Page 73 of Perfume Girl

“What do you think of my suggestion?”

“Give me your foot.”

“What?”

“I can see your feet are hurting.”

“Turns out I’m not such a genius in shoe design after all.” I eased off my shoe and lifted my leg toward him.

Astor pulled my foot up onto his knee and caressed my arch, soothing the tension and soreness with a deep press of his fingertips. His touch felt amazing.

“I’m getting to know your brave face,” he teased.

The way he was caressing me sent mixed signals to my body, arousing me and making me heady.

“You’ve never married?” I burst out.

“No.”

I glanced around to see if anyone was witnessing this intimate scene.

“You never came close?” I tried to pull my foot away.

Astor’s grip tightened. “Never met someone willing to put up with me.”

“Maybe your standards are too high?”

His thumb dug into my arch. “I don’t want to end up divorced.”

I squirmed at the pressure. “No one does.”

“It strikes me as strange that two people who set out so in love could turn around and hurt each other.”

“I didn’t hurt him,” I said in my defense.

Astor’s eyes narrowed and I suspected he was wondering if that was the first time Damien had cheated on me.

“Still, you seem to have it all,” I said.

“Do I?”

“A successful business. A loving family.”

He went to speak and then seemed to think better of it.

“I suppose you have to make sure the woman you are pursuing has pure motives.”

“Are yours pure, Raquel?”

I hesitated only for a moment. “They are,” I whispered.

The waitress appeared and I managed to pull my foot out of his grip as our meals were placed before us. I needed a few seconds to gather myself and bury the memory of his touch.

The food looked delicious.

“I’m fascinated by your talent,” he said, slicing through his steak.

I lifted my knife and fork. “I can say the same about you, Astor.”