Page 43 of The Stipulation
His beautiful green eyes hold mine, and I feel a rush of heat low down in my belly. My pussy becomes wet just thinking of what we could do if we stayed in instead. I feel that same pull, that same tension from last night flickering in the air between us, and I know if we don’t move soon, the Louvre won’t be happening. We will be making our own entertainment, and maybe that will be just as fun as that sounds.
“Stop, Jezebel,” Alex says sternly.
With a laugh, I set my coffee down and take a step closer to Axel, unable to hide the grin spreading across my face. “No one’s called me Jezebel before.
His eyes glint. “I can’t believe that. Your mouth alone qualifies you.”
“So are we tearing up the tickets?”
“Nope, but consider your body mine to do with as I please tonight.”
“Well,” I say. “That will make today officially perfect.”
He smiles, that faint, wolfish grin that makes my chest tighten, and he lifts his cup in a mock toast.
“To Paris. To art. To the Louvre and every fucking thing that comes after it.”
For a moment, the city outside the window doesn’t exist. There’s just us, in a cheap hotel room, a faint hint of coffee, the morning light, and the electric pulse of something new vibrating between us. Something that threatens to become as necessary as oxygen for me.
“Ready?” Axel asks.
And I nod. Yeah, I’m ready. I’m ready to go and ready for more.
Chapter
Twenty-One
JO
The streets of Paris hum with life, and the air is crisp and golden in the morning sun. I can barely contain my excitement as Axel leads the way from the hotel, our steps quickening the closer we get. My bag bounces against my hip, in the thrill of anticipation. The Louvre rises before us, grand and imposing, its glass pyramid glinting in the light like a promise.
“I can’t believe we’re really here,” I whisper, as if saying it too loudly might shatter the magic.
Axel’s lips curve into that half smile I can never quite read. “You’ve wanted this for a long time, haven’t you?” he asks, a teasing note in his voice.
I shrug, trying to appear nonchalant but failing miserably. “Maybe. I’ve always wanted to come here. And I mean I am only just over the Channel. It’s just one of those things that kept getting pushed aside for other things.”
He chuckles, the sound low and warm, brushing past me as he adjusts his sleeve. “I’m glad I get to witness this side of you –the serious restorer turned art tourist. Don’t get too excited; I’m judging your enthusiasm already.”
“Oh, please,” I tease back, pretending to glare at him. “I’m a professional at containing excitement. And besides, I happen to think you’re just jealous.”
He raises an eyebrow, his eyes glinting, and he leans slightly closer. “Jealous? Me? Of a museum?”
“Of me looking like a giddy child,” I say, grinning and ducking my head because his laughter is filling the air around us. It’s impossible not to smile.
We step inside the Louvre, and the grand marble halls swallow us up in their vastness. The high ceilings, frescoed in elaborate detail, make my jaw drop, and this is just the foyer. I know every corridor is going to be a labyrinth of history, each gallery more breathtaking than the last.
Axel shows the guy manning the counter our tickets, and he waves us inside. I trail slightly behind Axel as we enter the first gallery, my gaze bouncing between the statues and the paintings, savoring the exquisite beauty of every single thing in there, while the quiet murmur of the other visitors around us washes over me.
“Look at this one,” I whisper, pointing to a marble sculpture of a woman frozen mid-dance. “The smooth perfection of the stone, the tension in the figure’s muscles. It’s mesmerizing.”
Axel follows my gesture, tilting his head. “Thank God you’ll not be critiquing sculptures in French,” he says, his voice teasing.
I laugh, nudging him lightly with my elbow. “Don’t tempt me. I might.TrèsBien, trèsbien.”
And we both laugh at my terrible French accent.
We wander further into the gallery, stopping to admire a series of Renaissance paintings. I read the plaques, whispering little facts I’ve remembered from previous studies.
