Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
His arm circled the small of my back, and he brought me close, angling his neck down to kiss me because the strain to his spine was worth it. His other hand slipped into my hair, and he kissed me so softly, like he didn’t want to ruin my lipstick or my hair but he couldn’t resist. When he pulled away, he looked at me again, taking in my appearance like he needed a second glance. Still, he said nothing.
But that was fine with me.
He noticed the duffel bag on the counter and grabbed it before he opened the front door for me to walk through.
We headed downstairs and got into the back of his SUV. There were two captain’s chairs, but Luca was big and broad enough that he could easily rest his hand on my thigh, absent-mindedly pushing away what little fabric was there so he could feel my bare skin right next to my panties. He stared at the road ahead.
I looked at him, seeing the veins pop in his neck above his collar. He’d shaved before he got dressed, and his fair skin was clean, the little bones in his jaw even more noticeable. His natural expression was that of intensity, so he looked mad when he was feeling nothing at all, and there was something about it that I liked.
He must have felt my stare because he turned to look at me.
I’d been caught like a giggling schoolgirl, but I didn’t look away.
When he realized I had nothing to say, his stare became less sharp. He looked at me as I looked at him, and then after almost a minute of staring, he looked out the window again.
We hadn’t said a word to each other since he’d entered my apartment, but it wasn’t tense or awkward or uncomfortable.
It felt right.
The SUV got in a long line of cars and eventually arrived at the entrance to the Louvre, which was decorated with pedestals of flowers on either side of the walkway, banners hanging down the front of the building with the French flag.
Luca got out first then helped me because of my heels and the long train of my dress. When we were situated on the sidewalk, he didn’t put his arm around me. Instead, he took my hand in his, his fingers encircling mine, and walked me to the entryway where other couples waited to enter.
He’d never held my hand before, and something about it felt more intimate. A man put his arm around his date, even a friend, but he didn’t hold hands with a woman unless there was deep affection there. Unless there was commitment and unity.
I let him guide me, the top of my head reaching his chin in my heels, the man reaching at least six-four. I’d never asked how tall he was, so I had no way of knowing exactly what his height was, but it had to be about there because my heels were at least six inches tall, and I still felt like a valley to his mountain.
We waited in line behind everyone else to check in and get past security.
“You never drive.”
He turned to look at me, slight confusion in his eyes.
“It’s just funny that I hopped into your car when you were driving, but you don’t seem to drive yourself often.”
“I do sometimes.”
“Well, I got lucky.”
We slowly moved farther up in line and eventually were granted entrance. It was empty without tourists there to see all the works of art on display in the greatest museum in the world. Instead of going through the whole museum like tourists, we were escorted into the main attraction—the room with the Mona Lisa.
The painting was protected by two layers of glass, shielded from bullets and whatever means of destruction an asshole would try to wield against one of the most famous pieces of art.
There were standing tables with white tablecloths and tall centerpieces throughout the room. Waiters traveled through with trays of champagne and canapés. The room was already full of people, and I assumed we would eventually be ushered into another room for the formal dinner.
I came from money, but this was still by far the fanciest party I’d ever been to.
He guided me through the crowd, but he barely made it a few feet before he encountered people that he knew. He was the most charming I’d ever seen him, greeting people and remembering them by name, kissing their wives on the cheek, talking about their last meeting together.
I smiled in silence, trying to be invisible and supportive at the same time. I didn’t expect Luca to introduce me.
But he did. “Timothe, this is my girlfriend, Aliénor.”
We kissed each other on each cheek.
He introduced me to others, and then we moved to one of the empty tables. A waiter came by and brought us two glasses of champagne. Luca appeared to take it to be polite, because he left it on the table and didn’t drink it. “I hope that was okay.”