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“That too.” His expression softened, all humor fading into tenderness. “You’re special to me, Chlo. You always have been.”
Chloe’s heart clenched.
Hendrix kissed her again, slow and deep, and she could feel the truth of her words echoed in his touch. They’d been dancing around this for so long, too stubborn and afraid to see what was right in front of them.
Now, there was no more hiding. No more running from the love that had always been theirs to share.
Chloe broke the kiss with a gasp, eyes burning. “Promise me this is real. Promise you won’t disappear on me.”
“I promise.” Hendrix cupped her face in his hands, gazing at her with fierce devotion. “I’m yours, Chloe.”
She smiled through her tears, heart overflowing. “Forever, then.”
“Forever,” Hendrix echoed. And with that single word, he sealed his promise.
Chloe traced her fingers over the lines of Hendrix’s palm, marveling at how perfectly their hands seemed to fit together. “So what now?” she asked softly.
“Now...” Hendrix pressed a kiss to her hairline. “We take things one day at a time. We learn how to be together, really together, without hiding from each other or ourselves.”
“And we go on dates,” Chloe added. “Real dates. Ones where we actually leave the house.”
Hendrix chuckled. “Whatever you want, sweetheart. You name it, and it’s yours.”
“Within reason,” she teased. “Don’t go buying me my own island just yet.”
“I’ll do my best to restrain myself.” Hendrix paused, a new light entering his eyes. “How do you feel about Paris?”
Chloe blinked at him. “Paris? As in, the city of light, Paris?”
“One and the same.” Hendrix grinned. “I have a meeting there next month for a new hotel acquisition. I was thinking, if you wanted, you could join me. We could spend the weekend exploring the city together, drinking wine, getting lost in the Louvre for hours...”
“You had me at ‘join me,’” Chloe said, unable to contain her smile. A trip to Paris with Hendrix—it was almost too good to be true. “I’ll have to move some things around at the shop, but I’m sure Sasha would be willing to cover for me.”
“Really?” Hendrix looked thrilled by her answer. “You’d come to Paris with me?”
“A chance for a romantic getaway with my gorgeous billionaire boyfriend?” Chloe teased. “How could I possibly refuse?”
Hendrix kissed her soundly, the joy emanating from him in waves. “This is going to be the best trip ever,” he promised. “You and me in the city of love—we’re never going to want to leave.”
“Good thing we have forever, then,” Chloe said softly.
Hendrix’s smile was like the sun breaking through the clouds—warm, bright, and all-encompassing. “That we do,” he agreed, and sealed his promise with another searing kiss.
12
The metallic curves of the Eiffel Tower rose up into the pale blue sky, its spindly frame casting shadows over the grassy lawn below. Chloe sighed and leaned into Hendrix, his arm tightening around her shoulders.
“Can you believe we’re really here?” she asked with a breathless laugh.
Hendrix pressed a kiss to the top of her head, his lips curving into a smile against her hair. “Best weekend ever.”
She tilted her head up, meeting his gaze. Those sea glass eyes had always been her weakness, the color shifting between green and blue and holding depths she wanted to lose herself in. “You’re the best boyfriend ever.”
Heat flickered in his eyes as he lowered his head. His mouth brushed hers, a tease of a kiss that left her breathless for an entirely different reason. “We haven’t even made it to the hotel yet,” he murmured, voice dropping an octave.
A delicious shiver ran down her spine at the implication in his words. This weekend was meant to be an escape from the rest of the world, a chance for them to explore this new aspect of their relationship away from prying eyes. Judging by the hunger in Hendrix’s gaze, he had every intention of thoroughly enjoying their privacy.
Chloe stood on her tiptoes, winding her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss. The metallic groan of the Eiffel Tower faded into the background, the rest of the world dropping away until there was only Hendrix and the promise of passion.
