Absent in the Spring (The Shakespeare Sisters 3)

She turned her head to see Lachlan lying beside her on the king-sized mattress. His hair was a little mussed, and the white sheet was gathered around his waist, revealing the toned ridges of his abdomen and chest, his skin tanned in the half-light. ‘Hi.’

‘You didn’t run this time,’ he said, moving his hand around from her back to cup her stomach, pulling her back against him. He was warm, so warm, reminding her of another night when they’d gone so much further than she intended.

‘Give me time.’

He laughed. ‘Maybe I should impound your passport. That way there’s no escape.’

‘I’d like to see you try.’ She bit down a smile. ‘Anyway, you promised me a weekend in Paris, why would I want to leave?’

‘I promised you a weekend in bed,’ he corrected her.

She turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised. ‘I just want to show a beautiful girl a beautiful city.’ She did a passable imitation of his accent. ‘Remember?’

‘You saw the city last night.’ He was drawing circles on her stomach with his fingers, dipping lower and lower.

‘I was in a cab and it was dark. I barely got to see any of it.’

He pressed his lips against her shoulder. ‘We got to see each other. That’s what matters.’

She closed her eyes for a moment as he brushed his lips across her neck, kissing his way to the other side. Her whole body tingled at his touch. ‘Lachlan…’

‘Mmm?’ His voice was muffled by her skin.

‘I can’t come to Paris and not see anything.’ Though right then she was sorely tempted. ‘What about the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe? The Louvre?’

‘They’re lovely. But not as lovely as you.’ He reached for her chin, turning her head so he could kiss her. ‘They can wait.’ His kisses became more insistent, lighting her on fire until she almost forgot about her need to sightsee. She could feel his excitement as he turned her around until their bodies were pressing together, his hands running down her back to the base of her spine, where every single nerve seemed to tingle at his touch.

‘Lachlan,’ she whispered against his lips.

‘Yeah?’ His voice was thick with desire.

‘We’re definitely going sightseeing this afternoon.’

As soon as they walked out of the lift, the wind whipped at her hair. Though the sun was still shining down from a clear blue sky, the air on the top floor of the Eiffel Tower was considerably cooler, and she pulled her jacket a little tighter against the breeze.

They walked towards the edge, Lachlan taking his hand in hers. She looked up at him, as if surprised at the intimate gesture. He suppressed a grin. If she thought holding hands was intimate, then what the hell had they been doing all night?

Below them, Paris stretched out like a contented cat, only slightly obscured by the criss-crossing of wires that encircled the viewing platform. She reached out for the handrail, and he slid in behind her, his arms encircling her as they stared out at the city.

It had been strange, seeing a city he knew so well through her eyes. He’d been caught up in her excitement as they wandered the banks of the Seine, and had bitten down a grin at her disappointment when she saw just how small the Mona Lisa was. By the time they’d climbed the Arc de Triomphe, Lachlan had spent more time looking at her than he had at the beautiful city before them. And now they were at the Eiffel Tower – the last place on her list – she seemed more radiant than ever.

‘It’s beautiful,’ she whispered. They took in the Tuileries Garden as it stretched from the Louvre to the Place de la Concorde, the rectangle of green intersected with pale yellow walkways, and two ponds – one circular, one octagonal – that topped and tailed the terraces.

He leaned closer into her, his body caging her in. ‘It all looks so small from here,’ he said, his mouth close to her ear. ‘It makes everything seem so insignificant.’

She half-turned her head to look at him. ‘That’s because we are insignificant.’ A smile was playing at her lips, and he couldn’t work out if she was teasing him or being serious.

A shaft of sunlight hit her face, illuminating her skin, and he couldn’t help but stare at her, absorbing her beauty the way she was absorbing the rays. Her lips parted, but her words were stolen by the wind. She repeated herself – louder this time.

‘I can’t believe this is the first time I’ve been here.’ She shook her head. ‘All the travelling I’ve done, and this place was always on my doorstep.’

Lachlan swept the hair away from her face with his hand, exposing her neck. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips against her throat, gently kissing his way up to her chin. ‘Remind me why we aren’t in bed right now,’ he murmured, feeling her laughter through her skin.

But instead of talking, she turned her head until her lips met his, their kisses becoming heated within seconds. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him, leaving her in no doubt that he’d rather be in their hotel room right then.

‘Because the anticipation is almost as good as the real thing,’ she whispered into his lips. ‘And we have all night, remember?’

But that was all they had, and he wanted to make it last as long as he could. Because when morning came, all bets would be off. She’d be heading back to Edinburgh, and he’d be on a plane to New York, and it would be like this weekend never happened.