Page 114

She cares for him, and I care for her; ergo, I care for him too. And yet, it’s deeper. More visceral. Inescapable.
Just like this thing with Gabe.
Remind me to never second guess destiny again.
Alex stops, hand on the knob, and Katherine stretches up. He bends down, accepting a kiss on his cheek. And fuck me, he smiles at her. Like an actual smile. Cheeks lifting, eyes crinkling, lips curving.
Mr. Stern Bodyguard has a soft side,
and her name is Katherine Montgomery.
What happened between them in Paris?
Six months ago, I would have come right out and asked her. Maybe even teased her a little bit. Because back then, I didn’t think I deserved her. Didn’t see how I could make it work between us. I wasn’t sure how to make her mine.
And so we happily gossiped about everything.
But that was then, and this is now, and those two are falling hard for each other. I’d bet my sailboat.
Conflicted, I stalk forward.
Alex drops a kiss to her lips and opens the door. He lifts a hand to me, I give a quick jerk of my chin, and he’s gone. She flips the lock, watching him go through the thin side window.
I brace a hand against the molding, caging her in. God, I missed her. A handful of days shouldn’t feel like years, should it? I shouldn’t want to throw her over my shoulder, carry her to my room, and keep her there until Thanksgiving.
But I do.
I want her body against mine.
Her scent in my lungs.
Her cunt gripping my cock.
She leans back, relaxing against my chest, hand clasping my upper thigh.
“You were telling me about your trip,” I say, coasting my other hand down her side.
Her laugh is husky music to my ears.
“It was amazing, but I want to talk about you.” She turns in the circle of my arms, leaning back so she can look up at me. Sliding a hand up my chest, she brushes my hair off my forehead. A silver bracelet slides down her wrist, the little charms catching the light.
I snag her hand. “A souvenir?”
Her gaze falls to the new piece of jewelry and the corners of her mouth lift in a soft smile. She licks her lips and looks straight at me, watching my reaction. “Alex gave it to me this morning.”
She shimmies her wrist, and the charms fly. “A croissant, because I couldn't stop eating them. A flower to represent the gardens. The Eiffel Tower and the picnic basket from our lunch.”
Well, isn’t he thoughtful?
The puff of jealousy quiets as I imagine her in the bracelet and nothing else.
In fact, I step back, tugging her along with me. We should just keep buying her bracelets. That way, when we fuck her, they’ll jangle so sweetly.
Yeah, I like that idea.
She huffs a laugh and wraps her arm through mine. “You’ve got that look.”
“What look?”