She gave a husky laugh, her gaze following him.
He came back to her, already reaching for her breasts as his mouth crushed back down to taste hers. Her legs wrapped around his waist.
His tongue thrust deep while he slipped his fingers into the cups of her bra to tease her already taut nipples. He absorbed her guttural moan and deepened the kiss. Sliding one hand around her back, he unhooked the bra and pulled it free from her body.
He lifted his head to stare down at the breasts that were now bared. Her pink nipples puckered further beneath his gaze, and he groaned.
“Lena…oh, sweetheart.” Cupping both breasts in his hands, he dipped his head and drew one stiff peak into his mouth. Her flesh tasted sweet, the cry she made even sweeter. He sucked harder, his tongue rubbing against the tip while he pinched the nipple on her other breast.
“Tyler.”
He released her nipple and switched his mouth to the other, sucking and nibbling the tip. He squeezed his eyes shut the moment her hand grabbed his erection through his jeans. Her touch sent fire through his veins.
She worked fast, freeing him and pushing his jeans down to his knees. Her fingers were silky soft as they wrapped around his flesh. She paid special attention to the head, smoothing her thumb back and forth over the tip.
If she kept that up, he wouldn’t make it much longer. He groaned, flexing his hips and pumping against her hand. He grazed his teeth against her nipple, wanting to bring her as much pleasure as she gave him.
The damp heat of her sex pressed tight against his abdomen. The smell of her arousal combined with the flowers made for a heady aphrodisiac.
“Lena, hang on, sweetheart.”
“But why?” She pulled his head from her breast so he met her gaze. Her eyes sparkled with mischief and arousal. “This is so much fun.”
“Yeah?” He pulled himself away from her hand and urged her back onto the table so she lay down. “You know what else is fun?”
Grasping the strings on each side of her hips, he pulled the panties down until her funny, shaved curls sprang free and the swollen lips of her sex were revealed.
She gave an unsteady laugh. “Oh, if you’re doing what I think you’re doing, then yes. This is good too.”
Falling to his knees, he grabbed her legs and pulled them over his shoulders, bringing her cleft against his mouth. He thrust his tongue deep inside her, needing to taste her and send her out of control.
“Oh, yes.” Her choked words spurred him on.
His tongue delved again and again into her slick heat, tasting her and always going back for more. He brought his thumb to her swollen nub, rubbed slow circles, working her toward the point of no return.
Gripping her thighs, he dragged his tongue up to replace his fingers and licked her clit until she jerked against him.
“Oh, God, Tyler.”
He eased two fingers into her just as she came, penetrating her as she trembled through her climax.
When he finally stood up and gazed down at her, she whispered, “I want you inside me.”
His chest tightened at the need in her voice. That same need burned in every square inch of his body.
“That’s where I’m heading, sweetheart,” he murmured and held her legs, pulling her to the edge of the table—which by some miracle appeared just the right height for him to penetrate her. He leaned forward just a bit, and then slid deep into her.
Lena cried out, and she reached her hands above her to grip the other side of the table.
He squeezed his eyes shut, taking a moment to savor the sensation of being inside her.
“Please,” she begged, clenching the walls of her sex around him. He ground his teeth together and tightened his grip on her legs. He thrust in and out of her, increasing his pace and squeezing the soft flesh of her thighs.
“Harder,” she begged. “Please, Tyler.”
Her words made him lose all control. He groaned and flexed his hips, pounding into her so she moved up on the table. He pulled her back down, tightening his grip as he continued the hard thrusts.
His sac tightened, and he moved one hand in to rub her magic spot again. When his orgasm exploded, she came too. Her body clenched around him again as he came inside her.
He fell forward and kissed her breast, sliding up to nuzzle her neck. His heart pounded hard. He stroked over the pulse in her neck and found it beating just as furiously.
“How are you doing, sweetheart?”
She gave a weak sigh. “Tyler, you have no idea what you do to me.”
He had a pretty good idea, because she evoked the same response in him.
He stood and helped her up. “I’m going to clean up. When I get back, I’ll make us dinner. Why don’t you catch a nap on the couch?”
She nodded and slid off the table, but her knees buckled. Tyler gave a soft laugh and swept her into his arms, carrying her to the couch.
“And later tonight, I promise to give you the most amazing backrub. Deal?”
“Deal,” she murmured and yawned.
He covered her with a nearby blanket and then headed for the bathroom.
“Lena, wake up, sweetheart.”
She frowned and mumbled, “Let me just sleep for another minute.”
“You’ve been asleep for over an hour.”
Lena blinked and sat up, rubbing her eyes to ease the sleep from them. She glanced at the clock on the wall and frowned. “Why did you let me sleep for so long?”
“You needed it.” He grabbed her hand and helped her off the couch. “And while you slept, I made us a damn good-looking dinner—if I do say so myself.”
She yawned again as he led her to the table. Her eyes widened as she sat down.
Each plate was laid out with a thick steak, juices oozing around it. In the middle of the table on a plate were chunks of white cheese, a loaf of bread, and two goblets filled to the brim with wine.
“This looks incredible. You’re spoiling me.” She glanced at him. He looked so proud, she wanted to kiss him again.
Jeez, could he be any more amazing? He’d let her sleep while he cooked them up a fabulous meal.
“I like spoiling you.” He winked and sat down. “I put on a different CD though. The temptation to throw Celine out the window became too great.”
Lena cocked her head and listened for a moment, then gave an approving nod. “Miles Davis. You’re on a roll.”
He laughed and cut into his meat.
“Do you cook a lot at home?” she asked then took a bite of her own steak. Mmm. She closed her eyes, savoring the taste.
“Believe it or not, yes.”
“After this bite? I can believe it.” She sipped the wine, swirling the golden liquid over her tongue. “Although I might have chosen a red wine with the beef.”
“Snob. I told you I’m more of a beer guy.” He shook his head and drank another sip. “But on that note, we should try and stop by one of the wineries.”
“Oh, could we?”
They discussed wineries and ate dinner, until the shrill of the phone cut them off.
Lena frowned as she moved to grab her phone from her purse. Seeing it was Stephanie, she answered with a flippant, “Bonjour.”
“Hello, darling. How’s Paris?”
“Steph? We just got here. How are you?” Lena met Tyler’s gaze across the room.
“Not bad.” Stephanie’s tone turned amused. “I take it you’re having a good time?”
“I am having a great time.” Lena laughed and looked at Tyler then gestured to her food.
Tyler rolled his eyes and picked up her plate, carrying it over to her. He fed her a piece of cheese while appearing to listen to her side of the conversation.
“That’s good.” Stephanie replied. “Have you checked out the hot tub on the patio?”
“Are you joking?” Lena swallowed the cheese.
Tyler raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on?”
“There’s a hot tub on the patio,” she whispered, cover
ing the mouthpiece before speaking into the phone again. “Stephanie, this place is amazing. I don’t even know how to thank you.”
Tyler had already left the room to check out the hot tub, so Lena turned her full attention to her friend on the other line.
“Are you alone, Lena? Did he go outside? Can you talk?”
“Yeah. I’m alone for a moment at least.” Lena glanced at the porch and saw him fooling around with some buttons on the hot tub.
“Going to take advantage of that hot tub, huh?”
“Of course.” Lena gave a soft sigh. “Tyler made us a great dinner with steak, cheese, bread and wine. It’s so good. And we’re already talking about going to a winery.”
“Nice. I’m on a lunch break, eating a veggie burger.” Stephanie’s tone changed. “You sound like you’re both getting along pretty well. How is he in bed?”
“Stephanie,” Lena protested and then giggled, lowering her voice. “He’s given me more orgasms in one night than Keith has the entire time we’ve been together.”
“Damn, maybe I should’ve taken a turn with him while I was in Amsterdam.”
Jealousy stabbed hard in her gut, and she almost slammed the phone down.
“I was joking, Lena,” Stephanie said after a moment.
Lena closed her eyes and gave an inward groan. She leaned against the counter and ran a hand over her forehead. Where had that come from? The complete, uncalled for jealous rage? Toward Stephanie of all people, who she should’ve known was just messing with her.
“I know you were…”
“Lena, can I ask you something? How serious are things getting between you two?”
“How serious?” Lena swallowed. She’d been asking herself that question quite a bit these past days. “It’s not, Steph. You know that. This trip is all about me having some fun before I—before.”
The words froze in her throat, and a cold sweat broke out on the back of her neck. Say it. Say, before I return home to Keith.
“Are you sure about that?” Stephanie asked in a quiet voice. “Have you stopped to wonder where your heart is going throughout this whole fling thing?”
“I know where my heart is,” Lena snapped, irritated by her friend’s line of questioning. She didn’t want to be confronted by her own doubts right now.
“Well, unless it’s shrouded in ice I’d be careful,” Stephanie cautioned gently. “Sometimes you don’t realize you’re falling in love until it’s too late.”
Chapter Ten
The breath left Lena’s chest as if she’d been punched. Her mind reeled. Falling in love? With Tyler? No…it couldn’t be possible. It could not be possible.
Tyler walked into the room, grinning big and wiping his hands on his pants. His smile faded when he saw her expression.
Lena turned her back to him and spoke in a low tone into the phone. “Listen, I can’t talk now. Call me later, okay?”
“Lena, there’s something else I have to tell—”
Lena hung up and chewed on her lip. She took a deep breath, hoping she looked composed as she turned to face Tyler.
His gaze narrowed. “Everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine,” she replied in a bright voice. Nice. That wasn’t obvious.
He nodded, though she knew he wasn’t convinced by her response. Fortunately he chose not to push it. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
“I will.” She nodded. “In fact, that hot tub is sounding better every minute.”
“It gives a great view of the city. After dinner we should take advantage of having a soak.”
“We should,” she agreed and went to sit back down at the table. She broke a chunk of bread off the loaf and sank her teeth into it.
It tasted good, but her appetite had pretty much vanished after the conversation with Stephanie.
When they finished eating, he stood up and took her plate. She gave him a brief smile and let him kiss her on the cheek before excusing herself.
Once alone in the bathroom, she splashed a handful of cool water across her face.
She opened her makeup bag and pulled out her birth control compact. As she slipped the pill onto her tongue she smiled, thinking about the discussion she and Tyler had engaged in on their way to Paris. Not pleasant and certainly a little awkward, but the sex talk had been necessary.
They’d both been tested not long ago and, with a clean bill of health on each side—and with Lena on the pill—they agreed they wouldn’t need condoms anymore.
She cupped some water in her hands and drank it to wash down the pill.
Afterward, she glanced at herself and sighed. Had Stephanie been right? Lena took a slow breath in and looked at her reflection in the mirror.
How the hell did you let your emotions get involved?
She shook her head. It just wasn’t possible. She couldn’t look at Tyler and think he’s just a fling. At some point, things had changed. But did he feel the same? Or was she the only one noticing the slight shift in their relationship?
Tyler sat in the small window seat, reading a new release from a popular thriller writer. That was one thing he looked forward to on business trips. It gave him the chance to catch up on his reading.
Hearing a sound, he glanced up and saw Lena approach. She paused in front of him, looking a bit uncertain.
When she didn’t speak, he reached out and caught her hand in his, stroking the back of hers with his thumb. Her smile was hesitant. She seemed almost nervous. What had changed?
He reached an arm around her waist and pulled her onto the seat with him. She came without protest, and he scooted over so she could curl into his body.
She pulled her legs up toward her chest and nestled her head into the curve of his shoulder. Then she gave a tiny sigh, and her body relaxed against him.
He dropped his chin to rest on the top of her head, a little unsure how he felt about the protectiveness running through him. Reaching down with his free hand, he pulled the blanket over them both. He lay for a while, listening to the soft sounds of her breath. Soon it turned deep and slow. The curve of her stomach rose in a gentle rhythm against his hand.
Out of nowhere came a vision of what it would be like to be with Lena thirty years from now. Both older, with the same chemistry between them.
He scowled. Where had that thought come from? He absently tightened his fingers on her stomach, and she gave a small whimper in her sleep.
Settling down with one woman or getting married had never held much appeal to him before. Why Lena? Why now? It could never work. Could it? She wasn’t looking for anything serious, and pretty soon they’d go their separate ways.
His gut tightened, and a thick sadness threatened to sweep in. Stop it. You knew the rules, just enjoy what you have for now.
He adjusted to get more comfortable in the window seat and let out a long sigh, lifting his book to resume his reading.
Lena opened her eyes, struggling to identify her surroundings. Light filtered in through a small window, and she was alone in the bedroom. When was the last time she’d slept so well? She didn’t even remember going to bed.
She sat up, admiring the antique wooden frame of the bed she lay in. She turned and noticed the canopy corona above her, with white lace draperies tied back against the wall.
She gave a soft sigh and took in the rest of the bedroom. An antique armoire stood on another area rug, and a wooden rocker sat in the corner next to a lace-draped window.
Like the entire apartment, the room was enchanting. Whoever owned this apartment had to be crazy to ever want to leave it.
“Hey, you’re awake.” Tyler walked into the room, carrying a white paper bag and two steaming paper cups.
“Hi.” She rubbed her eyes and yawned as he came to settle on the bed. “Did you bring me in here last night?”
“Yeah. You fell asleep in my lap while I read, and I carried you into the room around ten.”
“Oh.” Lena gave a small frown and sat up. “I’m sorry
. What a bad sport I am. We were going to go in the hot tub, weren’t we?”
He shrugged. “It’s a vacation. We’re here to have fun and relax. Plans don’t have to be set in stone.”
“Smart thinking.” She sat up and accepted the coffee he handed her, crossing her legs under her bottom. “What’s in the bag?”
“Croissants.” He opened the bag and set out the flaky, buttery pastries, and her mouth watered.
“This is too incredible. I’m eating croissants in Paris. This has got to be the best day of my life.” She stole one off the bag and took a generous bite. Her eyes closed at the first taste. “Have I told you how fat you’re going to make me?”
“Whatever.” He brushed a crumb off her lip. “Besides, I fully intend to keep you active.”
“Hmm.” She waggled her eyebrows. “Now that sounds like a promise.”
“You bet it’s a promise.” Tyler took another bite of his croissant. “What are we doing today? Sightseeing? Shopping?”
“Sightseeing,” she responded right away. “I want to go to Notre Dame and that cemetery, and—”
“All in one day?” He gave her an indulging smile. “We should space them out a little. Take time to enjoy each place.
“Sorry. I’m just so excited.” Lena finished off her own pastry and then took another sip of coffee. “Ugh, I need a shower.”
She grabbed clean clothes from her bag and looked at him over her shoulder. “Well, you may as well join me.”
“I already showered, sorry.” His look clearly indicated he was disappointed that he had. “I’ll take a rain check, though.”
She winked. “Okay, I’ll be out soon.”
They spent the day wandering through Cemetery of Père Lachaise. After two hours, Tyler still wanted to explore, but he gave in when Lena insisted they sit down and rest.
“I can’t believe you’re still going.” She groaned. “I think we spent entirely too much time visiting Jim Morrison’s shrine.”
Tyler grinned and thought about the shrine. Probably one of the coolest things ever.
“I could’ve sat there all day showing my gratitude to that man,” Tyler said as she slipped her hand into his. “The Doors had to be one of the greatest bands to ever grace the earth. I wish I had been alive when they were around. They set the mood to many dates in college.”
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