Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
Winnie’s brow furrowed, and she instantly shook her head. “No way,” she stated at once.
But the light in Matthew’s eyes wouldn’t cease. “Oh, come on. Just one quick game?”
She looked around them, even though she already knew no one was there. “Are you kidding me? There’s no way I’m gonna play a game in a castle we’re not allowed to.”
“The worst you’d get is a warning,” he said with a flippant wave of his hand, his smile becoming more appealing by the second. “Come on. One quick game. No running. No shouting. It’ll be fun.”
Man, he was convincing. But there was no way she could play.
She folded her arms, unable to bend. “Sorry, but I can’t.”
Matthew delivered an exaggerated sigh, then he shrugged and sauntered away from her. “Fine. Suit yourself. But you’re not getting out of Skipton until you find me.”
Winnie dropped her arms to her sides. “What? What do you?—”
Her words ended abruptly as Matthew flashed a smile. “Good luck,” he said, then he was gone.
Winnie stared at the open doorway he’d disappeared through, shaking her head in disbelief. Was he really going to make her do this?
“Matthew, I’m not going to find you,” she said, her voice only slightly raised.
He made no response. Instead of the trepidation she probably should have been feeling, excitement bubbled within her, and a smile etched across her lips.
Fine. She’d play his little game, and she’d beat him at it, too.
She rushed to the open window, peering at the ground below as she anticipated where he’d go first.
Sure enough, she found him walking swiftly from the ground floor out into the courtyard, looking over his shoulder, as if expecting her to be following him.
She tapped lightly on the glass. “Found you!”
Matthew paused, looking from window to window until seeing her. “Cheat!” he said, pointing at her.
She shook her head, putting a finger to her temple. “Smart,” she said.
“You still have to tig me,” he returned, then he walked swiftly to another door and disappeared within.
Winnie remained where she stood, watching as he popped in and out of the rooms, his head appearing every once in a while in the windows, and she couldn’t help but laugh.
After a few minutes of not seeing him, however, she knew he must’ve wised-up. Leaving her vantage point, she went the opposite way Matthew had, hoping to catch him that way.
Before long, she caught sight of him, pointing at him and calling out, “Found you!” in her softest whisper she could manage.
Matthew grinned, then disappeared through the door.
Winnie scurried after him, having to stop for a moment as she allowed a mother and her two young kids to pass her by before she continued in his direction.
Of course, he’d vanished by that point, so Winnie took up her search again. Unfortunately, this time, she couldn’t catch a break. She circled the castle once, then twice, all without a single glimpse of him.
She tried watching from the window, then moved to the courtyard, sitting down on the small circle barrier around the base of the tree, breathless but only from excitement. Despite not being able to find him, she still smiled. This was the most fun she’d had in years.
Going through a mental list of rooms she’d already been to, Winnie narrowed down her options as to where to look next. The banqueting hall, the kitchens, the withdrawing room, the watchtower. She’d been everywhere.
Well, everywhere but the dungeons.
Her stomach tightened. The dungeons. Of course that’s where he’d be. She’d been so uncomfortable walking down there before with him that she hadn’t even stepped foot on the floor, remaining on the stairs before ushering Matthew out herself. They were just so creepy. Dark and damp and filled with all sorts of harsh history. So now she had to walk all the way down there to find and tag Matthew? Nope. No way.
And yet, if there was anything she’d learned about him in the last few weeks, it was that he was as stubborn as she was—maybe even more so. If she ever wanted to leave Skipton, and if she wanted to win, she’d have to find him. It was as simple as that.
With a heavy sigh, she pushed herself off the stone and headed for the dungeons. At the top of the steps down, she paused.
“Matthew?” she called out quietly. “I know you’re down there.”
No response.
“I’m not coming down,” she continued.
Still, nothing.
Winnie sighed. He was really going to make her do this, wasn’t he?
She descended a few steps, pulling out her phone and shining her light down the stairs.
“Come on, we’re gonna be late for whatever we’re doing next,” she said. She listened for any sound of him, but there was nothing. “Don’t you wanna come out and teach me more about history and stuff?”
Not even that worked.
She pulled in her lips, taking the remaining steps down to the dark, windowless room.
She shone the light across the space, lighting up as much of it as possible, though the corners remained black.
Still, there was no sign of him.
“All right, you win,” she said. “Just come out already.”
She took a step forward, her heart thudding uncomfortably against her chest as she stared at the dark walls, imagining the type of things that had once occurred down there. Torturing, deaths, hauntings…
A shadow moved in the corner, and her stomach dropped, her heart echoing in her ears. Matthew could stay down there for the rest of his days, for all she cared. She was done.
Spinning on her heel, she had every intention of flying up the stairs to escape whatever ghosts now surrounded her. But when she came face-to-face with Matthew instead, his features half-covered in shadow, she yelped, launching toward him on instinct. Her phone plummeted to the floor, and she reached forward, landing a sound slap on his cheek.
He grunted, backing away from her in shock as she gasped.
“Oh my gosh,” she said, rushing toward him, realizing too late what she’d done. “I’m so sorry!”
To her relief, he laughed. Then she realized what he’d done.
Lit by her phone still on the ground, Matthew straightened, holding a hand to his cheek as he beamed with utter delight at having scared her so badly.
Indignation ran through her. “You jerk!” she said, reaching forward and pushing his broad shoulder back. “You scared me to death.”
He laughed again, lowering his hand from his cheek and reaching down for her phone. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist. ”
She snatched her phone from his fingers. “You do realize you just lost the game.”
“It was absolutely worth it.”
She fought the smile off her lips. “You’re lucky I didn’t punch you. You can’t mess with a girl who’s lived in New York, you know. I could have pepper-sprayed you, too.”
“You have some on you?”
“Usually.”
He smiled in response, rubbing his cheek. “Sorry. I really didn’t think I’d scare you that badly.”
She had a mind to reject his apology on principle, but when she shifted the light of her phone onto his face, the redness beyond his beard shone brightly.
She winced. “I suppose I did that.”
He rolled his jaw. “Yes, you did. But I deserved it.”
“Well, I know that much. But I’m sorry just the same.”
He waved a passive hand, but Winnie still eyed his cheek. Now she really did feel bad.
Without another thought, she reached forward, intending on stroking the skin to see if she could dispel the redness, but as her fingertips stroked his beard instead, every inch of her froze aside from her racing heart.
What on earth was she doing? She shouldn’t be staring deeply into his eyes, feeling the soft prickles of his facial hair on her fingertips. This was a business trip. A business trip that involved talks of kissing, playing hide-and-seek, and assaulting her business associate, apparently. But a business trip all the same.
She dropped her hand and took a step away from him, shifting her phone’s light away to hide her embarrassment.
“Sorry,” she mumbled.
“For slapping me?”
“Sure.”
Matthew’s smile grew tenfold at her words.