Virgin

He frowns. “So you’re just going to run out on me?”

“Uh … huh. Let’s meet after the wedding. The cake cutting will be done by 5.30 and I can disappear as soon as Charlotte has changed into her going away clothes which should be about 6.30. Wouldn’t it be terribly romantic if we meet in that cute Italian restaurant on the same street as Le Coq? I think it’s called Basilico.”

He shakes his head. “Basilico is not on the same street as Le Coq.”

“Isn’t it?”

“Nope.”

“Oh, okay, I saw a Costa on that street. Let’s meet there at 7pm, and then we’ll go to the restaurant together. We need to talk.”

“Sounds great. Off you go,” he says and slaps my butt.

I scramble out of bed and streak stark naked to the bathroom. His laughter follows me and I try not to slam the door in my frenzy. Shit, I managed to smudge mascara all over my face back there. Smooth move. Five minutes and a lot of soap and hot water later, I run out into the bedroom wrapped in a towel. He’s got out of bed and is waiting for me with my shoes in hand. He is also distractingly naked. In the morning light his cock is really, really big.

“Here you go.” He smiles, but pulls the heels back before I can grab them.

“What is it?” I ask.

“Your face.”

“Oh, what?” I touch my fingers to my freshly washed face. “I know I look horrible. You don’t have to remind me.”

He shakes his head. “You look even better without makeup on.”

“You are such a liar,” I accuse with a giggle as I grab for the shoes. “You already got me in bed, Tyson. You don’t need to lay it on so thick.”

“I mean it. Hey.” He grabs my wrist and pulls me close, knocking the wind out of me when our bodies collide. “I do mean it. You look even more beautiful with no makeup and messy hair.”

“Well … thank you,” I mumble, feeling like the world’s biggest ass for giving him a hard time.

“What will you do today?” I ask.

His smile is warm and it fills my heart. “I was supposed to fly out last night, but I met a sweet blonde who turned my head so I’m here in Paris with nothing to do.” He grins. “I have a friend who has a stable two hours from here. I’ll spend the day with him. He has a mare that I’d like to buy.”

“Right. So I’ll see you this evening.”

“Hey, before you go …”

“What?”

“Show me your ass.”

I blink hard, sure I must have misheard him. “Come again?”

He laughs, the sound warm. “I would love to, but I thought you were in a hurry.”

My cheeks burn furiously. “Very funny.”

“I mean it,” he says softly, his eyes full of determination. “Show me your ass.”

Slowly, I turn around.

“Lift your dress and bend over.”

I obey, and when I turn around he is sporting an almighty erection.

He rewards me with a sweet, lingering kiss—I’m glad I rinsed with mouthwash a few minutes ago—before releasing me.

“Damn, I really need to run.” I hurry to the door, grabbing for the purse I dropped when we got in.

“Take my number,” he says.

He calls it out and I key it into my phone and start walking towards the door.

“Give me a missed call,” he says with a smile. For a second I turn and stare into his eyes. At that time, it never even crossed my mind that we would not be together. I took for granted that we would meet and travel back to England together. How could we not be together? We were so perfect together. At that moment I was so naïve I forgot that he is not Mr. Commitment. That he fucks girls and forgets them the next day.

That he makes promises he never keeps.

Chapter Nine

Tyson

I run my shaver down my cheek and can’t stop grinning at my own reflection. I feel like the cat that ate all the cream when I remember how good it felt inside her, how eager she was for me. She was a virgin, but she was fucking fantastic in bed. The sex was, quite literally—mind-blowing, and I don’t use that term. Ever. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, it did. Much better. Shit, it’s never been that good with anyone.

Yeah, she’s something else.

Beautiful, funny, smart, a great dancer, and to top it all a heart of pure gold. I’ve known more than a few women who wanted to twist my stones because I wanted their bodies. When they landed on their ass outside my front door they found out: nobody has me by the short and curlies.

One thing for sure, she is the first woman I wished didn’t have to leave in the morning. I’d been up long before her. I knew I should wake her so she could get to that wedding on time, but I found myself unable to do it. How could I? When she was this sweet, peaceful angel lying in my arms, a little satisfied smile on her face, and snoring softly.

For all that adorable snoring though, she must have a backbone of steel to have resisted all the men who must have tried over the years, plus the social pressures around her, and remained a virgin all this time. Maybe that’s what is so fascinating about her. That unusual mixture of strength and vulnerability. I remember how she blushed when I called her beautiful. As if she didn’t quite believe me. Could she be so totally unaware of her own beauty? Most women with half her looks would be strutting their stuff morning, noon and night. She’s a breath of fresh air, for sure.

I realize I’m humming as I step into the shower. Since when do I hum? Then again, I’m never this damn happy. I’m so fucking happy I almost want to jump up and down on Oprah’s sofa. How absurd is that? As I lather up I kinda wish I didn’t have to wash the scent of her off my skin. I want to hold onto her for as long as I can, but life calls. The bizarre thought makes me laugh at myself.

I leave the bathroom and look at my phone. There is no missed call from her yet. Drying my hair with one hand, I open the photo I snapped of her at the club when she wasn’t paying attention. She was looking down at the table, tucking a chunk of hair behind her ear, and I couldn’t resist that unique aura of vulnerability and innocence around her.

Now I know why she looked innocent and fragile, but at that time, it intrigued me. Even now looking at her photo touches something in me and brings out my protective side. As if I need to shield her from the big bad world.

“What’s with you, man?” I say aloud, shaking my head. I’ve never been so soppy about a chick before. I click into my inbox. There’s an email from Ralph, the head of my stable, asking why I didn’t turn up last night. I fire back a quick reply, assuring him I’ll be back in the next couple of days.

Thoughts of her race through my head as I get dressed. My gaze falls on the room service menu and I smile to myself when I remember the way she laughed over my room s

ervice misstep. She took it well, though. And she has a nice laugh. Sexy.

I call Louis and arrange to meet up for lunch. I look out of the window. It’s a beautiful day. Instead of having breakfast at the hotel, I decide to walk over to the patisserie around the corner.

There are a few people standing in line at the bakery. A few of them look at me and I realize I must still be grinning to myself. It doesn’t bother me that much. Getting stared at is not a new thing for me. The gossip rags are notorious for spotting me at my worst and screaming about it for the world to see and hear. I wink at an old lady in a black dress who seems unable to take her eyes off me. She smiles and says, “Le monde est un bel endroit quand tu es amoureux.”

My French is iffy at best, but it sounds like, the world is beautiful when you are in love.

I’m not in love, but hell it sure feels good. I grin at her and tell the server I want to pay for her stuff. She wags her finger knowingly and laughs at me as she leaves with her baguette and baked goods.

I get a sandwich and coffee and go back out into the sunshine. The world seems beautiful. It’s definitely a good day for a wedding. I wonder what Izzy is doing as I walk down the sideway. I know it’s probably just an infatuation and it won’t last. I’ll eventually figure out she’s just a normal woman with all the pitfalls of a normal woman, but for now she’s all I can imagine wanting for the rest of my life.

I look at my watch. Less than eight hours before our date tonight. At this rate, I don’t know how I’ll be able to wait that long. I can’t get her out of my head. Who’d have thought I would be actually looking forward this much to a night with a girl? Never happened before. I bite into my thickly filled baguette and I hope my concentration kicks in before I get to Louis’s place, because right now I’m on Planet Izzy.