Foreign Affair (13 page)

“Stephanie,” Lena protested and then giggled, lowering her voice. “He’s given me more orgasms in one night than Keith has the entire time we’ve been together.”

“Damn, maybe I should’ve taken a turn with him while I was in Amsterdam.”

Jealousy stabbed hard in her gut, and she almost slammed the phone down.

“I was
joking
, Lena,” Stephanie said after a moment.

Lena closed her eyes and gave an inward groan. She leaned against the counter and ran a hand over her forehead. Where had that come from? The complete, uncalled for jealous rage? Toward Stephanie of all people, who she should’ve known was just messing with her.

“I know you were…”

“Lena, can I ask you something? How serious are things getting between you two?”

“How serious?” Lena swallowed. She’d been asking herself that question quite a bit these past days. “It’s not, Steph. You know that. This trip is all about me having some fun before I—before.”

The words froze in her throat, and a cold sweat broke out on the back of her neck.
Say it. Say, before I return home to Keith.

“Are you sure about that?” Stephanie asked in a quiet voice. “Have you stopped to wonder where your heart is going throughout this whole fling thing?”

“I know where my heart is,” Lena snapped, irritated by her friend’s line of questioning. She didn’t want to be confronted by her own doubts right now.

“Well, unless it’s shrouded in ice I’d be careful,” Stephanie cautioned gently. “Sometimes you don’t realize you’re falling in love until it’s too late.”

Chapter Ten

The breath left Lena’s chest as if she’d been punched. Her mind reeled. Falling in love? With Tyler? No…it couldn’t be possible. It could
not
be possible.

Tyler walked into the room, grinning big and wiping his hands on his pants. His smile faded when he saw her expression.

Lena turned her back to him and spoke in a low tone into the phone. “Listen, I can’t talk now. Call me later, okay?”

“Lena, there’s something else I have to tell—”

Lena hung up and chewed on her lip. She took a deep breath, hoping she looked composed as she turned to face Tyler.

His gaze narrowed. “Everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine,” she replied in a bright voice.
Nice. That wasn’t
obvious.

He nodded, though she knew he wasn’t convinced by her response. Fortunately he chose not to push it. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

“I will.” She nodded. “In fact, that hot tub is sounding better every minute.”

“It gives a great view of the city. After dinner we should take advantage of having a soak.”

“We should,” she agreed and went to sit back down at the table. She broke a chunk of bread off the loaf and sank her teeth into it.

It tasted good, but her appetite had pretty much vanished after the conversation with Stephanie.

When they finished eating, he stood up and took her plate. She gave him a brief smile and let him kiss her on the cheek before excusing herself.

Once alone in the bathroom, she splashed a handful of cool water across her face.

She opened her makeup bag and pulled out her birth control compact. As she slipped the pill onto her tongue she smiled, thinking about the discussion she and Tyler had engaged in on their way to Paris. Not pleasant and certainly a little awkward, but the sex talk had been necessary.

They’d both been tested not long ago and, with a clean bill of health on each side—and with Lena on the pill—they agreed they wouldn’t need condoms anymore.

She cupped some water in her hands and drank it to wash down the pill.

Afterward, she glanced at herself and sighed. Had Stephanie been
right
? Lena took a slow breath in and looked at her reflection in the mirror.

How the hell did you let your emotions get involved
?

She shook her head. It just wasn’t possible. She couldn’t look at Tyler and think
he’s just a fling
. At some point, things had changed. But did he feel the same? Or was she the only one noticing the slight shift in their relationship?

Tyler sat in the small window seat, reading a new release from a popular thriller writer. That was one thing he looked forward to on business trips. It gave him the chance to catch up on his reading.

Hearing a sound, he glanced up and saw Lena approach. She paused in front of him, looking a bit uncertain.

When she didn’t speak, he reached out and caught her hand in his, stroking the back of hers with his thumb. Her smile was hesitant. She seemed almost nervous. What had changed?

He reached an arm around her waist and pulled her onto the seat with him. She came without protest, and he scooted over so she could curl into his body.

She pulled her legs up toward her chest and nestled her head into the curve of his shoulder. Then she gave a tiny sigh, and her body relaxed against him.

He dropped his chin to rest on the top of her head, a little unsure how he felt about the protectiveness running through him. Reaching down with his free hand, he pulled the blanket over them both. He lay for a while, listening to the soft sounds of her breath. Soon it turned deep and slow. The curve of her stomach rose in a gentle rhythm against his hand.

Out of nowhere came a vision of what it would be like to be with Lena thirty years from now. Both older, with the same chemistry between them.

He scowled.
Where had that thought come from?
He absently tightened his fingers on her stomach, and she gave a small whimper in her sleep.

Settling down with one woman or getting married had never held much appeal to him before. Why Lena? Why now? It could never work. Could it? She wasn’t looking for anything serious, and pretty soon they’d go their separate ways.

His gut tightened, and a thick sadness threatened to sweep in.
Stop it.
You knew the rules, just enjoy what you have for now.

He adjusted to get more comfortable in the window seat and let out a long sigh, lifting his book to resume his reading.

Lena opened her eyes, struggling to identify her surroundings. Light filtered in through a small window, and she was alone in the bedroom. When was the last time she’d slept so well? She didn’t even remember going to bed.

She sat up, admiring the antique wooden frame of the bed she lay in. She turned and noticed the canopy corona above her, with white lace draperies tied back against the wall.

She gave a soft sigh and took in the rest of the bedroom. An antique armoire stood on another area rug, and a wooden rocker sat in the corner next to a lace
-
draped window.

Like the entire apartment, the room was enchanting. Whoever owned this apartment had to be crazy to ever want to leave it.

“Hey, you’re awake.” Tyler walked into the room, carrying a white paper bag and two steaming paper cups.

“Hi.” She rubbed her eyes and yawned as he came to settle on the bed. “Did you bring me in here last night?”

“Yeah. You fell asleep in my lap while I read, and I carried you into the room around ten.”

“Oh.” Lena gave a small frown and sat up. “I’m sorry. What a bad sport I am. We were going to go in the hot tub, weren’t we?”

He shrugged. “It’s a vacation. We’re here to have fun and relax. Plans don’t have to be set in stone.”

“Smart thinking.” She sat up and accepted the coffee he handed her, crossing her legs under her bottom. “What’s in the bag?”

“Croissants.” He opened the bag and set out the flaky, buttery pastries, and her mouth watered.

“This is too incredible. I’m eating croissants in
Paris
. This has got to be the best day of my life.” She stole one off the bag and took a generous bite. Her eyes closed at the first taste. “Have I told you how fat you’re going to make me?”

“Whatever.” He brushed a crumb off her lip. “Besides, I fully intend to keep you active.”

“Hmm.” She waggled her eyebrows. “Now that sounds like a promise.”

“You bet it’s a promise.” Tyler took another bite of his croissant. “What are we doing today? Sightseeing? Shopping?”

“Sightseeing,” she responded right away. “I want to go to Notre Dame and that cemetery, and—”

“All in one day?” He gave her an indulging smile. “We should space them out a little. Take time to enjoy each place.

“Sorry. I’m just
so
excited.” Lena finished off her own pastry and then took another sip of coffee. “Ugh, I need a shower.”

She grabbed clean clothes from her bag and looked at him over her shoulder. “Well, you may as well join me.”

“I already showered, sorry.” His look clearly indicated he was disappointed that he had. “I’ll take a rain check, though.”

She winked. “Okay, I’ll be out soon.”

They spent the day wandering through Cemetery of
Père Lachaise
. After two hours, Tyler still wanted to explore, but he gave in when Lena insisted they sit down and rest.

“I can’t believe you’re still going.” She groaned. “I think we spent entirely too much time visiting Jim Morrison’s shrine.”

Tyler grinned and thought about the shrine. Probably one of the coolest things ever.

“I could’ve sat there all day showing my gratitude to that man,” Tyler said as she slipped her hand into his. “The Doors had to be one of the greatest bands to ever grace the earth. I wish I had been alive when they were around. They set the mood to many dates in college.”

“The Doors and a good amount of alcohol, I’m sure,” she teased, but tried to pull her hand back.

He grasped it tighter, a soft laugh escaping him. “Does that make you jealous?”

“Of course not. Why would I be?” Her question sounded too defensive. “We’re not even a couple. We’re just having—”

“Sex. Right,” he finished in a monotone. It had started to sound like a bad punch line to a joke that kept getting repeated. And even as she said it, he knew it wasn’t true for him. But what about her? Did she still think of their time together as just great sex?

Lena cleared her throat. “Where do you want to go next?”

He took a deep breath, pushing the serious stuff out of his head.

“We still have to visit the
Arc de Triomphe
,
Musée du Louvre
, and I’m thinking we ought to grab some lunch some time.”

“And what about the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame?”

“It’s only Tuesday, Lena.” He smiled, relaxing again. “We have a lot of time.”

“I know, but still. Let’s
go
.” She squealed and took off ahead of him.

Lena dropped her backpack on the floor of the apartment and sighed, stretching her arms. “I’m so glad you suggested the dinner-and-movie-in idea. I couldn’t handle too much more sightseeing today.”

“No kidding.” He dropped the DVD and grocery bag on the table. They’d just made it through the other tourist sites before all the travel had caught up with them. They’d voted to indulge in a movie, a bottle of wine and microwave popcorn.

“Be back in a second.” Lena went to the bedroom to change into her cotton nightshirt. It hit mid-thigh, somewhat sexy, but wouldn’t be considered seduction
-
type lingerie.

Screw it. She was too tired to seduce him tonight anyway. She yawned and walked into the living room, climbing onto the couch while Tyler fiddled with the settings on the DVD player.

“There we go. Had to switch the language settings to English.” The film started, and he walked back to the couch and sat down beside her, draping an arm around her shoulder.

Lena snuggled into his side and let herself get sucked into the action movie.

Most of the time, she wasn’t into the blood and guts movies, but Tyler had been adamant about not getting a chick flick.

The movie wasn’t half bad. She found herself enjoying the excitement and being able to clutch Tyler’s arm when things got too intense.

With her head against his solid chest, she couldn’t help but breathe in his cologne—faded now and mixed with just the normal smell of Tyler.

Then at times both of their hands would end up in the popcorn, and his fingers would brush against hers, sending tingles down her spine.

When the movie ended, he clicked off the television using the remote and ducked his head into her shoulder.

“You smell so good.”

Lena smiled. “Like buttery popcorn?”

“Yes, but you also smell like Lena.” He kissed her shoulder.

She laughed and nudged him in the stomach when he kissed the back of her neck. “Let me get this straight. You just got done watching a movie where some gangster blows a man’s head off, and now you’re turned on?”

“I’m a guy. And to my defense, there
was
an incredibly kinky sex scene in the movie. I’ve been turned on for about the last hour.”

Thank God he’d said it first. Because that scene had been steamy enough to make her squeeze her legs together and bite her lip.

“Well…I suppose I could get myself into the mood.” She adjusted herself so she faced him and draped her legs over his.

He slipped his fingers under her nightshirt and between her thighs, holding her gaze. “That’s funny. It feels like you already are.”

She caught her breath as he slipped beneath her panties to touch her.

“I umm…
oh
…” She gasped. “I guess action movies turn me on too.”

“Yeah. I guess so.” He lowered his head to kiss her, his fingers sinking deep.

She sighed and opened her mouth to his coaxing lips, sliding her hands over the planes of his chest.

“Speaking of kinky.” She lifted her head, remembering that item she’d made him buy at the store. “I’ve got an idea.”

“Yeah?” He tried to draw her back against him.

“Hang on.” She pushed herself away from him and slid off the couch.

“Lena.” He groaned. “Come on, sweetheart. Don’t leave me this way.”

“Jeez, a little patience.”

She went to the refrigerator and pulled out the bottle of whipped cream, biting her lip as her pulse increased. Oh, the possibilities.

Heading back to the couch, she held it up in front of her.

“Oh, really?” His mouth curled, and he gave a husky laugh.