by Lynne Shelby
‘I know that now. Now that you’re here with me.’
Alex leant towards me, his finger tilting up my chin. And then he kissed me. The rose and the statue fell from my hands, and I melted against him. Still kissing me, he put his arms around me, and together we sank back onto the bed.
I said, ‘If you knew how many times I wondered what it would be like to kiss you – even before we went to Paris.’
He laughed. ‘There were occasions when I caught myself thinking about doing a lot more with you than kissing. I’d never have made a move on you, of course.’
‘Why not?’ I was genuinely curious.
‘You and I were friends. Before we went to Paris.’
‘And now …?’
‘Anna – you haven’t read your letter.’
I picked up the cream envelope, tore it open, and read the letter inside. Suddenly, I couldn’t stop smiling.
He said, ‘There was a moment at the Gallery Lécuyer – we were looking at Anna Awakening – that was when I realised that you were more than just a friend to me.’
‘I don’t know exactly when it was I fell for you,’ I said, ‘but it was long before this morning, when I woke up next to you in your bed.’
‘I want to wake up next to you every morning of my life. Which is why we need to talk.’ He took my hand. ‘I can work anywhere, Anna. If you’ll have me, I won’t go back to France in July. I’ll stay in London with you. Unless – would you consider living with me in Paris?’
I smiled at him. ‘Alex, I would love to wake up next to you every morning in Montmartre. I would love to live with you in Paris. Je t’aime.’
He kissed me again, for a very long time. And then I re-read my letter. The shortest – and best – letter he’d ever written to me.
Dear Anna,
I love you.
Alex xx
Contemporary Women’s Fiction
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Published by Accent Press Ltd 2015
ISBN 9781783758029
Copyright © Lynne Shelby 2015
The right of Lynne Shelby to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
The story contained within this book is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publishers: Accent Press Ltd, Ty Cynon House, Navigation Park, Abercynon, CF45 4SN
