How to Resist Prince Charming(57)

Hesitantly, he touched her bare back. As he absorbed the rise and fall of her lungs moving in and out under his palm, he relaxed, glad he had this physical contact to reassure himself she was here and okay. He planned on keeping her that way for as long as possible.

Though he didn’t want to leave her, his bladder needed emptied, so he slipped quietly from the bed and crept across her small apartment to the bathroom. He made sure to fully close the door before he flipped on the light. After finishing his business, he flushed. But as soon as the loud crash of water drained down the pipes, he winced.

Hurrying toward the door, he cracked it open, hoping he hadn’t roused her. Lenna began her new job in the morning. She needed a good night’s rest without interruptions.

Braxton bit his lip as he peeked into the apartment. But as he watched the light from the bathroom spill over her sleeping form, he paused and straightened.

Oh, mother of God, she was breathtaking. He opened the door a foot wider and studied the resting woman. He knew he could gladly stand there for the rest of eternity, just watching her.

Wanting to capture this moment forever, Braxton tiptoed toward her desk where he knew she kept the camera he’d given her. Since Paris, they liked to pull the thing out and snap pictures of each other.

Slipping it from its case, Braxton flipped the on switch and turned all the settings to silence.

Then he set about snapping the most amazing shots he’d ever seen. When he was satisfied with the amount he’d taken, he turned off the power and ejected the memory card.

Deciding he’d get a few of the Paris shots printed off and framed for her, Braxton tucked the card away in his wallet and turned off the bathroom light before he eased back under the covers next to Lenna and curled his body around hers.

He sighed and closed his eyes, inhaling the familiar fragrance of her hair. Moments later, he was blissfully asleep, cuddled around the woman he loved.



Monday morning, Lenna started her job at ProTech. Greg spent the first part of the day showing her around the office and introducing her to everyone. More than once, she had to hold in a giggle because she’d recall Braxton’s description of that person. He was so accurate it was hilarious.

Barely managing to keep her poise professional and her attitude receptive to meeting everyone, even the people he hadn’t given such a favorable review, she sent each new acquaintance the same friendly greeting.

Finally, Greg led her to the cubicle that housed her new desk and computer. There, he already had a stack of work for her to start.

Relieved to see her first assignment was to translate a French website, Lenna was so thrilled she sped right through the site and had a complete report translated and typed before noon.

When she took it to Greg’s office, he looked at the outstretched information, blinked once, and gawked at her. “You’ve got to be kidding me, right? There’s no way you’re done already. I’ve had three people working for two months trying to decipher that site.”

Lenna could only shrug. “This one was easy. I actually knew the language.”

Greg scowled. “I have never given anyone a raise on their first day. Don’t make me break my rule.” Then his frown slipped into a smile, and he congratulated her.

Lenna returned to her desk, glowing. Hyped and ready to fly through the next site, she opened the next file. But it was in Spanish and she had to pause a lot to look up different words.

Near the end of the day, she gathered her purse and coat and tidied her desk—oh wow, she really had a desk. It was electrifying. She wanted to find Braxton and tell him about her entire day.

So, she was delightfully surprised to find him camped out on the floor in front of her apartment door, balancing a pizza on his bent knee when she got home. He glanced up as she approached, and the grin he sent her was full of pride and boyish sincerity.

“How’d it go?” he asked, pushing to his feet.

She went straight to him for a hug. Once he had an arm securely around her waist, and she buried her face snuggly against his chest, she murmured, “I liked it.”

He pulled away and gave her a solemn look. Slowly, he traced her cheek with a few fingers. “You don’t sound as excited as you did yesterday. Was it not what you expected?”

“No,” she answered and closed her eyes, sighing against his caress. She’d been so eager to see him and tell him everything. But now he was here, she just wanted to forget life and focus on him. “It was so much more than I expected. It was perfect, Braxton. I’m in awe I actually have a job I like. I keep expecting Greg to tell me he made a mistake and send me on my way.”

Braxton scowled. “He wouldn’t dare.”

“Why not?” Lenna gasped. “Oh, God. You did force him to hire me, didn’t you?”

He rolled his eyes, but grinned. “No, I did not force him, or twist his arm, or pay him off, or blackmail, or even beg him to hire you. You got the job yourself. I’m just saying he wouldn’t dare fire you because I know you. You’ll work your butt off until you do a phenomenal job.”

Her shoulders eased. “Thank you,” she said, pausing to unlock her door. As she moved inside, he followed.

She went straight to her closet and pulled out a hanger before slipping off her coat. Braxton carried the pizza into the kitchen. Lenna hung her coat and un-wrapped the scarf from around her neck. She turned to watch Braxton open a cabinet and take down a drinking glass.