Page 82 of Blue Gold

I’d clearly managed to freak him out. Since I couldn’t just grab his hand and kiss it to calm him down, I slid my leg closer to his and pressed against it until a bit of comfort showed on his face.

“It’s not something you need to worry about.”

He swallowed hard before looking down so the cap completely hid his eyes.

“And what if you change your mind again?”

So that was why he’d been acting odd? He thought I’d panic again? Well, I’d sure given him every reason to doubt me. If only he knew how determined I was.

Looking around, I saw the coast was clear, so I reached forward and grabbed his hand. His eyes immediately snapped to mine as he stared at me, stunned.

“I’m not going to change my mind,” I promised him and myself. “So you have nothing to worry about.”

When he tried averting his stare, I laced my fingers with his.

“Did you hear me?”

Elliot’s lips slightly quivered before he bit on the bottom one and nodded.

“I did.”

I let go of his hand but didn’t remove it from the table, and instead, kept it close enough so I could still feel the warmth of his skin.

“Good.” I smiled, then nudged my pinkie with his. “So, how about we go for a jog tomorrow morning?”

26

ELLIOT

“Allô?”

Silence lingered through the line until he broke it with a soft groan.

“Do you know what it does to me when you answer the phone like that?”

A knot formed in my stomach, and I hugged my pillow closer.

“It’s how all French people answer the phone.”

He clicked his tongue. “I highly doubt that.”

“You’re a hopeless case, Daniel Williams.”

“It’s not my fault you have such a sexy voice, Elliot Dufort.”

Hearing him say my name gave me butterflies, and smiling, I shook my head. “You’re so silly sometimes.”

He sighed, and the sound was heavy, almost like something was weighing on his heart.

“I miss you,” he said.

With my eyes closed, I tried to breathe in his words while imagining he was right next to me. If only. A moment later, I opened them to an empty hotel room and got up from the bed.

“You do?” I took my time, slowly walking toward the floor-to-ceiling window.

“More than I can express into words.”

I smiled, thinking how nobody but me knew that this serious-looking American lawyer could be this soft and adoring over the phone.