He nodded and she wondered what he was thinking.
Fortunately, it didn’t take long for him to explain.
“I’ll teach you,” he announced.
“Teach me?”
“I’ll teach you self-defense in the morning before we start working.”
Rachel stiffened with horror. “Um…no, that’s okay.”
He shook his head, waving aside her argument. “I think it’s an excellent idea.”
Before she could argue further, his phone rang and he took the call. Rachel watched as he stood up, pacing as he spoke, circling the table where they were working.
She was fascinated by the way he moved with such amazing grace for a man so tall and muscular. He looked like a dangerous panther, but she also knew that he was a bit of a tease.
More humanity, she thought with a mental grimace. She needed to stop thinking like that. The man was gorgeous and all that, but he wouldn’t be interested in a mouse like her. She was too timid and she wasn’t glamorous like the women she’d see him paired with in pictures online.
Getting back to work, she focused on the project and not on the man who looked…decadently delicious.
They landed in Paris and were immediately taken to the hotel. But he didn’t give her a chance to open her computer again.
“We need to hurry,” he told her.
She looked up at him, startled once again. “We do?”
“Yep. Come along. You won’t need your work stuff.”
“Where are we going?” she asked, grabbing her tote bag, which also acted as her purse.
“The Eiffel Tower,” he announced.
They were back in the limousine and driving through the gorgeous streets of Paris towards the famous monument. “Why are we going to the Eiffel Tower?”
“Because it’s one of my favorite places,” he replied easily.
“Why?”
“Because I like it. And it fascinates me. I appreciate the way the design connects with the earth and enables the wind. It’s one of the ugliest and most beautiful structures in the world, in my opinion.”
She tilted her head. “Ugly?”
He shrugged. “It’s just a massive steel structure. Did you know that it was built for the World’s Fair?”
“Same with the Space Needle in Seattle, Washington,” she replied.
“That’s another one that I like to visit, but The Eiffel Tower is still my favorite.”
“You like this one even more than the huge, elaborate building designs that have emerged over the past few years?”
He nodded enthusiastically. “Think about it. The buildings that are going up now are all done with computers. The architects design something and then a computer does all of the calculations, another computer cuts the materials, and yet another computer monitors the construction. Back in the eighteen hundreds, when The Eiffel Tower was built, there weren’t any computers. All of the calculations were done by hand. They didn’t even have a calculator.” He shook his head, pausing to consider the architectural feat. “It’s amazing. I also think the massive cathedrals around the world are just as remarkable. Those were done by uneducated stone cutters without computers too.” He winked at her. “That’s why we’re also visiting Montmartre this afternoon.”
Her eyes widened. “We are?”
“Yeah. It’s another architectural feat.”
The limousine pulled up outside of the tower and a uniformed staff member smiled in greeting as they stepped out onto the sidewalk. “Bonjour, Your Highness,” the staff member greeted him. “Je m’appelle Elizabet et…” they had a rapid fire conversation in French while Rachel listened, irritated with herself for not having a better grasp on the language. Meanwhile, Tarin spoke the language like a native, fluently conversing with the woman, who smiled flirtatiously up at him.
At the end of the conversation, he put a hand to the small of Rachel’s back and led her towards the monument. “She said that the officials offered a private tour, but I explained that I’d already visited several times over the years and just wanted to visit the top.”
“And?” she prompted when he didn’t continue.
He looked down at her, amused at her annoyed expression, which only ruffled her further, and went on. “She said that we’ll have a private elevator to the top and can spend as much time as we’d like there, although other visitors will also be present.”
“Is that okay?” she asked, glancing at his guards who were walking in a perimeter around them.
“Of course,” he assured her. But Rachel wasn’t convinced. “But…”
He pulled her closer. “The security team is pretty good at what they do,” he assured her as they stepped into elevator. “But I’m flattered that you care. Maybe if you cared just a bit more, you’d actually use my name.”
She snorted. “Not gonna happen.”
He laughed and she shivered at the sound, hoping that he didn’t understand what that shiver meant. It would be beyond humiliating for him to know how she felt about him.
The elevator doors opened and she pulled back, startled to find they were at the top of the tower.
“Coming?” he asked when she pressed her shoulders back against the wall of the elevator while everyone else stepped out.
“Um…” she peeked out at the city skyline through the protective fencing surrounding the top of the tower. “I think I’ll just stay here,” she told him.
He laughed, taking her hands and slowly leading her onto the landing. “It’s perfectly safe,” he assured her.
“Yeah? When was the last time someone fell off?”
He shook his head. “The only deaths that have occurred here are suicides, honey. Not accidental deaths. It’s very safe.”
Tentatively, she stepped out and looked down. Thankfully, the floor wasn’t made of steel mesh, it was a solid surface. She took one step, then another, slowly inching out of the private elevator. “I guess I should have warned you about my fear of heights,” she said, trying to joke.
If she’d looked up at him, she might have noticed the gentleness in his eyes, but Rachel was too focused on watching her step, then peering out at the horizon, almost as if she needed to make sure that her weight wasn’t tipping the tower over.
“I’m sorry, Rachel. I should have asked. But come with me. I promise it will be okay.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against his side, holding her securely against him. “Better?” he asked.
Yes, but she couldn’t admit it because her ability to speak fizzled to a halt. Or perhaps it was her brain that fizzled at his touch. Too terrified to care, she pressed against him, wrapping her arms around his waist in what might be considered a death grip, but she didn’t care. He rubbed her back, helping to assure her that she was safe.
When she finally found the courage to look up, Rachel gasped. All of Paris was laid out before her, the sun making the city shimmer and gleam. Because it was a clear day with low humidity, the view seemed to go on forever!
“Oh my!” she whispered, her fear of heights pushed away as awe poured over her. “That’s beautiful!”
“Yeah. I agree,” he replied. Tightening his arms around her, he nodded towards the distance. “There’s the Seine over there, which means that Notre Dame is…” he shifted slightly, “over there.” He squeezed her waist. “It doesn’t look like much during the daytime, especially after the fire. I’ll have to bring you back at night, so that you can see everything lit up.”