Part-Time Lover (Part-Time Lover #1)(16)

But there’s no time to focus on the longing since I’m taken aback when I see a bronzed, stylized sculpture of a gorilla head. It sits on a pedestal in an art gallery exhibit. Surprisingly, I like it. “Now that’s actually a really handsome gorilla.”

“It is,” he admits.

“I’m not looking for gorilla-head art, mind you, but I could see that in my house.”

“You could?”

“Yes, maybe if it was, say, three hundred euros. For the sheer conversational value of it. If I were hosting a party, I could say, ‘Yes, I have a lovely gorilla sculpture.’”

“Let’s bargain. Let’s get her to sell you that gorilla head for three hundred euros.”

He strides up to the woman running the booth, standing a few feet away. “Hello. Just curious how much that gorilla head is going to set me back?” He takes out his wallet as if he’s truly about to buy me a gorilla head on a pedestal.

With her blond hair cinched high on her head, the woman offers a faint, simpering smile. “It’s seven hundred and fifty thousand euros.”

I expect Christian’s jaw to drop, since I can feel mine coming unhinged at the audacity of such a price. Christian maintains a stoic face, asking, “Does it come with the pedestal?”

Blondie offers another faint smile. “We can throw in the pedestal for that price.”

He claps his hands. “Right. How generous. Thank you so much. We’re going to go out, have a drink, and discuss the needs of our foyer.”

We proceed to have a priceless time wandering around for the next hour, laughing about the cost of everything, and when we leave, empty-handed of course, I’m thinking how wonderful it was to do something irreverent and not at all designed to end with us in bed. Given the fun we had at the garden bar, I’m not surprised we had a good time. I am surprised I let myself enjoy it so much.

But a part of me wants to know what he’d be like behind closed doors. A part of me wants a little taste. When we exit, I yank him close and whisper, “That kiss you’ve been wondering about?”

“Yes?” His voice is husky, thick with desire.

“Take it,” I tell him, my eyes fixed on his. “Take it now.”

That’s all he needs to hear.

He slides a hand around the back of my neck, holding me. In his crystal-blue irises, I see heat and desire, then a blur of lust as I shut my eyes. He presses his lips to mine, dusting them softly. It’s a beautiful first kiss. It’s exploratory and hungry at the same time. His tongue slips over my lips, his mouth opening mine.

My mind goes hazy in a heartbeat, like I’m having a drink, like the champagne is going straight to my head. Trembles run down my body, and I’m warm everywhere. The delicious, tingly, liquid feeling tells me I will be replaying this kiss tonight, home alone in bed.

I’ll be wondering what it would have been like if I’d let him do everything I wanted, if I’d let him reach his hands into my hair and tug hard. The possibilities blast before me, and I jerk him to me for a few seconds, feeling the press of his erection against my hip.

He lets out a sexy, hungry moan that nearly breaks me. A moan that hints at how good we’d be together in bed. And how dangerous that would be.

I pull apart. “Good night, Christian. Same time next week?”

He tilts his head, the corner of his lips curving up. “Are you becoming my Friday-night affair?”

I raise an eyebrow and run a finger down the first two buttons on his crisp shirt. “Maybe I am.”

He hums a note of approval, brushing a barely-there kiss against one cheek, then the other, before he whispers, “I’ll see you in a week, Friday-night lover.”

I laugh lightly. “We’ll see about that last part.” I slide my hand into his hair one last time. It’s so lush against my fingers. Any trace of laughter fades away as I tell him, with complete seriousness, “For what it’s worth, it’s not easy resisting you.”

But I manage the feat and head down the steps.





10





Christian





Griffin is quiet as we run along the river. I chat briefly about football—my favorite team, and the club league I play in—but mostly keep my mouth shut, since he has a lot on his mind.

We’re nearly finished with the run. I joined him, as I sometimes do, for the tail end of his run, logging in three miles to his fifty.

Okay fine, it’s more like ten or twelve that he peels off. Whatever the number is, it’s a fuck lot more than I want to run. But he’s the one training for a marathon. I’m merely trying to stay in tip-top shape. I’d rather be skiing, but alas, it is June, so running it is.

When we’re finished, Griffin checks his watch. “I’m going to go meet Joy around the corner then shower at her flat.”

“Or you could skip the shower. Go straight to the good stuff.”

“Thank you. That thought hadn’t occurred to me at all.”

I clap him on the back, my breath still coming hard as we cross the busy avenue and turn toward a side street not far from Notre Dame. “That’s what I’m here for. To make sure you never forget the good stuff.”

“Shockingly, I can remember on my own.”

We head in the same direction, since I don’t live too far from here either. Griffin’s fallen into silence again, and I know that means he’s deep in thought about the decisions he needs to make. Figuring now is as good a time as any to give him a piece of advice, I say, “You know what my grandfather used to say about hard choices?”