If they weren’t carrying cameras, the world would be horrified by this scenario. She was horrified.
She glanced sideways trying to read the sign of the store closest to her. Surely the designer shop assistants would come to her aid.
She made the decision to turn into one but somehow her foot slipped and, bags and all, Holly went crumbling to the ground. She clutched her foot, crying out in agony as she looked up to see cameras flashing inches from her face.
Mortification swallowed her whole—she wanted to sink into the pavement and time-travel away from this absolute nightmare. With her foot unable to take any pressure that might be her only chance of escape.
Then, just when she thought her situation couldn’t get any worse, she raised her head again and came face-to-face with Nate Devlin.
Chapter Five
Nate knew the exact moment Holly saw him. Her eyes widened, then narrowed and an impressive scowl twisted her perfect red lips. She was obviously in pain but he guessed the scowl was for him.
Well, he had a glare that could give her scowl a run for its money. Rescuing this clueless damsel for the second day in a row hadn’t been in his game plan. If only she knew how out of character it was for him to just cancel a client on a whim.
He knelt down on the pavement beside her. “Where does it hurt?”
“Nice to see you too, Nate.”
He rolled his eyes. “Do you want more photos shot in this compromising position?”
“No.” This one word was barely audible, but he looked into her eyes and saw the bravado was all show. Her bottom lip quivered as she pointed to her ankle. “Right here.”
He slipped his hand under the bottom of her calf, lifted her foot as gently as he could and slipped off her sturdy flat pump. He ignored the flash of cameras going off around them. “Geez.” Already her foot had swelled badly around the ankle. Without thinking he ran his thumb up under the arch. Her foot tensed and he heard the intake of breath. “Sorry. That hurt?”
“Not exactly.”
Did that mean she’d felt it too? The unwanted spark that zapped between him when his fingers had touched her bare skin. Fabulous .
“Hold on to your bags.”
She did as instructed. He tucked her shoe into the top of one bag and then slipped his arms beneath, lifting her quickly and heading for his car illegally parked on the side of the road. Cameras flashed in his face and he could already picture the headlines that would accompany their photos tomorrow morning, but he didn’t have time to worry about that now. Having her soft body pressed up against his chest was causing distractions aplenty. He needed to get her in his car, out of his personal space, so her alluring vanilla-something smell stopped
Right now that seemed like a perfectly fine plan. She’d eyed another person across the road who looked suspiciously like someone from the airport. He wouldn’t be the first she’d seen and managed to escape today. “Yes I can. When I find out how to catch a taxi in this place, that is.”
“It’ll be expensive.”
“That’s the least of my worries right now.” She disconnected and started walking briskly. Less than three meters down the sidewalk, the hairs prickled on the back of her neck. Was someone watching her? Or was this place simply making her paranoid? She glanced around and sure enough the guy from across the road was less than ten meters behind her. She didn’t think it was paranoid to say his eyes were trained, almost aggressively, on her. He lifted a mammoth black camera. And aimed.
Instinct took over and Holly’s legs charged ahead of her. Bags swinging at her side she ran as fast as she could but the sound of her heart break-dancing in her chest was overridden by feet pounding the pavement behind her.
Was he chasing her?
Stupidly, she looked behind—horrified to see she was being stalked by not one but three crazed-looking men, closing the distance between them far quicker than she liked. If they weren’t carrying cameras, the world would be horrified by this scenario. She was horrified.
She glanced sideways trying to read the sign of the store closest to her. Surely the designer shop assistants would come to her aid.
She made the decision to turn into one but somehow her foot slipped and, bags and all, Holly went crumbling to the ground. She clutched her foot, crying out in agony as she looked up to see cameras flashing inches from her face.
Mortification swallowed her whole—she wanted to sink into the pavement and time-travel away from this absolute nightmare. With her foot unable to take any pressure that might be her only chance of escape.
Then, just when she thought her situation couldn’t get any worse, she raised her head again and came face-to-face with Nate Devlin.
Chapter Five
Nate knew the exact moment Holly saw him. Her eyes widened, then narrowed and an impressive scowl twisted her perfect red lips. She was obviously in pain but he guessed the scowl was for him.
Well, he had a glare that could give her scowl a run for its money. Rescuing this clueless damsel for the second day in a row hadn’t been in his game plan. If only she knew how out of character it was for him to just cancel a client on a whim.
He knelt down on the pavement beside her. “Where does it hurt?”
“Nice to see you too, Nate.”
He rolled his eyes. “Do you want more photos shot in this compromising position?”
“No.” This one word was barely audible, but he looked into her eyes and saw the bravado was all show. Her bottom lip quivered as she pointed to her ankle. “Right here.”
He slipped his hand under the bottom of her calf, lifted her foot as gently as he could and slipped off her sturdy flat pump. He ignored the flash of cameras going off around them. “Geez.” Already her foot had swelled badly around the ankle. Without thinking he ran his thumb up under the arch. Her foot tensed and he heard the intake of breath. “Sorry. That hurt?”
“Not exactly.”
Did that mean she’d felt it too? The unwanted spark that zapped between him when his fingers had touched her bare skin. Fabulous .
“Hold on to your bags.”
She did as instructed. He tucked her shoe into the top of one bag and then slipped his arms beneath, lifting her quickly and heading for his car illegally parked on the side of the road. Cameras flashed in his face and he could already picture the headlines that would accompany their photos tomorrow morning, but he didn’t have time to worry about that now. Having her soft body pressed up against his chest was causing distractions aplenty. He needed to get her in his car, out of his personal space, so her alluring vanilla-something smell stopped
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