“Lena, are you going to come out and show me?” Tyler called from the other side of the curtain.
She started to and then paused, biting her lip. “No, I don’t think I will. You picked a winner. I’ll get it, but I want it to be a surprise when you see me tonight.”
There was a pause from his side of the curtain. “Okay.”
When Lena came out a moment later, she saw Tyler signing a receipt. Her stomach clenched, and she ran toward him.
“Oh, no. You can’t buy this for me. It’s insanely expensive.” The sales lady gave her a sharp glance but didn’t comment.
“Don’t worry about it. And you weren’t supposed to look at the price tag.” He plucked the dress from her hands.
She sighed and wrapped her arms around him. “You didn’t need to buy that for me.”
“I know I didn’t, but I did.” He dropped a quick kiss on her lips and then tucked the bag under his arm.
Grabbing her hand, he steered her out the door.
“Are you going to buy yourself something?”
Tyler shrugged and eyed some of the shops they were passing. “If I see something I like.”
He slipped his arm around her waist, and she leaned into him, lifting her face up for a kiss. He obliged and let his lips graze over hers. Feeling naughty, she opened her mouth to draw his lip between her teeth and gave a playful nibble on him.
He tightened his arms around her and tickled her side until she let him go with a giggle. They started to walk again when she turned to glance in a shop.
Lena jerked to a stop, seeing the familiar face of Claire—the woman from the train—staring back at her with a curious expression.
What were the chances she’d run into the other woman in the middle of Paris?
Claire gave a friendly wave as she stepped outside the shop. “Lena, no?”
“Yes. Hello again, Claire.” A wave of unease ran through her. She’d told Claire she was engaged and traveling with a friend. Had she seen the kiss?
Please, don’t let her bring up my engagement.
“Tyler, this is Claire, the woman I told you about from the train. And Claire, this is Tyler. My friend I’m traveling with.” She could feel her face heating but kept a friendly smile plastered in place.
“Wonderful to meet you, Tyler.” Claire shook his hand, her gaze warm, yet curious.
“You as well.” Tyler gave Lena a broad grin. “Lena couldn’t stop talking about you after she met you on the train. Apparently you made quite an impression.”
Right. Lena bit back a laugh. Tyler probably didn’t have a clue who Claire was or even remember her telling him about the Parisian woman. He sure played it off rather well, though.
“I’m shocked we ran into you, Claire. What are the chances?”
“My office is a block south from where we are,” Claire explained. “Are you two staying far from here?”
“Not too far.”
“Lovely. And you are out shopping?”
“Yes. I still need to get some shoes to go with my dress I just bought.” Lena sighed. “So it’s taking us a while.”
“If you would like, I can show you some of my favorite shops,” Claire offered.
Lena cast a speculative glance at Tyler. “Oh, well…”
“Go for it,” Tyler urged. “You go spend some time with Claire while I run some errands.”
“Are you sure?”
He nodded and held her gaze for a moment, and she could see the sincerity there.
“I could really use the time to do guy stuff.”
Her lips twitched. “Okay. I’ll meet you back at the apartment in a couple hours.”
He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and then left.
Lena stood frozen, her back to Claire. Okay, there was no way Claire could have missed that kiss.
She took a deep breath and turned around.
Claire stood smiling, no judgment anywhere in her expression. “Are you hungry? My favorite café is nearby. We could have lunch, or perhaps just coffee.”
Lena nodded hesitantly. “Coffee sounds nice.”
She fell into step beside the other woman, and before long they were seated in the wicker chairs of the café.
“And how has Paris been treating you, Lena?”
“Oh, wonderful.” Lena sighed and shook her head. “I’m most enchanted by Notre Dame. It’s so dark and beautiful. We don’t have anything like it at home.”
Claire laughed and drank a dainty sip of coffee. “America has its charms. Although it has been a while since I have visited there. The last time must have been when Monica was ten. She wanted to see the real California Disneyland.”
“Ah, Disneyland.” Lena grinned. “I think I went there at least five times before I got my driver’s license, and then once I had it, I took road trips once a month. I didn’t care if it took me a day and a half to get there. It was worth it.”
Claire smiled in response and glanced down at her mug.
The silence expanded from a brief pause to a long silence. Lena’s pulse sped up, and she licked her lips. Was Claire wondering about Tyler?
“He’s my friend from New York,” she blurted. “We met in Amsterdam and have been traveling together.”
Friends that make out on the streets of Paris. She hoped Claire would be too polite to bring that up though.
“Tyler? He seems very nice. I assume the trip has been very enjoyable for you both?”
That was an understatement. She lowered her gaze. “Yes. Very much so.”
Claire pushed her chair back and stood up, apparently not taking the conversation any further.
“Come, let me show you the side of Paris I love most.”
Tyler flipped through the channels on television but stared without much interest. Loneliness bit at his gut, and he remembered how it was back in Amsterdam before he’d hooked up with Lena.
He’d sure gotten used to having her around. He clicked off the television and was debating going to take a nap when Lena stumbled into the apartment carrying two oversized bags.
Relief spread through him. “Did you leave anything for the other shoppers?”
She scowled and dropped the bags on the floor. “Shopping isn’t quite as easy as it looks, you know. I just stopped that croissant from going straight to my thighs with all the walking I just did.”
“Oh, I see.” He winked at her. “I knew women must have an ulterior motive for shopping.”
Lena kicked her shoes off and went to sit down on the other end of the couch, placing her feet on his lap. He pushed them aside before crawling forward to lean over her. She curled an arm around the back of his neck, smiling as she drew his head down to hers.
“I missed you,” he murmured.
“Mmm. I missed you too.”
He pulled her harder against him, slipping his tongue inside her mouth.
Her hands drifted over the muscles of his abdomen, and she pulled back a bit. “Tyler, did I ever tell you that you’ve got amazing abs?”
“No, you didn’t.” He reached down to caress a breast. “But since we’re discussing body parts, I really like these.”
“Do you?” She arched her back so her breast settled firmer into his hand. “How much?”
“Oh, very, very much.” He slid his hand under her shirt and inched up her stomach.
“Good.” She pushed him off her and rolled off the couch. “Because that’ll make you appreciate them even more tonight when you get to see them again.”
Tyler blinked, his mouth hanging open. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me. That’s so cold.”
Lena batted her eyelashes and blew him a kiss from across the room. “Trust me, it’ll be worth it. I want you to be going insane for me by tonight.”
Tyler groaned and thrust his hands into his pockets. He was going insane for her now. Tonight he’d be climbing the walls.
“Okay, sweetheart. Whatever you want.”
“You know, I love it when a man says that to me.”
>
Tyler gave her a thoughtful look. Of course, if he wanted to he could probably sway her. He crossed the room to her. “Sure I can’t change your mind?”
Lena’s eyes widened. “I’m sure.”
He leaped toward her, and she yelped, diving in to the bathroom and slamming the door in his face.
Tyler laughed. After hearing the shower turn on, he walked into the kitchen to mix himself a gin and tonic. Drink in hand, he went to the window and stared out at the Eiffel Tower. Tomorrow they’d go there.
Opening the sliding glass door, he stepped out onto the patio and sat down in one of the wooden deck chairs. He sipped his drink, enjoyed the view, and thought about Lena.
He could still hear the shower running. And she was singing, though not very well.
A moment later, the shower turned off. His hands clenched around the glass as he imagined her toweling off her wet body.
He tipped the glass back and emptied the rest of its contents in one swallow.
Finishing off the drink, he walked back into the apartment and dropped the glass on the counter. Grabbing his book, he sat down to read.
The novel sucked him in, and he almost didn’t hear her come into the room. It wasn’t until she stood in front of him did he glance up.
His chest tightened, and his blood thundered through his veins as he ran his gaze over her.
Her skin shimmered against the black dress. The exposed shoulder was so erotic he wanted to kiss every bare inch of it.
The dress itself molded over her curves and then stopped halfway down her leg, showing sexy calves and red-painted toenails that were tucked into at least four-inch stiletto heels.
She’d done her makeup darker tonight, her eyes outlined in feline fashion, and her lips were plump and painted an I’m a sex kitten color of red. A sweet musk scent drifted from her body.
He raised his gaze to meet hers, stunned to see her looking tentative and shy.
“Is it too much?” She fiddled with her hair, the only thing that remained the same.
Instead of answering, he grabbed her and hauled her against him. His lips crashed down on her mouth, and his tongue slid deep to rub against hers.
She gasped, holding onto him as if he’d thrown her off balance. When he let her go, she drew in a ragged breath.
“Does that answer your question?” he rasped as he stared at her swollen lips. “You’d better go put on some more lipstick.”
Lena blinked at him and then ran an unsteady finger over his mouth. “And you’d better go take mine off.”
He didn’t respond, just wished he had time for a cold shower. With a groan, he turned and strode into the bedroom.
Chapter Twelve
Lena let out a quiet squeal the moment he left the room. His response had been more than she had even dared hope for. It was primal—something so completely foreign and new to her.
And the way she’d done her makeup made her feel like a movie star on Oscar night. To think she’d almost wiped it all off, thinking it seemed too dramatic.
Lena went to turn on the radio and then walked around the apartment. A song with a complex rhythm played, and she sauntered around to the beat, swinging her hips with her newfound confidence.
She passed a mirror and paused. Then turned around and moved back in front of it.
She took a moment to pose in front of the mirror, thrusting a foot out in front of her and pouting her lips into a seductive expression.
“Oh, yes, darling.” She flexed her arms so the tiniest bulge of muscle appeared. “You are sexy. You are wanton. Purrrr.”
She rolled her hips to the music and lifted her arms above her head, trying hard to imitate a belly dancer.
“You are sexy,” Tyler murmured from the doorway.
Lena jerked upright. She spun to face him and stumbled in her stilettos, falling smack on her butt on the carpet.
“Are you okay?” Tyler hurried forward, his question offset by the laughter he obviously tried to hold back.
Her face burned with humiliation. “I’m fine, really.”
He sank down on his knees beside her. “I’m sorry. It isn’t funny.”
“Hmm. So you weren’t just laughing?”
“Well...” He cleared his throat. “Hang on a second. I have to give you something.”
She turned to face him, giving him a suspicious look. “What is it?” He pulled a small box out of his pocket and flipped it open.
“These.”
The small, teardrop-shaped diamond earrings glistened against the velvet lining. Lena stared at them, baffled. “You bought these for me?”
“No. They’re for my sister, but I thought I’d let you borrow them tonight.”
Her gaze flew up to his, and then she laughed, noting his eyes glittering with amusement.
“I’m joking, Lena.”
She smiled and removed the small studs she already had in her ears, and then reached for the box.
He held onto it. “Let me put them on you.”
“All right.”
His strong fingers fumbled with the earrings, and then he reached up to place them in her earlobes. She watched his determined expression as he set about the task and enjoyed the pleasant sense of intimacy of the moment.
He took twice as long as she would have if she’d put them in herself, but it was worth it when he pulled away, looking so proud of himself.
“Thank you for the earrings, they’re lovely.” She leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek.
“No, thank you, Lena.” His hand rested under her chin. “For letting me take out the most beautiful woman in all of Paris tonight.”
“Well, tell me where she is so I can kick her ass.”
Tyler smiled and draped an arm over her shoulders, leading her toward the door.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you.” She glanced up at him. “Claire has really taken a liking to me. She’s invited us over for dinner to meet her family tomorrow night. What do you think? I said yes, but if you don’t want to I can call her back.”
“No, I think it sounds great.” He shrugged and locked the door to the apartment.
Could he be any more supportive? Closer to perfect?
After a long, romantic dinner, they took a taxi to a club and waited in line for a few minutes to get inside. Lena chewed her lip, wishing she weren’t so damn nervous.
The music pounded loud, and hundreds of people were twisting their bodies and grinding on the polished dance floor.
People wore all kinds of clothes, from barely there outfits to more sophisticated dresses like the one she had on.
“I thought I might be overdressed,” Lena shouted to Tyler. “But obviously not.”
“I’ll say,” Tyler yelled back and signaled for two beers at the counter.
The bartender handed them over a minute later, and they walked around again, looking for a table. They managed to snag a free one and sat down. Several pairs of eyes followed their progress, one woman in particular showing extra interest in Tyler.
Lena placed her hand on Tyler’s shoulder and lifted an eyebrow.
That’s right, he’s with me.
The woman shrugged and looked away.
Lena smiled, congratulating herself on the tiny victory, and glanced at the dance floor. The heavy pounding of the Euro trance music had her almost twitching in her seat. Tyler must’ve picked up on it.
“You really want to dance, don’t you?”
She grinned and leapt up, grabbing his hand and pulling him onto the floor.
Lena squeezed her way between people and found a spot with enough room for her to dance with Tyler. She gave a small shriek of excitement, barely heard above the music, and started to fling her body around in abandon.
“What are you doing?” Tyler yelled, standing stock still watching her.
“I’m dancing. Which is what you should start doing if you don’t want to look like an idiot.”
He stood still a moment longer before he threw himself into the trance m
usic. They blended right in with the wave of movement on the floor.
A few songs passed before Tyler grabbed her hand and leaned in close to her.
“I need some water,” he shouted into her ear. “You coming?”
Lena nodded and let her body slow to a standstill. Tyler dropped her hand and started to make his way toward the bar.
She went to follow when an arm snaked out and weaved around her waist, dragging her back toward the dance floor.
Lena turned to see who had grabbed her and encountered a rather large man.
He smiled at her and yelled something in French.
“I’m sorry.” She shook her head and sent a furtive glance toward Tyler who hadn’t noticed she’d stopped. “I don’t speak French.”
“Ah, you are American?” He laughed and grabbed her hands. “I tell you that you are a very beautiful woman and you must dance with me. I am Mortimer.”
“That’s very sweet of you, but—” She got cut off as another loud, pulsing song came on and drowned her out.
He jerked her around with the music, and she groaned, feeling a little bit like an oversized stuffed animal. How the hell had she gotten herself into this situation?
She closed her eyes for a moment and, when she opened them, Tyler’s amused expression came into view. He lifted his water in a salute and went to sit down at the table.
He didn’t plan on rescuing her? She made a face and kept dancing. She burned out quick and, after a moment, she couldn’t bear it anymore. She pushed herself hard away from the French man and made her way back to the table. She had almost reached it when she noticed a lithe woman in a sleek pantsuit place herself next to Tyler.
Lena froze and watched for a moment to see what would happen. Jealousy stabbed deep as he smiled at the woman, then appeared to get into a quick conversation.
She watched for a moment, expecting Tyler to look for her on the dance floor, but he seemed engrossed with the woman.
Her stomach clenched, and she took an unsteady breath. The initial hurt faded, and a slow burn of annoyance replaced it.
She turned and went back to the bar, deciding to buy herself a drink.
“I can’t believe this,” she mumbled under her breath. “I get all dressed up and instead of him going nutty over me, he finds someone else to flirt with.”
Foreign Affair Page 12
