Chapter 37
Samantha
I spent the next morning in the Louvre, looking at some of the greatest art in the history of the world. It was incredible, but even as I stared at the Mona Lisa, I thought of Aidan. I wondered if he’d ever been here and seen this.
I’m on my way,he’d said. But I didn’t know what flight he was on or when he’d land. I didn’t even know if he was telling the truth. Though something told me that the man who could sink the Egerton brothers with one blow wasn’t fooling around.
I walked out of the Louvre, pausing to turn back and look at its astounding beauty. Even with the crowds everywhere, it was breathtaking. I’d kept my phone on, and it sounded in my bag with a text.
Aidan: Do you want me to guess where you are?
I didn’t even think; that stupid photograph felt like a year ago. I called him.
“Samantha,” he said when he answered. “Bonjour.”
My knees tried to go weak, right there at the Louvre, at the sound of his voice. I loved his voice. “How did you guess where I am?” I asked.
“It’s your happy place, remember? Did you think I wasn’t listening?”
My hand was shaking, my throat dry. Just his voice was doing this to me. I’d missed him so much, and it had only been days. I was in big, big trouble.
“You came here for me,” I said.
“Yes. I’ve been here before, though only on business and never as a tourist. I like it. Is it as magical as you thought it would be?”
“Yes,” I said, my voice breaking. “Yes, it is.”
“I’m glad. I could ask where you are, but you seem to have gone temporarily insane, so you’re not going to tell me.”
I started walking away from the museum. “I’m not insane.” Just in love with you. “Just hurt, I think.”
“Which means you’re insane, because I know you wouldn’t believe that I’d leave your bed and go fuck a supermodel. You’re far too smart for that.”
I hadn’t believed it, not really. But he was Aidan Winters, and larger than life. He could have anyone. “It was a moment of weakness,” I admitted.
“Her car service canceled on her, if you care. We split a ride, then went our separate ways. But I’m not wasting any more time on that. Right now I’m going to find you.”
“How?” I asked, because he had me curious now.
“I could do it nefariously, I admit. I know people who can track your credit card. I know other people who could probably track your cell phone if I paid their fee.”
“If you do that, I’ll never forgive you.”
“I know, and you’d be right. So I haven’t done it. Besides, I’d rather guess. It’s more fun that way.”
I shook my head. “Aidan, Paris is a huge place. There’s no way you can guess where I am right now.”
“Can’t I? You’re not at the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe, because you’ve already been there. Those were the first two places you went.”
I was silent in shock.
“I’m right,” Aidan said with that irresistible cockiness. “I’m trying to figure out where you went next. Montmartre is a Samantha kind of place, but then again so is the Left Bank. I can’t decide which one you went to.”
Again I was silent, because he was so freaking close. “Are you sure you’re not tracking my cell phone?”
“I don’t have to,” he said. “I pay close attention to you, Samantha. I always have. I think it’s Montmartre, because that’s where Rachel the art student would go.”
I had to pause, because at the mention of that night I felt a rush of pure lust. That night in the rain, going back to his place, stripping, straddling him—everything about it had been hot. I’d come so hard it almost hurt.
“You were fucking magnificent that night,” Aidan said, reading my mind. “I’ve never seen a more beautiful woman in my life.”
I made myself speak. “Rachel the art student was a role, Aidan. It wasn’t me.”
“Your roles were the most honest you’ve ever been,” he said matter-of-factly. “With me, or with yourself. Everything you did while in character told me something about the real you. And I missed none of it.”
I had entered a garden now, large and beautifully manicured. The sign said it was called the Jardin de Tuileries. I made a note to look it up in my guidebook. “That still doesn’t mean you know where I am,” I said. I was starting to enjoy the challenge.
“Leigh the office worker would go to Versailles,” Aidan said. “She’d be dazzled by the riches there. Or she’d go to an erotic bookshop to find something to read. Apparently there’s one in the suburbs, but the books are all in French. That’s sent me back to square one.”
He was amazing. I hadn’t done either of those things, but given a few more days, I would have done both of them. “Wrong,” I said, because I was getting into the game. “I’m not at Versailles. Or at an erotic bookstore.”
“One night with the devil, Samantha,” Aidan said. “You’ve already had more than one. Do you want more?”
Yes. I wanted all of it. I wanted everything. “Aidan, I’m your employee. In fact, we’re both supposed to be at work right now.”
“I told you, I solved that.”
“How?”
“Meet me and I’ll tell you.”
“You haven’t guessed where I am yet.”
“I will. What’s your next objection? Don’t tell me it’s Angelica Barnes, or any other woman, because we’ve covered that.”
I sat on a bench, ignoring the beautiful gardens around me and the gorgeous Parisians walking by, enjoying it. “I’d be in the public eye,” I said.
“You can more than handle it, but if it bothers you, we’ll limit our social appearances. That’s fine with me anyway. It gives me more time home alone with you in bed.”
He was killing me. Killing me. “I’m independent,” I said. “I’m used to my space.”
“If you want to wait before moving in, then I’ll wait.”
“I’m not…easy,” I said. “I’m messy. Some of my pieces don’t fit. I’m still figuring everything out.”
“I know. It’s what I like about you. I like watching you put your pieces together. It’s fascinating. And as an excellent side benefit, the role-playing sex is better than any sex I’ve even imagined.”
I couldn’t argue with that. Just hearing him talk about it was making me hot, my skin sensitive under my clothes. It had only been a few days, but it felt like a year since I’d had sex with Aidan.
“Is that what you want?” I asked him. “Sex?”
“With you? All the time, day and night. Was that part not clear?”
Oh, God, that sounded so good. “You know what I mean. Is there more? Because to me, Aidan, there’s more. There’s a lot more.”
“Do you know what I find amusing?” Aidan said. “That you think I flew all the way to Paris to get laid. But if you want to know how I feel, I’ll only tell you in person. That’s my offer. Your move, Samantha.” He hung up.
I put the phone down in my lap, dazed. And turned all the way on. What was I getting myself into? No wonder I’d gotten on a plane to be able to think. Aidan Winters was a lot to handle. Too much for most women.
He isn’t too much for me.
I might be figuring myself out, but one thing I had learned was that I wanted a man who wanted everything. A man who pushed me and challenged me and dared me. A man who would fly to Paris for me, just to taunt me when he got here.
I wanted Aidan. He was complicated and brilliant and strangely wonderful. Incredibly sexy. Any woman would get in line for him. I wanted him to be mine.
I picked up my phone again, thinking. We’d talked about Rachel the art student and Leigh the office worker, but we hadn’t talked about Sarah the CEO, with her black dress and sexy eyeliner, taking what she wanted from a gorgeous man in a bar.
What would Sarah do?
One night with the devil, Samantha. You’ve already had more than one. Do you want more?
I swiped my phone awake and sorted through my work email. Sure enough, I found what I wanted—a copy of his travel itinerary with the name of his hotel on it. He might not be able to find me, but as his executive assistant, I could find him.
He was staying at a place called the Parisien, near the Eiffel Tower. I called the hotel. “Good afternoon,” I said to the receptionist. “This is Samantha Riley, Aidan Winters’ executive assistant. I’ll be at the hotel shortly, and I’ll need access to his room.”
“I am sorry madame,” the polite Frenchman on the other end of the line said. “We cannot do this without the permission of Mr. Winters, and he is not at the hotel at present. I believe he left an hour ago.”
“Then call him and get his permission,” I said. “He’ll give it. I’ll see you in fifteen minutes.” I hung up, then stood and walked back toward the street to find a cab.