The Frenchman Chosen Bride✔️(Completed)

Four

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*****

By 9:45 the next morning Vanessa was having second, third and fourth thoughts. In the cold light of the that things were more stark. She would have burned. And not from the sun. She knew it. She heard an engine outside. He was early. As if he could hear the doubts that were in her private thoughts. Which was ridiculous.

She took a deep breath and waited for the doorbell to sound. She was wearing simple shorts, flip-flops and a plain T-shirt. If he wanted her then he could have her as she was, unadorned.

She lifted the small weekend bag that she had brought to carry home gifts, and suddenly it felt as if it held rocks instead of clothes and toiletries for the next few days.

The doorbell rang. Her heart stopped. She could see his tall dark shape against the glass. The Prince of Darkness. The name made her shiver.

When she opened the door, his sharp eyes took in her slender figure in the plain clothes, and the bag clutched in one hand with her knuckles showing white. Instinctively, he schooled his features, not allowing the surge of triumph he felt to show on his face. For once in his life he actually hadn't been sure which way a woman was going to react, and had been prepared for her to reject his offer. But the bag told him that she was saying yes. He needed to tread carefully. She was as small skittish as a colt. He bent to take the bag from her and left her to lock up.

Vanessa had sent a text to Abbie that morning, wishing her the best for her dad's operation and saying she was taking a small trip. Just in case Abbie rang and got no answer from the house. She wasn't going to go into any details about Rafael yet. If her friend thought for a second there was a man in the picture she'd be like a dog with a bone.

And, as Vanessa could barely quantify to herself what was happening, she could hardly begin to explain herself to someone else.

By the time they reached the island, and Rafael had guided her to a waiting Mercedes, she had pushed any last dissenting voices out of her head. He was being a complete gentleman. Charming, funny, insightful. She hadn't felt like this kind of connection with anyone before -- almost as though they'd known each other for years.

A couple of times when they'd locked eyes, the heat had flared, swift and intense, reminding her of what not so far from the surface.

He paused in his Mercedes, turning towards her in his seat. "We'll have to go to my home first...an unavoidable conference call I need to take. My penance for taking some time off...I'm sorry."

"That's alright...I don't mind."

"So, what I was going to suggest was this...and it's nearby lunch, why don't we eat, you can get settled, and we see the memorial tomorrow?"

This was it. Even though he was assuming that she wanted to stay, he was giving her the opportunity to back out now. But she didn't want to. She had to take the chance, knowing that in her acceptance, should she choose it, he would read her total acquiescence. She took a deep breath, feeling as though she was stepping over an invisible like drawn in the sand.

"Okay. That sound great."

He looked at her for a long moment before leaning over and placing a feather-light kiss on her lips. "It will be Vanessa...are you sure?"

She looked at him steadily. "Yeah, I am."

With a spurt of dry earth, he turned the Mercedes towards the castle in the distance. After they came to a stop in the courtyard outside. Vanessa couldn't hide her reaction. It had two higher wings on either side, huge, imposing archways, and intricate carvings on every stone. She had never seen anything like it before.