SMITTEN (Paris Après Minuit)

by Juliet Braddock

  Trampling over the wildflowers beneath her toes, she nearly tripped, but Nigel was quick to catch her. January was far too busy paying attention to the sights and scents surrounding her to watch where she was going. She wanted to just plop down in that field in her polka dot dress and absorb the beauty.

  “How often do you go home? To Kansas and the farm?”

  January halted and turned to him. “Not enough,” she admitted. “I’m sort of an extra wheel. My brothers all have ownership of the farm now. Things have…changed…over time.”

  In truth, she didn’t have the best relationship with her parents since her scandal broke, and her brothers were too over-protective. Usually, they hated every man she brought home, Etienne included, and January loathed the assumptions they made about her alleged wild and crazy lifestyle.

  Now, though, her parents were growing older, and she didn’t want to harbor any regrets later in her own life. She’d made a resolution on her birthday to keep in closer contact, and she made good on that promise to herself, calling home now even if her father didn’t feel like talking and her mother questioned her every move.

  Regardless of what they thought of her private pursuits, she concentrated on the fact that they raised her with the best of intentions. January would never say that she had a bad life in Kansas. She simply had dreams that led her beyond the borders of her small town.

  “Well, that’s sad,” Nigel said, stirring her from her thoughts. “I’m an only child, so I always had the occasional grand fantasy of siblings.”

  “Oh, it’s not like we don’t talk to each other,” she insisted. “We just know what conversations to avoid. I’d do anything for my brothers, and they’d do anything for me.”

  There were some lean years on the farm when her father transitioned ownership and duties to his sons, and January stepped in without being asked to pay for necessary repairs and equipment. She even bought her nieces and nephews school clothes when times were tough.

  January missed those kids, and she knew they were growing faster than she could possibly imagine. Yes, she’d spent far too much time away because she was so damn busy chasing Etienne all over France. She knew she had to make the time to see her family more often—and soon.

  “I can’t imagine what it’s like to be an only child,” she said as they strolled through the brush with the occasional mosquito nipping at her legs. “That must have been lonely.”

  “Well, I knew nothing else. And if I’m honest, I think I preferred it that way. Our life never seemed to have the same chaos that my friends always complained about. And I had my parents’ full attention—well…at least my mother’s.”

  Part of her couldn’t believe they were talking with such depth, and they’d just met an hour ago. Chatting with Nigel, though, was uncomplicated. She had nothing to prove to him, and so far, she had no indications that he knew of her acting career. “Your dad wasn’t around much?”

  “He worked a lot—first, in a corporate law firm and then building his own practice. I think he had designs that I’d take over, but my life took a few different turns.”

  “I think we all disappoint our parents at some point,” she reflected. “You just have to know how to right your wrongs, I suppose. And I think I’m still learning.”

  “Oh, no!” Nigel stopped suddenly at the edge of the field. She could see the stable off in the near-distance, but she didn’t understand why he seemed so upset. “We’ve hit gravel…”

  January looked down at her bare feet. Clearly, she couldn’t cross the rocky driveway. “Aw, damn!” she muttered, but Nigel held up his hand.

  “If you trust me…” How January loved the sounds of those words, and for some reason, she felt like she could rely on Nigel. “I could carry you to the stable…”

  Without a thought, she replied faster than he’d anticipated. “Giddy-up, partner…”

  Beneath the moonlight, he blinked his blue eyes in rapid succession. “Really?”

  “You offered.”

  “That I did,” he said and moved closer to January without touching her. “Um…”

  “Well, go ahead…” she challenged him and dared to circle her arms around his neck.

  With one long, lanky limb and then the other, Nigel managed to scoop her into his arms and faltered with January dangling above the ground. “Oh, goodness gracious, me…”

  She could almost feel the heat of his embarrassment between them, warming her heart with his gawky mannerisms. He was just too cute—and too close—and she couldn’t resist pushing his boundaries a little. “Am I heavy?”

  “Not at all! This is just…”

  Kicking her feet as if she were swinging, she squealed as his shoes crunched against the concrete chips. “This is fun!”

  Nigel raced against himself to reach the grass. “I don’t want to drop you…”

  “You’re fine, Nigel. You got this.”

  When at last they’d arrived at the barn, Nigel settled her gently to the hay-covered floor. Breathing in, January grinned. “I miss that smell.”

  “That, um, smell?” he questioned her.

  “Horse poop! I had to muck stalls every morning, and I bitched about it every time. Now, I think it might be fun to do again.”

  “January, you are certainly one-of-a-kind.”

  “Thank you.” He seemed to appreciate her quirks, but January hoped it wasn’t just the wine talking. “Now, how about Nellie and Nessa…?”

  Walking carefully as if entering the nursery of a sleeping baby, she followed behind Nigel. As she kicked up hay around them, she held on to a sneeze. She didn’t want to frighten his ladies.

  Nigel turned on a dim stall light with little reaction from the horses. January could see the love and pride in his eyes and in his smile as he made the introduction.

  Slowly, January put out her hand, reaching toward the stall as she turned to Nigel. “May I pet them?”

  “Of course. They’re both pretty calm.”

  Because her rescue story was so sad, January gravitated to Nessa, the sleek but sturdy gray mare. Softly, she scratched under the horse’s chin and spoke to her sweetly. “You are such a beautiful girl. And you’re so happy to be here, aren’t you?”

  “I think she likes you…”

  And I think I like you, dammit! But we just met…and I just broke up with my boyfriend…and…

  January knew she had to stop thinking so much and just let this moment happen. Nothing had to come out of this flirtation, if one would even call it that. This was the first night of her vacation with Xavier, and she was already jumping the gun and looking for her next possible suitor. She’d never been the type of woman who needed a man in her life to survive. She always did just fine on her own. January just enjoyed a steady sex life, and she hated the idea of constantly switching partners.

  “Maybe you’d like to go trail riding tomorrow?” Nigel asked. Now, she knew they’d had too much to drink; he seemed relaxed now.

  “I’d be delighted to go.”

  “Well, I do spend most of my days here,” he said with a pat to Nellie. “Don’t I, old girl?”

  “With these two beauties, I see why,” January told him. “I’m so happy that I get to ride again this week. I’m a bit rusty, but I do miss it.”

  “Riding a horse is like riding a bicycle—once you get back up there, I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

  “Thank you, Nigel—for the invitation.” Now, he stood close to January, albeit unintentionally, and she noticed a glimmer in his eyes. “I’m looking forward.”

  “So am I, January,” he whispered. “And we should get back. I don’t want Xavier to worry about you.”

  “Oh, I have a feeling I’m the last thing on Xavier’s mind tonight.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Ah, nothin’.” She moved with him now, keeping in his stride as they made their way from the stables, chatting along the way. This unexpected evening filled her with a serene sense of joy she’d forgotten. She longed to retur
n to Kansas and watch the glorious sunrises with her dad like they did when she was a kid. She wanted to smell that savory aroma of her mother’s fresh-baked bread that made her mouth water.

  January hoped she just wasn’t romanticizing her past because another piece of her life was missing now. However, she never imagined that breaking up with Etienne could be so eye-opening.

  When they arrived at the gravel drive again, Nigel seemed in control. As his hands caught her hips to lift her, their lips suddenly met in a crazy kiss, empowered by the pent-up passion that had simmered between them throughout the evening.

  January didn’t turn away, but neither did Nigel. Instead, his strong hands held her up as her legs wrapped around his waist. Considering his somewhat reserved nature, he certainly didn’t shy away from his attraction to her. Almost too perfect, his lips were broad and thick, covering her in an almost brawny pull. With ease, he took command, and January followed his lead. When the tip of his tongue tickled at her lips, January decided to abandon all caution.

  Conflicting emotions enveloped her as Nigel’s mouth explored, but January felt that first flicker of magnetism between them. It was one kiss that she didn’t want to end. She swore that she could have clung to him forever in that cumbersome position just to feel the frenzied momentum of his manipulation.

  Rationality, however, won that evening, and as Nigel tore his mouth from hers, he pressed their foreheads together to look at her while they caught their breaths.

  “Should I apologize?” he managed.

  “For stopping?” she wondered out loud.

  “Should I put you down?”

  “Did I ask you to?”

  Shifting her just for her own comfort, he draped her body over his arms. January stretched out to trace her fingers over the definition of his cheekbone.

  “You’re a handsome young man, Nigel.”

  “And you’re a beautiful lady, January,” he told her. “But I’m hardly young. I’m twenty-seven.”

  “Uh, you’re younger than me.”

  Now, he began to carry her across the driveway once again, but January didn’t want him to stop when they reached the field.

  “No, I’m not. I can’t be,” Nigel muttered. For some reason, she didn’t think he was just telling her what she wanted to hear. “What? You’re twenty-eight?”

  “I’m thirty-four…” She dropped the number on him like a nuclear bomb in the calmness of night…and Nigel didn’t flinch.

  “I honestly would have never guessed that.”

  “Wait until you see me tomorrow in daylight.” Although her tone teased him, the fears she sheltered were January’s reality. “I’m an old lady.”

  Nigel did help her down to the grass, but only to ease his own access. His fingers closed over her shoulders, and his lips moved closer once again. “As I said, you’re beautiful. Period.”

  “You’re gonna kiss me again, aren’t you?”

  “Probably…”

  “Oh, fuck, this is crazy!” However, his mouth silenced her into submission.

  Submission…

  Shit! She wondered if Nigel was Dominant…or if he even had the potential. But those lips, as soft as silk, continued to peel away her angst from the last five years, and January just didn’t care. At that moment, all she wanted was his kiss.

  Opening her eyes, she had to see him. His jaw tightened, not in uncertainty but in his hunger to keep up with her. Each and every varied movement was deliberate, with the intention to please her—and to seek pleasure of his own. Given all of his hesitations, Nigel’s strength emerged. It was as if he’d waited his entire lifetime to find his own liberation as they joined in almost desperation under that starry sky.

  “I don’t care…” she muttered against his lips. “Don’t care…”

  “Jan…u…” Somehow, their tongues got a bit tangled, cutting him off. “January…!”

  While Nigel tossed his head back—away from her seeking tongue—she pulled at his hair to bring him back.

  “I don’t care, Nigel…”

  “Goodness…oh, my goodness…” Knowing not what else to do, he flopped down in the grass and ran his hands through his blond hair. “Wow…”

  January sat right down beside him but kept a few inches between their knees. Perhaps, he’d embarrassed himself with the display of his own lust, but January refused to allow him to shy away. “Yee-HAW!” she bellowed into the blackness of the field of wildflowers. “YEEE-HAW, Motherfucker!”

  “January!”

  “I’m sorry.” So shamelessly, she played the shy girl now, blinking with wide-eyed innocence. She just hoped she didn’t lose a lash in her efforts. “Will you forgive me?”

  “Only…” Clearly, the entire night—from the wine to the horses to her bare feet—left his mind swirling. “Only if you tell me what you don’t care about…”

  At that moment, she realized that Nigel had been paying much closer attention than she noticed. She’d obsessed over the idea that this gorgeous, smart, younger man found her attractive. She clung to a past that was never meant to be. She relived moments in her life that she swore she never wanted to recall again.

  And she felt alive for the first time in five fucking years.

  However, she couldn’t dump all of that on poor Nigel. She’d scare him away just as quick as he came into her madcap life.

  “I don’t care about tomorrow,” she said softly but reflectively. “I don’t care about next week—or next year. I just want to enjoy this moment for exactly what it is. And it’s beautiful, Nigel…”

  She held out her hand, inviting him to join her.

  “You’re right, January.” As he placed his palm in hers, she gave his fingers a squeeze. “Maybe I needed that lesson, too.”

  They sat in the grass for a long time in silence, just holding hands and taking in the sights and sounds of the countryside by night. January couldn’t remember the last time she studied the stars and actually managed to find the Big Dipper. She felt so far away but so safe.

  “You’ll still come riding with me tomorrow?” he broke the hush at last.

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  Sobriety settled over both of them, and January hoped that regret would remain at bay. “So, what brings you here—to Provence with Xavier? You seem like a woman of the world. Why here?”

  “Honestly…” The word faded as it slipped from her tongue, but she owed him the truth. “I told you, I have a place in Paris. And…I recently broke up with someone after five years. Xavier thought I needed to get away and forget about things for a while.”

  “That’s admirable, too. You’re not sitting around, thinking about it. That was a major relationship. You can’t just forget about it overnight.”

  She wanted to feel guilty for something—for betraying Etienne or for dragging Nigel into the present mess of her life. However, just this once, January wanted to take a chance.

  “Well, I’ve been considering it for quite some time,” she admitted. “It was just hard to rip the bandage off.”

  “Loss is never easy, is it?” he whispered to himself. “No matter what the circumstances are.”

  She released his hand to tap him on the arm. “What about you? What brought you down here?”

  With a shrug, Nigel continued to stare up at the starry sky. “Needed a change. I guess you’d say I had a wake-up call.”

  Still, January knew there had to be more to the story than where he’d conveniently stopped. Some sort of sadness lingered behind those big blue eyes.

  “What did your parents have to say about that?”

  “Mum was happy, I think. She enjoys having someone to talk to when Dad’s in a mood,” he said. “But Dad…”

  “Fathers never agree, do they?” she empathized.

  “No, they don’t, but I do think he understood my motives. And it didn’t hurt that they were in the middle of this renovation and desperately needed someone to manage the process. Dad just thought I would return to m
y old life after they opened. He doesn’t think giving horseback riding lessons to children is profitable, but I’m enjoying that.”

  “You can make a lot of money doing that!” January insisted. “You could open your own Equestrian school. But it’s only worth it if it makes you happy.” Right now, she wished she could figure out her own path to fulfillment.

  “Maybe you can have a talk with him while you’re here.” Nigel didn’t expect her to answer. As he pushed himself up from the grass, he took January’s hands. “But I should return you to your room. If we’re going riding tomorrow, you should rest up.”

  Even though he cut their evening short, January appreciated the fact that Nigel still wanted to see her. After those kisses that left a need so deep for him rushing through her soul, she thought he might try to cancel.

  Small talk drove the conversation as they headed back to the house. Nigel explained that he had a cottage to himself on the opposite end of the property while his parents resided in the manor. He also noted there were several small homes that were once servants’ quarters that they were slowly restoring to expand the business. For someone who grew up in a posh London neighborhood, Nigel seemed to have immense pride in his family’s accomplishments on this land.

  “Well, here we are…” he said once they reached the patio.

  “How about one more kiss?” she asked.

  As his lips opened slowly, she stood on the tips of her toes and placed one sweet peck on his cheek. “Thank you for the walk—and for the introduction to Nellie and Nessa.”

  “You are most welcome, January,” he said with a smile curving his full lips. “And I’m looking forward to riding with you tomorrow.”

  “So am I, Nigel.” And with that, she disappeared behind the creaky screen door.

  “January, wait!”

  However, his call came too late.

  Just like Cinderella, she’d forgotten her footwear. Now, Nigel—like his fairy tale counterpart—was left holding the shoes.

  Chapter Eleven

  Xavier rolled in just as January prepared to leave the next morning. She really hadn’t slept at all, having tossed and turned while her body tingled from her illicit thoughts of Nigel. Those lips left her with a hangover worse than an entire bottle of whiskey.