you said." She smiles a small smile, and I lean over to kiss her. She grasps the back of my neck to hold me close and my heart seems to swell in my chest.
God, I care for this woman. I want to give her everything that she needs.
Everything she wants. Everything I am.
I want to shake off my past and be the man that she’s hoping I am. I never want to make her wait or make her guess again.
I call Sandrine to organize us a car back to the hotel. Nicole walks tentatively as though she’s afraid she’ll get sick again any minute. In the room, she falls asleep in seconds, but I cannot.
I stay away for as long as I can, listening to the soft sounds of her breathing, watching over her as she slides into her dreams. I watch over her because she’s precious to me. Accepting that isn’t as hard as it was yesterday. Maybe it’ll get easier with each day. I hope so because for the first time in a very long time I’ve found someone whose hand I want to hold and whose heart I want to protect. Someone who I feel is worth giving my trust to.
I stroke her hair back from her face, and marvel at how a chance meeting with a stranger has the power to change a person…has the power to change a life.
I’m going to give this my all because lying next to Nicole feels like home.
30
NICOLE
I’m sitting on a high stool in a swanky London bar that’s filled with city types in their sharp suits and designer watches, flashing the cash for bottles of champagne and expensive spirits. I’m early, but I’ve always been a punctual person. Lateness stresses me out, and that’s not what tonight is about.
The barman fixes me a whiskey on the rocks, sliding it over with a lingering smile. I’ve made a lot of effort with my appearance tonight. I smile back, but fleetingly, not wanting him to get the wrong idea. I’m looking for a stranger tonight, but he isn’t the one.
There’s music playing, something sexy and upbeat that makes me want to dance. I’ve got my highest heels on, though, so that’s not really an option, and anyway, it’s not that kind of place.
I wait, swirling the liquid in my glass and sipping it slowly. I used to like a gin and tonic, but whiskey has become my favorite drink.
I feel eyes on my back, a prickling sensation as if all my atoms can sense his arrival and are drawn to his orbit like moons to a planet. But I don’t turn.
I wait, and the seconds that tick past are deliciously heady; my heart’s beating fast, mouth dry, fingers tensed with anticipation. I lick my lips, tasting gloss and traces of smoky alcohol, knowing that’s what he’ll taste when he kisses me.
He stands closely behind me, and I feel his strength and warmth through the fabric of my little black dress. I smell his delicious scent. I stare at my drink, almost vibrating with excitement.
“Whiskey?” he says quietly. “I love a woman who knows good liquor.”
“I know a good thing when I see it,” I say, taking a gulp.
“Do you now?” His voice is playful, appreciative. “And do you see a good thing?”
I turn my head and look at him for the first time.
His green eyes are sparkling at me, filled with eagerness and joy. His hair is shorter, messier. He looks younger, maybe because he’s happy. I hope that’s it, because I am. So damn happy.
“I do,” I say.
“Mmm.” He’s looking at my lips. God, I want him to kiss me. But not before we’ve played the game. “So, what do you do when you see a good thing, baby?”
“Depends on my mood,” I say nonchalantly.
“And what’s your mood tonight?” He leans closer, his shoulder now touching mine, face so close I can see the laughter lines that fan from his eye and the long lashes that make him so pretty.
“My mood is dangerous,” I say, smiling slyly.
“Is that so? I love danger.” His lids go heavy with desire.
“Sounds like we might be made for each other.”
He smiles. “Could be.”
I finally reach out to touch his face, grazing the soft skin on his cheekbone with the tips of my fingers. His eyes close. I know he loves it when I touch him tenderly.
“So, can I get you another drink?” he whispers.
“You can.” I trace the fleshy center of his bottom lip,