We returnedto the hotel and changed into sandals that were more appropriate for a walk on the beach. It was tempting to take his hand, but we weren’t quite there yet. Instead, I enjoyed his company and the beautiful breeze as the ocean waves crashed against the shore.
“Is it rude if I ask why your English is so good?”
“Not at all. Arsène’s parents do business in America with their winery, so they’re both fluent and made sure that we were, too. It also helped that Arsène and I attended university in New York, and a lot of our clientele are American.”
He nodded in understanding. “What’s it like working with so many famous people like Rune Tourneau?”
“More of them are nightmares than a joy to work with.” I sighed at the thought of some of our more difficult clients. “But Rune is great. He’s engaged to Callum, one of Felix’s best friends. If you had asked me to make a perfect partner for Rune, I couldn’t have created someone better for him than his beloved.”
“Wait, how is that not all over the headlines?”
“Rune has always guarded his privacy, plus he has an amazing publicist. He doesn’t want to expose Callum to the media, so they’re doing everything they can to keep things quiet. Callum’s friends are also fiercely protective.”
Zio got lost in thought as we continued walking along the shore. I eventually prompted him, “What are you thinking about?”
“That I always assumed Rune was straight because of his elevator commercial,” he muttered with a faint blush. “It’s making me wonder if I know anything about sexuality anymore.”
I was sympathetic to his situation. “In your defense, a commercial where he has sex with a woman would make most people assume that was his preference. It wastrèssexy.”
“Yeah, that’s the stuff that fantasies are made of. Wow, if he’s that good at acting, he should try movies.”
The idea made me laugh. “Non, Rune barely has the patience for being a model these days. Arsène is the only photographer he’ll work with at this point. His passion is learning. It would not surprise me at all if he renounced modeling to become a professor after he earns his PhD.”
“Do you really think he would do that? I mean, he has a glamorous international fashion career and must make gazillions of dollars doing it.”
“True, but it does not fuel his passions. Not the way history does. Making all the money in the world means nothing if you’re not happy. Now that he’s with Callum, he’s discovered more important things in life.”
“Wow, that’s really something. I guess love can change everything if you let it.”
A question escaped me without thought. “Has it changed you?”
“The lack of it has.” His humorless laugh said so much. “Other than my brother, no one has unconditionally loved me. Not even my parents or any of my ex-girlfriends.”
His comment piqued my curiosity. “Have you had many of those?”
“Sorry to disappoint you, but there’s only been three of them. I’m not exactly a playboy.”
I couldn’t stop myself from reaching over to rub his shoulder in comfort. “That’s not such a bad thing, eh?”
“If you say so.” He was silent for a moment before he built up the courage to ask, “How many boyfriends have you had?”
“None.”
He scoffed at my claim. “I find that hard to believe.”
“It’s true. I have enjoyed countless men for an evening, but I’ve never dated anyone seriously. That’s how I kept my heart safe.”
He stopped walking as he looked at me in confusion. “But you’resoamazing! Who wouldn’t want to be your boyfriend?”
“It wasn’t my priority.” I reached out to cup his cheek in my hand, loving the heated flush of it. “But things change.”
It was cute how flustered he became. “I can’t believe I have more experience being a boyfriend than you do.”
“Perhaps you will teach me everything you know about it someday.”
His eyes flew wide before he burst into giggles, which only endeared him to me further. He was so sweet; it was only a matter of time before I lost my heart to him.
