Chaperoning Paris (Collins Brothers)

by Victoria Pinder

  “Don’t look down,” she told herself.

  Her eyes stared out the window. Her eyes went wide.

  “Geegs, Look at me.”

  “You’re safe.”

  Her shoulders hunched together and she took a deep breath. Finally the color returned to her cheeks. “I should have given you a chance to say something I’m sorry. My habit is to run.”

  “You’re sorry?” Am I supposed to be okay with ‘sorry’?” Her perfume swirled around in his lungs, and rose in his throat. He choked on the air and breathed fire to stop the smell. “No. You don’t get to apologize for what you did with just ‘I’m sorry.’”

  “What else am I supposed to say?” She gnawed her lower lip. “I should have been able to say no? I wish I had.”

  He took a step toward her and she held firm. He inhaled her sweet berry soap. And his mouth watered. He’d intended to speak his mind, but instead, his fingers stroked her back. Then a fire consumed him, and he lowered his mouth hers.

  Her hand played with his hair, then drew him closer. She tasted better than homemade cookies sprinkled on a sundae. Her dewy lips stole away his anger. But he couldn’t let himself go. He’d not forget or forgive her. Instead, he tore himself out of her arms, and wiped his lips. She panted and he clenched his jaw. He had no right. She had left him.

  “Why did you kiss me?” Her words came out breathy and unsure.

  At first he had no answer. He wanted to lash out or kiss her again. Then he replied, “It was either that or kill you, Gigi. I’m not sure I made the right choice.”

  Chapter 8

  Gigi could almost feel the steam coming out of her ears. Had Sean really say such a thing? Sean? Yes, she’d screwed up their lives, ten years ago, but kiss her or kill her?

  Her palms tingled. He’d chosen kiss. She stepped into his space and traced her body as she had trailed her hand up to his strong body to his neck. She pouted and invited him to kiss her. With a sigh, she parted her lips and she took in his hot breath on her body, and shivered.

  He resisted her until she stood on her toes and brought his mouth crashing into hers.

  A damn must have burst inside of him because he kissed her back. Good. She gasped. Then he shoved her against the cold metallic wall and her body heat steamed her. Every nerve cell in her body craved his touch. She matched his rising passion, kiss for kiss. And she needed more. She slipped her hand under his shirt to graze her fingers on his smooth back. His bare skin sent her into a liquid state.

  His mouth lowered to kiss the upper curve of her breast then sucked on her neck. His fingers played with her necklace, but she didn’t care. Her breasts ached. He could do anything he wanted to her provided he never stopped.

  Her head dropped back, giving him full access to her neck. His moans mirrored her own. Funny. Her body trusted Sean. A sigh escaped her mouth in mimic. Then he drew away from her neck and his lips returned to hers.

  His hands raked her back, and tugged her clean shirt out of her black pants. But all she imagined was wrapping her legs around his waist.

  The elevator rocked, but she held onto his neck to keep him with her. Grinding her hips forward, and encountered his fullness. She tugged out his shirt, and her fingers itched to remove the unnecessary boundary between them.

  Having him inside her would answer years of prayers. It wasn’t until the chime next to her ear rang, and sunlight filled her eyes that she realized they . . . The students! The thought worked like a cold bucket of water to calm her hormones. With trembling hands, she slipped her shirt on, and ran her hand through her tangled mess of her hair. Sean tucked his shirt back in, stared hard at her, and then blocked her from any potential eyes until she finished dressing.

  Still the gentleman.

  Even now, she ached for him to continue. Her body was like a furnace and she needed something cold. She glanced around the open green field. No water spigot in sight. She licked her lips. She needed something cold to stop the fire in her body.

  She knew her skin must be flushed, too. Sighing, she took hold of her mind. Kissing Sean made no sense. He should hate her. Kissing Sean would end in heartbreak.

  Propelling her forward, Sean pushed away from the door, and she immediately spotted her students. She frowned. “Something’s wrong with this picture.” Why would they all be sitting on a park bench and smile at them innocently and sweetly?

  He followed her stare then whispered, “How long were we in the elevator?”

  She glanced at her phone and her heart sank. “Twenty minutes.”

  “It felt like two.”

  Her heart thumped hard against her chest. How had she lost track of time? And all Sean had done was kiss her.

  “Could your students have locked us in there?”

  Her neck snapped toward him. Of course not was on the tip of her tongue then she stopped and stared back at the angelic teenagers. “Why would you think they’d trick us?”

  “Kendra, David, and Erica watched me holding your hand on our way up. I brushed off the conspiracy theory, but their faces so damn innocent. See, look at how their hands are folded in their laps. Patrick acts sweet when he’s manipulating me for more cookies, and he’s only three.”

  But the students had no idea about their history.

  Sean led her closer to the teenagers and their pasted smiles of ‘we’re sweet and innocent.’ Gigi raised her eyebrow and narrowed in on Erica, sitting with her hand under Raphael’s. Erica would crack under pressure.

  “Let’s get going,” Sean said, gesturing for the teens to rise. “You must be hungry.”

  “I’m not hungry,” Kendra answered. “But it would be good to practice for the competition before dinner and then sightsee after. We want to win.”

  “Let’s sightsee a bit then go back to the hotel,” Gigi suggested. Glancing at Sean, she felt her cheeks flush. “Mr. Collins set up a room for us.”

  His eyes laughed at her.

  After spending time exploring the area surrounding the Eiffel Tower, they marched back the same way they came. Erica stayed close to Gigi and Sean kept himself in the back. When no one was nearby, Erica whispered to her, “Ms. Dumont, your shirt is unbuttoned.”

  Gigi stopped and stared down. Her shirt was open at her waist. And been for about an hour. With a giggle, Erica rushed forward to join the students while Gigi turned to her side and, moving fast, tucked in her shirt.

  Sean Collins was far too dangerous for her sanity. In a few days, this would all end and they go back to their separate lives.

  Chapter 9

  The French competition wasn’t just a foreign spelling be. The team had to be fluent and able to answer obscure facts about France. Gigi’s heart and body lost their knots. Practice went well and her students had spoken beautifully this evening. Positivity filled her lungs, and her students made her laugh until enough stomachs growled. “Practice is over. Go to your room and meet in the lobby in fifteen minutes.”

  Gigi lagged behind and picked up the suite after them. Candy wrappers and soda cans followed teenagers wherever they appeared. When she finished cleaning, she took the elevator downstairs to her room to quickly change.

  In the halls, she heard laughter from the girls’ room and then from the boys’ room. She knocked on the girls’ door. Someone opened it and she peeked inside. The girls spun around in cute spring dresses. She shook her head and left. Then she did the same with the boys’ room. She knocked, and Raphael called out, “Don’t come in. We’re getting dressed.”

  Gigi swallowed then decided to find out about Sean and his brother. She hesitated at his door with her hand in the air. She took a deep breath, then knocked. No answer. She knocked again. Had Sean left without a goodbye?

  She turned to go to her room when she heard a clink of bolts. She stepped back, and had been prepared for many possibilities, but not for this. Her jaw dropped. Sean Collins’ naked, chiseled rock-hard chest hadn’t been on her list. Better than any statue of a god. Her body steamed up fast. She stepped b
ackward then cleared her throat. “We’re hungry for dinner now. You want to go with us?”

  “Let me grab my shirt.” He stepped into his room, but left the door open, and called out, explaining, “My son, Patrick, kept talking to me. I think he’s afraid I abandoned him.”

  What could she say right now? Put a shirt on? Keep it off and let me rub every muscle? Neither sounded much like what she should say, though the latter sent shivers of desire down her body.

  Gigi flinched.

  “I miss my parents,” Erica piped in from behind, and Gigi’s mouth almost dropped. “How old is your son?”

  “Patrick is three.”

  “Your wife must be great,” Erica replied.

  Words escaped Gigi’s capabilities at the moment. She breathed in and out, then explained, “Mr. Collins’s wife died about a year ago. Their grandparents are watching his son, allowing Mr. Collins to be our male chaperone.”

  “Glad I get to meet a few students at my new school.” Sean stepped out of his room and finished with his buttons of his shirt. “How did practice go?”

  Gigi blinked for one second. What had he asked? Her mind stayed fuzzy then she slowly focused. “Awesome. Tonight the students will order everything we eat, and the tour will be in French.”

  “You’re ordering for me then.”

  Gigi nodded, and her eyes stayed on his fingers.

  The second he buttoned his last button, he winked at her.

  Her gaze lowered. Thankfully Erika had returned to her room for the others. Gigi’s felt her face grow warm. Sean’s pants seemed to stretch a bit tighter in the front and his lower extremities became more defined. For the last ten years, she’d compared every man she ever knew to him. How could she stop looking now?

  “Ms. Dumont, I’m hungry.” Kendra’s whiney princess voice called from the direction of the elevator, effectively destroying her sex fantasy.

  “Give me a sec to change,” Gigi called then hastened to her room. Thankfully she’d set everything out beforehand. A quick change and a dash of makeup later she was ready for a night on the town. A few minutes later, she joined them as they getting into the limo again.

  “Tomorrow we have to navigate the subway. They need to develop map skills to take care of themselves in the future.”

  “You figured out the subway when we didn’t grow up near one,” Sean commented in a quiet voice.

  “I had no choice.” She crowded in the corner and kept her hands on her chin. Cary had saved her the day she arrived there. “An angel guided me and adopted me.”

  “You found religion, too?” His eyes widened.

  She laughed. “No. A human angel.” She doubted Sean would understand. He’d never struggled for anything. Well, he’d had his medical issues, but money had never motivated him or scared him. She pasted on a smile and faced the students until the limo stopped. “We must be here.”

  “David, when you go inside, give them my name,” Sean told the boy. “My French is bad.”

  The students filed out and into the fancy restaurant.

  At the door of the restaurant, Erica tugged Gigi’s arm.

  “I can’t afford to eat here. I’ll go get a burger and meet you back here in an hour.”

  Gigi shook her head. “We’re not separating. I’ll cover you.”

  “Ms. Dumont, you’re the best teacher I ever had. But this place smells expensive. Look. I’ll pay you back”

  “Nonsense.” Gigi glanced over her shoulder, and she saw how Sean had kept the boys surrounding him while they waited for them. Gigi smiled then told Erica, “It’s my treat, really. Let’s go join the others.”

  Within second of stepping inside the glass doors, Erica bounded off. Raphael saved the seat next to him for Erica, and Gigi nodded for her to go ahead.

  Sean came up behind Gigi and asked, “Is everything okay?”

  “She’s worried about the cost. Look around. This place isn’t where teenagers go.” she told him, though she didn’t expect him to understand.

  He put his hand on hers for a second and whispered, “I’m buying dinner for everyone.”

  “You don’t have to pay for everything. We have a budget.”

  Sean smiled, and she stared at his beautiful white teeth. “I changed the plans and I’ll pay the price.”

  “Thank you,” she said then settled into her seat.

  The students looked at the menu, thankfully unaware of anything going on between her and Sean.

  Sean dropped his napkin on his lap and stared at the menu.

  A few minutes later, Kendra asked, “Ms. Dumont, do you think this place has a prix fixe menu? What if we don’t have enough to cover the cost?”

  Sean smiled. “I’m buying. It’s my gift for letting me join you at the last minute.”

  “But Ms. Dumont roped you into going,” Raphael said. “You don’t have to pay for everything.”

  “Ms. Dumont?” Sean raised a brow. “She didn’t make me buy the school.”

  “Raphael, Kendra, stop.” Erica’s face went red as she confessed, “You’re being nice. And we’re sorry. We thought you must like each other. We were encouraging you.”

  Sean glanced in her direction and raised his eyebrow. “I’ll need everyone’s word. We’re here for a nice dinner, but neither Ms. Dumont nor I will be the subject of schemes.”

  “Are you sure?” Raphael said with a smirk. “You both looked like you had a good time.”

  Gigi covered her face with her palm. The boy hadn’t learned to keep his smart comments to himself. Normally she’d laugh, but Sean deserved better.

  “Ms. Dumont had more than earned your respect, and you should show her that,” Sean said. “Now let’s have dinner.”

  Breathe in, then out. Repeat. The butterflies in her stomach sped up. Slowly, Gigi sank back in her chair. Her eyes narrowed and she realized she could be calm. He hadn’t been upset.

  The students nodded in agreement and Sean smiled at everyone then sat down. He played with his hair, sipped his water, and stared at his menu. The students followed his lead.

  Gigi’s fingers itched to caress his knees under the table but the daydreams had to stop. A moment later, she added, “Let’s order dinner. David, order the duck for me.”

  Sean closed his menu, and stroked his throat. “The lamb dinner for me. Raphael, please order me that. The picture on the menu looks good.”

  The teenagers made cross-eyed faces to each other and gave that vibe that adults were weird. Gigi laughed, sipped her water, and finally her stomach stopped flipping.

  Then Sean patted her knee.

  Gigi’s lips formed a circle, but she couldn’t say a word. The boys ordered for the teachers and the rest of the group ordered for themselves.

  Raphael face went white as the waitress told him, “Non.”

  He bit his lips and tried to order his cheeseburger and macaroni again.

  The waitress again said, “Non.”

  Gigi fought a grin as Raphael let it go and ordered something on the menu. The waitress left and the group perked up.

  Sean leaned closer to her, and whispered in her ear, “I should have noticed your shirt before we left the elevator. It won’t happen again.”

  “What won’t?” she asked with a breathy voice.

  His eyebrow quirked up. “Both, I’d imagine, Geegs. It’s what you want?”

  No. Yes. A flush of heat rose to her cheeks and she stole a glance at Sean. Then she licked her lips at the memory of the kiss flashed. She froze then quickly sipped her water, though it did nothing to stem her desire for the man sitting way too nearby. “I’m starved.”

  Sean signaled for a waiter and told Raphael to order bread. Raphael grinned and placed the request.

  Gigi swiveled in her chair. “How did you know?”

  “I have a son. I could tell Raphael needed to be empowered a little.”

  Gigi stroked her arm, and wished she had the guts to touch him.

  Soon the waiter brought over bread, and Sean di
rected with his hands that the first piece should be Gigi’s. After chewing on her first bite, Gigi’s curiosity took over. “What happened with Jennifer? Can you talk about it?”

  “Jennifer wanted my money, and in exchange she gave me Patrick. She threatened to leave years before she did. Finally she walked out the house, went to the bank, took out a large sum of cash, and bought herself a plane ticket.”