She shivered just thinking about coming up here at night. “I’m fine right now. Everything is so pretty during the daytime.”
Tarin chuckled, thinking that Rachel was far more interesting than he’d thought. Yes, the sexual attraction was still there, but at the moment, with her fear of heights more prominent in his mind, she was soft and sweet, clinging to him as if she trusted him. For a man, that was a heady combination.
“I love being up here,” he said smiling as her arms tightened around his waist. “It’s such an amazing view, but more than that, the architectural knowledge needed to build this structure is mind-boggling. Plus, I can see all of the other buildings around Paris that were built centuries ago. It’s such a shame about the fire at Notre Dame. I would have liked to show you that.”
Rachel turned her face up to his and, with the wind whipping around them, her body pressed against his, he wanted to lean down and kiss her. The urge was almost overpowering. The moment stretched, their pulses keeping time together. He looked at her mouth, noticed her lips soften, as if she were anticipating his kiss. He moved slightly so that they were facing each other and saw that her gaze had dropped to his mouth. Was she waiting for the kiss as well? Tarin leaned down and….
Someone bumped him, shattering the fragile moment. Pulling back, he shifted again so that they were looking out at the view. Unfortunately, his mind was still on the lost kiss, still wondering what it would feel like to taste her lips. Would she melt against him?
He sighed, staring out at the views but…they weren’t as interesting anymore. Not nearly as interesting as kissing Rachel. Feeling her press her softness against him while knowing that she was his woman would be…unimaginably heady.
“We should go,” he said, abruptly turning, but keeping his arm around her waist to protect her from the milling crowd.
The private staff elevator was waiting and whisked them to the ground level. “Merci,” he said to Elizabet and shook her hand. “I appreciate the speedy in and out with your assistance.”
She smiled, glanced at Rachel with a tinge of envy since Rachel was still in his arms, still pressed against him even though they were safely on the ground.
Unfortunately, the jealous glance must have alerted Rachel of her current position because she jerked away, and smoothed her hands down over her dress.
They made their wait back to the SUV and Tarin took her hand as she stepped into the vehicle. He paused, watching her cute butt as she ducked down, but the view quickly disappeared when she found her seat.
With a silent groan, Tarin followed, sitting next to her and wishing he could take her hand or, even better, pull her onto his lap. Instead, he focused on the next stop. “Now to Montmartre.”
“I’ve never even seen Montmartre,” she said, primly folding her hands in her lap.
He looked at her, intrigued by the formal demeanor after such a sweetly affectionate reaction on the tower.
“Are you prepared to climb?”
She blinked and pushed her glasses higher up onto her nose. “Climb?”
“Yep. There are three hundred steps up to the cathedral.” He chuckled at her grimace. “Relax. I’ll get you a crepe at the base, so you’ll be full of energy.”
That seemed to perk her up and she looked out the window eagerly. “A crepe? A real crepe?” she whispered with excitement.
He smiled at her eagerness. “Have you never had a crepe made from a street vendor?”
She shook her head, those corkscrew curls dancing around her cheeks and his fingers itched to catch one, feel its texture. In the dim light of the palace, her hair looked auburn-brown. But in the sunlight, there were sparks of red, and he was fascinated by the difference. She continued to spark his interest in unexpected ways.
“No. I’m from Georgia. We don’t really have street vendors where I come from. There might be some hot dog vendors in Atlanta. And we have some interesting foods at the state fair, of course. But nothing like handmade crepes!”
He chuckled. “There are some who think of the hot dogs in New York as a delicacy.”
She squinched up her nose. “I’ve read about what goes into hot dogs. No thank you!”
“I agree, but they do seem iconic.”
“I’m not even sure that there’s actual meat in a hot dog. At least, not meat that I’d eat if it were put on my plate. So no, I’ll pass.”
The SUV driver pulled up to the curb and Tarin stepped out, then turned to hand her out. Rachel hesitated, but he didn’t relent, waiting patiently for her hand. When she placed it in his, he tightened his fingers around hers, watching her reaction. Sure enough, just as had happened up in the tower, her expression changed, her lips softened and her eyes brightened with awareness.
Excellent, he thought. He hadn’t planned to seduce the lovely woman, but when she looked at him like that, he knew that she burned with the same desire he felt. Tarin vowed not to rush her though. He’d take things slowly and if she felt pressured in any way, he’d back off.
With that plan in place, he tucked her hand onto his arm and led her over to one of the street vendors. “Duex crepes au chocolat, s’il vous plait,” he said to the vendor.
Rachel watched the vendor, utterly fascinated, and Tarin watched Rachel as the man scooped the egg mixture onto the flat heating surface, then lifted a wooden tool and smoothed the egg mixture into a large circle. The crepe cooked quickly and the man flipped it over, then added real chocolate pieces to the center.
Tarin watched as Rachel licked her lips, leaning forward like a small child eager for candy. Once again, she’d surprised him with her eagerness, her lack of guile. And especially, her appetite. He couldn’t stand it when women picked at a pile of lettuce leaves, looking like skeletons. Rachel was slender, but she obviously didn’t starve herself.
When the vendor handed her a crepe, Tarin watched as she took her first bite, holding his own as he waited for her verdict.
“Oh, this is amazing!” she whispered reverently, licking a bit of chocolate from the corner of her mouth.
He watched as she ate, his thoughts once again off into a sexual fantasy. Would it always be like this with her? Wasn’t there anything she could do that would keep his mind away from making love to her?
Probably not, he sighed and ate his own crepe, not really tasting it since he was still focused on that mouth of hers.
“Let’s go,” he groaned, taking their trash and tossing it into a nearby trashcan. With that, he took her hand. “Ready?”
Rachel looked up at the long hillside. There were two ways to get to the top. Up those stairs or via the trolley-like thing that toted people up the hillside. There was a long line for the trolley, so she glanced back up the stairs. “I should have worn different shoes for this, but…” With a smile, she nodded up at him. “Ready!”
With a grin, he started up the stairs. By the time they reached the top, she was gasping for breath. He seemed like he’d just strolled around the block. He wasn’t out of breath, not even sweating a little.
“You could at least pretend that you’re a bit winded,” Rachel grumbled as she glared up at him.
He laughed. “Sorry, honey. You could always join me for a workout in the morning.”