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Andit had the added effect of making a person horny as hell.
Heshifted uncomfortably.Onepart of his body was already placing its vote.Hehoped she hadn’t noticed the bulge in his jeans.
Shouldhe risk it?Onepart of him argued that she would only be in town for a handful of days.Forher, it would be a holiday romance, a way to get over her heartbreak.Forhim, it would be the desperately needed sexual top-up that his body craved.Nodanger of her forming an attachment to him, of needing him for anything beyond a body to enjoy.
Asfar as situations went, it couldn’t get more ideal than this.Andhe couldn’t deny his attraction to her.Shehad a mouth that begged to be kissed.
Hejust wished the insecure voice at the back of his head would shut up, the one that always said: what if she took one look at him and ran?
Thetaxi door slammed,andJesswaited in front of the apartment building asGabrielheaved his bag out of the car boot.
Shedrank in the night.
Montmartrecame alive in the dark.Groupsof tourists wandered by, searching for magic in the place thatPicasso,Monet,Renoir, andToulouse-Lautreccalled home.Therestaurants spilled over with customers; the hubbub of conversation and people enjoying each other’s company filled the air.Glassestinkled as they clinked together.Musicfrom a nearby busker curled around her—songs of love sung in a huskyFrenchvoice.
Everynerve ending in her body tingled, and she couldn’t wipe the contented smile off of her face.Energyzinged through her.Somethingabout being above the earth and seeing it from a new vantage point made her feel closer to it.Andtouching the cloud…she’d never forget that moment as long as she lived.
Jessglanced towards the restaurant where she’d gotten pissed last night.Shespied the same waiter working the tables.Sheturned her back before he clocked her.
Gabrieljoined her in front of the door.Heran a hand through his hair and dipped his head towards the ground as though he was thinking about something.Witha sigh, he dropped his arm and said, ‘So, do you want to come up for dinner?I’msureIcan rustle something up for us.’Hisfrown had returned.Wasit just her or did he seem nervous?Surelynot.TheGabrielshe knew had been the picture of self-confidence since she’d met him.
‘Yeah, that would be great.’Didhe really mean dinner…or was he talking about something else?
Heheld open the front door for her.Asthey waited for the lift, she was aware of him standing behind her—not close enough to touch, just close enough to make the back of her neck go prickly.
Shewanted sex.Unadulterated, passionate, skin-on-skin, licking, sucking sex.Sheglanced over her shoulder and smiled at him shyly, at first.Whywas she being coy about what she wanted?Lethim see that you desire him, she thought.Takinga deep breath,Jesswiped the shyness from her smile and dippedhungry eyes to his mouth, taking her bottom lip between her teeth.Fromthe wayGabrielwatched her every move with his intense, hooded eyes, she suspected he had a similar desire.
Ananticipatory warmth ignited between her legs as they entered the four-person lift.Shesensed the presence of his body in the tight space as though he was pushed right up against her, when in reality a camera bag kept them apart.Seizedby another burst of timidity, she studied her trainers, aware that he was watching her in the mirrored walls of the lift.Couldshe really do it?Thiswould be another first for her.Sexto her had always meant love and commitment.Shenever slept with a man until she was certain of both their feelings.She’dmadeKrishwait two months.
Butshe wasYesJessnow.Andafter that flight, she wantedGabrielin a 100% physical, animalistic way that was completely new to her.Twoconsenting adults…consenting.
Thelift opened and she realised that he lived on the top floor.Thepenthouse.
Ashe punched in the code to unlock the door to his flat, she ran her fingers over her lips and studied how his hair curled at the back of his neck.Shewondered what his hair would smell like up close and involuntarily leaned towards him while breathing in deeply.Sweetand musky.Somespecies of bats use the sense of smell to find a mate with the greatest genetic diversity, she thought out of the blue.Uselessfact no 368.
Ifit worked for bats, then it would work for her.
Sheleaned back again before he caught her sniffing him like a lunatic.
Hisdoor opened and she followed him in.Gabrielflicked the lights on and she stopped in her tracks.Fora moment, she had the same sense of déjà vu that she’d had earlier in his gallery.Theworld fuzzed and then realigned, leaving her with a slight wooziness.Sheshook her head to dispel the sensation.
Jessdidn’t know what she’d been expecting his personal space to look like, but not this.Forone, she thought he’d have loads of photographs on his walls, but there were none.Instead, his apartment was like a greenhouse, full of vibrant houseplants with a huge bank of windows facing the street and curving towards the ceiling—much bigger than her studio downstairs.Itwas mostly open-plan, with some more rooms on the other side of the kitchen and stairs leading up to a mezzanine.Hehad shelves that stretched across most of the far wall, packed with books and more of those gold-veined ceramics like the ones in her place.
‘Whatare these?’ she asked, walking to the shelves and leaning over to examine a delicate white vase criss-crossed with fissures.
‘It’scalledKintsugi—literallygolden repairinJapanese.Theart of being broken.’Gabrielreleased his camera bag onto the kitchen island and took off his leather jacket, laying it on top.
‘It’sstunning.’Sheran her finger along the metallic seam, marvelling at how the scars elevated the ceramic’s appeal, making them something new.Maybeshe could repairPierrethis way.
Hecrossed the room to stand next to her and picked up one of the pieces, a cobalt blue bowl webbed with gold lines. ‘Ido it to help me meditate.Ifind it relaxing.’
Asher hip brushed his, she felt anything but relaxed.Jessswallowed and asked, ‘Doyou break them yourself or…?’
‘Sometimes.Ivisit secondhand shops, flea markets…Parishas a lot of them.’Heput the bowl back down on the shelf.
‘Iloveflea markets,’ saidJess. ‘Younever know what you’re going to find.’Alittle bit like wandering into galleries off the street…
Shebit her lip.Throughhis tight/not-tight linen shirt, she discerned the shape of his torso: strong and trim.Herfingersitched to touch him, but the thought of making the first move terrified her.Whatif he rebuffed her again, like last night?Whatif this longing was one-sided?
