“It’s fine, I handled it.”
The idea that Van Linsted could put his hands on her... I started for the door, and she held me back. “I thought the idea was not to be seen.”
“Fine, let’s go.”
Her hand slid into mine easily. We were the perfect picture of a couple slipping out into the night for some fresh air. She turned her face up to me with a sweet smile. “Did you get what you needed?”
I swallowed because no, I did not, in fact, have anything I needed. But I gave her a tight smile and nodded. “Yeah, he’s going to help me.”
“That’s fantastic. What did he ask for in return?”
I shook my head. “Something I’m not sure I can give.”
“I’m sorry. But maybe this can help.” She pulled a black phone from her purse.
“What’s that?”
With an impish grin that showed a hint of dimple, she said, “Bram Van Linsted’s phone. And bonus, I watched him enter the code.”
I froze. “Y-you stole his phone?”
“Yeah. He was touching me, so I figured I could touch him. Though we probably want to copy or clone it, or whatever it is you do, before he notices it’s gone.”
“Woman, I think I love you.”
“Sorry, you’ll have to join the queue. I’m pretty brilliant.”
“Yes. Yes, you are.”
“I didn’t really do anything special.”
“You did more than you know. I mean that. And as a reward, tomorrow I’m going to show you Paris.”
She treated me to another showstopper of a smile. “What?”
“I’m serious. I know we planned two days of work, but I want to be able to show you the city.”
She grinned and threw her arms around my shoulders. Then she stood on tiptoes and gave me a complete toe to chest to shoulder hug. I could feel all her pulsing points pressed against me, hot, warm, and soft. The scent of lime and honey wrapping around me, cutting off my oxygen supply so that I couldn’t think rationally. I don’t know where the low moan came from, but the moment it was out, I released her immediately. “Let’s go.”
When she stepped back, I noticed the high flush on her cheekbones. Yeah, I wasn’t the only one affected. Too bad neither one of us could do a damn thing about it.
Livy
Golden orange rays of sunlight streamed through the blinds in my room, breaking through my sleep solitude. I started to drag the pillow over my head until I remembered that Ben had promised to show me the city that morning.
So instead, I cracked open an eyelid and stretched. It was only when I noticed a shadow looming over me that I squeaked and jumped back.
“Morning, sunshine.”
“Oh my God, Ben, you scared the hell out of me.”
He laughed. “Rise and shine, princess. We have the perfect Paris day ahead.”
I turned to glare at the clock. “It’s six-thirty.”
“I know. But we only have one day. We have to get a lot in. Wear something comfortable that you can walk in.”
I wrinkled my nose and grumbled, “Comfortable isn’t cute.”
“Come on. If you must see Paris, this is the way to do it.”
“Okay, but can we get room service first?”
He turned back to glare at me with a mock expression of horror. “What? You don’t eat a hotel breakfast when you’re in Paris.”
“We did yesterday.”
“That’s because we had a meeting to go to. But today we do it right.”
“Oh God, why can’t someone just come and dress me and wash my hair and all of those things?”
He chuckled and leaned over me. Strong hands gently gripped my shoulders and he pulled me to a sitting position. “Come on, out with you.”
“What if I was indecent under here?”
“Then I would have gotten the image of a lifetime.”
The way his voice pitched low and his gaze hovered at where my breasts lay under the giant duvet made me quiver. “No peeking.”
“I promise not to look.”
Everything about the cheesy smirk on his face said that he would definitely look.
“Turn around. I’m not— Oh, just get out. I’ll be out in ten minutes.”
“Make it five, or I’m back coming in.”
I groaned and flopped back into bed. This was what happened when you became friends with your boss.
He knocked at the door again. “Seriously, get up or I’m coming back in there. I can dress you if you want.”
“No, I’m fine. I can dress myself.”
He chuckled. “Okay. If you say so. Just hurry up.”
I was ready in five. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and then secured my hair in a bun. He had picked out my favorite sundress, but the sandals he’d laid out were not comfortable, so I switched them out for my Adidas. When I came out, his gaze slid over me, stopping at the Batman pin on the dress. “You brought that with you?”
Heat sneaked up my skin, flaming my cheeks. “Um, sort of out of habit.”
He frowned but nodded. “Right. Anyway, let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”
“First, we are going to have breakfast.”
“Where? It better be good because I’m starving.”
“This is Paris. It’s all good. We are headed to Ble Sucre. It is on Rue Antoine Vollon. God, the pain au chocolat will ruin you for any other croissant you’ll eat in your life. I promise.”
He took my hand. I was tempted to pull it back, but he was so enthusiastic I didn’t want to ruin it.
You’re sending mixed messages. And you still have a complicated situation.
God, did I still have a boyfriend? I had a lot to sort through, and I didn’t need feelings for Ben to complicate things. Discreetly, I pulled my hand back and tucked it into the pocket of my dress. Ben didn’t say anything though. Instead, he tossed an arm around my shoulders as he directed me toward the smell of the most amazing bread in my life. “This better be worth it.”
“I promise you it is.”
And he was almost always right, which was annoying. It made me want to hit him in his smug face. But the croissants were well worth it. We carried several along with us as we continued to walk. We headed across the Seine and decided to see what was remained of Notre Dame. There were still parts of the structure left. My heart broke as I thought of the fire we’d all seen on television. But like most things in Europe, they would rebuild and restore. Maybe one day I’d get to see it in its former glory. Jardin des Plantes was our next stop. “Is this the botanical garden?”
He nodded. “Yeah, it’s the main one. It dates back to the 1600s or something. Come on, let’s go. We’re taking a quick walk.”
I groaned. “Can’t I just sit down and gorge myself on this delicious bread?”
He laughed. “We can walk and do it. I didn’t realize you were such a morning person.”
“You know that’s funny, because on workdays I am. I’m up early in the office doing stuff. But on days that I have to myself, I would sleep till noon. It’s like I can switch off that part of me that has to follow a timetable, you know?”