by Ava Miles
He bided his time while Margie said goodbye to Belle and Andre. The couple had been kind enough to include him in a small farewell to Margie at their apartment. And even though everyone had eyed him curiously—okay, Andre had given him some seriously pointed looks—he’d managed to relax. The couple’s three children had played in the small terrace of the building while they’d eaten a simple fare of baguette, cheese, and saucisson. Then Andre had brought out a special bread—three loaves braided into what looked like a crown—and presented it grandly to Margie.
“Now you are a queen baker,” he told her. “It’s time to take your place among the masters, ma petite, and make the magic in your own town.”
She brushed aside a tear. “Thank you, Andre. Learning from you has been an incredible blessing. I will never forget it.”
He coughed as if to clear his throat and kissed both her cheeks. “I will miss you, ma petite.”
“We all will,” Belle said, standing and kissing her as well.
Then the other two bakers, Fabian and Ronan, kissed her on the cheeks and gave her their best wishes in French.
By the time everyone was finished, she was crying. “Thank you. All of you.”
Evan found his own throat thickening as he watched the scene. She’d been summoning confidence for her new venture for as long as he’d known her. Now, it seemed, a new mantle was around her shoulders.
And he felt a slight pinch of concern for what he planned to do. Was he right to do it? When she was about to begin something new? He set aside his questions, unable to second-guess himself at this point because he loved her so much, and soon they were off.
He led her to the car he’d chosen for the night. He hadn’t wanted to deal with the insane traffic of their destination, so he’d told her he wanted to use the Rolls as another way of testing the waters. She’d only nodded, and he’d felt a moment of unease.
When the chauffeur dropped them off, he took her hand and looked up at one of the most marvelous inventions in the world. The Eiffel Tower pierced the sky as the sun cast its pink and golden rays down on them. He let her enjoy the view and then led her up the layers of stairs leading to Trocadero Square. The fountains on the hill cascading up to the Palais de Chaillot were bubbling, and a throng of people were out, most of them tourists snapping pictures or resting their legs.
As they reached the top of the steps, Evan heard the rasp of tango music from the record player. Couples were already dancing in a sensual embrace, locked together from passion and the agony of potential separation.
Evan understood that feeling as he gazed at Margie. The green silk dress she’d worn her first night in town made her eyes more dark and mysterious, but she was smiling as she looked upon the scene.
“Tango! How fun!” she exclaimed, her body already moving to the music.
“Margie,” he said, extending his hand to her. “Will you dance with me?”
She turned back to him, and her mouth parted in amazement. “You know how to dance tango?”
He lifted a shoulder. “Chase thought some knowledge of ballroom dancing would be helpful when we did my makeover.”
Her hand clasped his in a strong grip. “Please thank him for me. I don’t know anyone else who likes to tango. Well, except for Jill, but it isn’t quite the same.”
Leading her to the edge of the dancers, he met her gaze. “How do you know it?”
She rolled her eyes. “My mother thought it compulsory for rich girls. She said men considered it sexy.”
Since he could feel the storm rising inside her from those memories, he decided not to ask more questions. Instead, he clasped her to him in a perfect ballroom hold as she did the same. Her shoulders were back, and when she looked into his eyes, he saw the siren in her, the one who could love a man passionately and walk away without a backward glance.
But then she smiled.
Their embrace felt as natural as the powerful love he felt for her, and he took the first step. She flowed with him, completing the basic series with a lockstep. He kept it simple until her look turned molten, and then he knew his Pocket Venus wanted more. He fell into the music with her and gave her what they both wanted. Passion. Struggle.
Stalking her like a matador, he walked her back three steps in a progressive rock-step series before pausing dramatically. She raised her leg and caressed his calf before stepping over him, flicking him a flirtatious glance. On it went between them. They completed a floor boleo step, and then he led her into the ochos, a series of figure eights to the right and left side.
He stared into her eyes like he would if they were making love, and his heart and body seemed to burn for her. She wrapped her leg around his thigh, and he could feel his blood beat in his veins as he lifted her.
She was the lushest, most sensual woman he knew. And he would love her until the end of time.
They danced and danced until she finally laid her head on his chest when one of the songs ended.
“I want to go home with you,” she whispered against his skin, and then she traced a heart there. And then he knew it. He was doing the right thing. She knew he was her home just as he knew she was his.
His heartbeat was ticking like a clock, counting off the seconds until she planned to leave. But he knew how to stop time now. Love was the magic that would stop it, and right now he was filled with its power.
He took her hand and drew her through the crowd, glancing down at his watch. Everything was going to be perfect. It was a few minutes shy of ten o’clock.
“Come on,” he told her as they raced down the first flight of stairs. “There’s something I want you to see.”
As he led her to one of the overlooks above the fountains, he heard the crowd gasp. He turned her around. The lights on the Eiffel Tower were flickering a lush red and gold. He helped her climb up onto the wide stone ledge, and when she sat, he sank down to one knee in front of her, reaching inside his suit jacket for the ring he’d bought earlier that day.
Since she was gazing off at the lights, he paused to enjoy the way they danced in her eyes. There was a warm smile on her face, like everything in the world was beautiful. And he could wait no longer.
He touched her knee. She turned back to look at him, and her mouth dropped open.
Popping the box open, he held out the ring. He’d chosen the darkest ruby he could find—surrounded by a string of diamonds.
“Margie. I love you more than I imagined loving anyone, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”
Her eyes narrowed, and his heart skipped a beat. She was shaking her head before she got out any words.
“Oh, Evan,” she said, putting her hands over the ones that held the ring. It was as if she was trying to hide it from view. “I love you, but I can’t.”
He staggered back, and the box holding the ring dropped to the floor. It bounced across the stone until it came to a stop. All he could do was stare at the ring he’d agonized over buying earlier that day—the one that encompassed everything he felt for her.
She hopped off the ledge and gathered up the box, putting the ring back inside it and snapping it closed. She might as well have given him back his heart.
“How could you say no?” he asked in complete shock. “You love me. You just said you did.”
She came toward him. “I do. I just…can’t marry you. Our lives are too different.”
The hurt crashed through him. So, she didn’t accept him for who he was after all. Suddenly, it was all too much. People were taking pictures of them, and he felt exposed, rejected.
“My chauffeur will see you home,” he said, and then he raced off through the crowd.
He heard her calling his name, but he couldn’t stop.
***
To read the conclusion of Margie and Evan’s daring love story, check out THE BILLIONAIRE'S RETURN, Volume 4 of the Dare Valley Meets Paris mini-series.
Here's a snippet of the story:
Margie Lancaster has traveled hom
e to Dare Valley with a broken heart. Her time with Evan Michaels had to end since the opening of her new bakery is just around the corner. But Evan isn't finished with his Pocket Venus. He returns to Dare Valley in all his billionaire alpha glory determined to find a way to keep Margie and the true love between them-even after all the secrets he kept from her. As he attempts to forge a life for himself in the small town, can Margie overcome her tragic past enough to find her happily ever after with Evan? And can Evan discover his true happiness again by re-inventing himself before all the money and glory got in the way?
And if you've missed Ava's other books, here's the rest of her connected series.
The Dare Valley series:
NORA ROBERTS LAND (Meredith & Tanner)
FRENCH ROAST (Jill & Brian)
THE GRAND OPENING (Peggy & Mac)
THE HOLIDAY SERENADE (Abbie & Rhett)
THE TOWN SQUARE (Arthur & Harriet)
THE PARK OF SUNSET DREAMS (Jane & Matt)
THE PERFECT INGREDIENT (Elizabeth & Terrance)
THE BRIDGE TO A BETTER LIFE (Natalie & Blake)
DARING BRIDES (a short story collection)
The Dare Valley Meets Paris Mini-series:
THE BILLIONAIRE’S GAMBLE (Volume One)
THE BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET (Volume Two)
THE BILLIONAIRE’S COURTSHIP (Volume Three)
THE BILLIONAIRE’S RETURN (Volume Four)
The Dare River series (connected to Dare Valley):
COUNTRY HEAVEN (Tory & Rye)
COUNTRY HEAVEN SONG BOOK
COUNTRY HEAVEN COOKBOOK
THE CHOCOLATE GARDEN (Tammy & John Parker)
THE CHOCOLATE GARDEN: A MAGICAL TALE (children's book)
FIREFLIES & MAGNOLIAS (Amelia & Clayton)
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author Ava Miles burst onto the contemporary romance scene after receiving Nora Roberts' blessing for her use of Ms. Roberts' name in her debut novel, the #1 National Bestseller NORA ROBERTS LAND, which kicked off her small town series, Dare Valley. Ava's books have reached the #1 spot at Barnes & Noble and ranked in Amazon and iBooks' Top 10. Both NORA ROBERTS LAND and COUNTRY HEAVEN have been chosen as Best Books of the Year. Ava has also released a connected series called Dare River about the power of love and family. She's fast becoming a favorite author in light contemporary romance (Tome Tender) and is known for funny, sweet, emotional stories, sometimes with a touch of mystery and magic. Ava's background is as diverse as her characters. She's a former chef, worked as a long-time conflict expert rebuilding warzones, and now writes full-time from her own small town community. Ava is a big believer in living happily ever after and writes about her own journey on The Happiness Corner blog every Friday on her website. If you'd like to connect with Ava or hear more about her upcoming books, check out the links below:
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Copyright August 2015, Ava Miles. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means—graphic, electronic or mechanical—without permission in writing from the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally.
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Ava Miles