Carrie blinked as a trolley was wheeled in. She leant against the safety of the wall and took a moment to recover herself, while Nik signed for the food and tipped the waiter.
But she knew it would take more than a moment recover herself. Her legs felt weak and her heart was still racing. Her lips still tingled where he had brushed his against them, and an incredible yearning was building up inside her. She wanted him to kiss her. And that was not all she wanted.
‘I didn’t know what you’d like,’ Nik said, apparently completely oblivious to the way she was feeling as he indicated the trolley that was loaded with a startling amount of food. ‘Eat what you want, and if I have time after I finish this work I’ll grab a bite as well.’
He’d never meant to kiss her, she realised with a jolt. The thought sent a ghastly weight slamming down to the pit of her stomach. He’d known that Room Service was coming all along—known that they’d soon be interrupted. He’d just been playing with her.
She was still reeling from what had happened between them, yet apparently he had totally switched off. The desire she’d thought she’d seen in his eyes and heard in his voice had completely evaporated.
‘I’m not hungry,’ she said, feeling the words stick in her dry throat as she moved towards the doorway into the other hotel room. ‘I’m going to check on Danny. Then I’ll try to get a bit of rest myself.’
Even though she hadn’t eaten all day, the thought of food suddenly made her feel sick, and getting away from Nik was the most important thing.
‘Before you go—’ Nik called her back. ‘I’ll be needing your passports.’
‘What?’ Carrie turned and stared at him in confusion.
‘To make arrangements,’ Nik explained, sitting down at his laptop and opening it up.
‘Oh.’ Carrie paused. She’d almost forgotten that she’d agreed to Nik taking her and Danny home. ‘But I thought we were going in your private plane. We don’t need tickets for that.’
‘We’re still travelling from one country to another.’ He didn’t look up from his laptop, and the tone in his voice suggested he was stating something that was blindingly obvious.
‘Oh,’ Carrie muttered again, going through to get her bag. It wasn’t her fault she wasn’t used to travelling by private jet. He didn’t have to treat her like an idiot.
‘Here you are.’
He still didn’t look up, so she placed the passports on the table next to the laptop and slipped quietly back into Danny’s room.
CHAPTER SIX
CARRIE woke up with a start and realised straight away that the plane had landed.
‘It’s time to go,’ Nik said. ‘I’ve already carried Danny out to the car.’
‘I’m coming,’ she said, getting groggily to her feet. She didn’t remember falling asleep, and even now it was a struggle to wake up properly. ‘Sorry—I’m a bit wobbly.’
‘You’ve had a difficult day,’ Nik said. ‘It’s not surprising you’re exhausted.’
‘I suppose so,’ Carrie said. She peered out of the plane window and frowned. It was dark, and she couldn’t see much, but it didn’t look at all familiar.
‘This doesn’t look like Gatwick,’ she said.
‘It’s not,’ Nik said. He picked up Carrie’s hand luggage and moved towards the exit.
‘Where have you brought us?’ Carrie asked. He had already told her he used small airports. This must be one of them.
‘Corfu,’ Nik said. ‘Come. You’ll want to be with Danny, in case he wakes up.’
‘What?’ Carrie gasped in surprise. She couldn’t have heard him properly. Even someone as arrogant and controlling as Nik couldn’t have brought her to a foreign country without her permission. ‘Corfu?’ she repeated in sheer disbelief. ‘You said you’d take us home!’
‘I didn’t say your home,’ Nik shrugged. ‘This is my home, and it is a much more suitable place for Danny to recover.’
‘It wasn’t your choice!’ Carrie cried, hardly able to believe what she was hearing. A terrible day had suddenly got a whole lot worse. ‘You deceived me. You’ve brought us here against my will!’
‘It’s for the best,’ Nik said. ‘There’s no need for you to be cooped up in that dismal little flat. Obviously you will be more comfortable in my home. You can relax and Danny can have the best care to aid his recovery.’
‘I want you to take me home to London,’ Carrie said coldly, digging in her heels and refusing to move. ‘It’s what we agreed, and you know it.’