“Yes. I want this.”
With one smooth thrust, I buried myself inside her, feeling her whole body tense as she fought to remain silent. I wrapped my arms around her, one hand splayed across her stomach, the other moving up to rest just below her breasts, appearing to anyone glancing our way as nothing more than an embrace from behind.
“I keep you warm,” I murmured against her ear as I began to move inside her, slow, controlled thrusts that made her breath hitch. “You keep me warm.”
She turned her head, seeking my mouth in a desperate kiss as we moved together, the Eiffel Tower glittering before us, the boat rocking beneath us, creating a rhythm all our own. My hand slid lower, hidden between our bodies, finding the spot where she needed me most, circling in time with my thrusts.
A waiter appeared on deck, offering champagne to the group nearby. Mia froze in my arms, muscles clenching around me in a way that nearly made me lose control. I stilled, holding her firmly against me as the waiter passed within ten feet of us, trays held high.
“Steady,” I breathed against her ear, feeling her trembling with the effort of maintaining composure. When the waiter moved away, I resumed my movements, slower now, more deliberate. “That’s it. Not a sound.”
“Jack,” she gasped, the word barely audible even to me. “Oh god.”
“Look at the tower,” I instructed, feeling her begin to tighten around me. “I want you to remember this every time you see it. How it felt to have me inside you with all of Paris around us, no one knowing what’s happening right in front of them.”
Her body shuddered at my words, and I felt her begin to come apart in my arms, her inner muscles clenching around me in waves. She bit her lip hard, the smallest whimper escaping as she fought to remain silent through her release. I held her tightly, my own orgasm following moments later, muffling my groan against her shoulder as I emptied myself inside her.
For several long moments, we remained locked together, catching our breath, her back pressed to my chest as we stared at the glittering tower, now fully in view. I placed gentle kisses along her neck, her shoulder, anywhere I could reach, while still remaining buried inside her.
The couple to our right moved away, heading back inside as a cool breeze picked up. Another group arrived on deck, exclaiming loudly at the view, and I felt Mia tense again.
“Easy,” I whispered, carefully pulling out and setting her dress back in place before fixing my own clothing, my coat still wrapped around us both. I turned her in my arms, needing to see her face.
The look in her eyes took my breath away. Sated, yes, but also exhilarated, a flush high on her cheeks, pupils dilated with the lingering rush of adrenaline. I leaned down, pressing my forehead to hers.
She let out a soft sigh. “I never imagined this could happen to me.”
“Paris is pretty spectacular,” I agreed, my arms tightening around her waist.
She lifted her head. “No. I mean the sex.” Her eyes met mine, vulnerable and honest. “I never thought I would meet someone who...”
“Who what?” I prompted when she trailed off, suddenly desperate to know how she saw me, what I was to her.
She smiled, a small, private thing that did strange things to my heart rate. “Who makes me feel hot. And desirable. And… seen.”
Something shifted inside me at her words, something fundamental that I wasn’t ready to examine too closely. Instead, I pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
“You’re impossible to miss, Mia,” I said, the words feeling inadequate for what I was trying to express. “Impossible to ignore.”
She sighed, a sound of pure contentment that resonated in some deep part of me. “We should go back to our table. Dessert’s coming.”
“Yes,” I agreed, though I would have been content to stay on that deck with her in my arms for the rest of the night. “I believe crème brûlée was mentioned.”
As we made our way back inside, my hand at the small of her back again, I found myself memorizing this moment. The lights of Paris reflecting off the water, the soft smile on Mia’s face, the way she leaned into my touch as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Whatever was happening between us was far beyond the parameters of our original arrangement. And for the first time in my life, I had no desire to analyze, categorize, or control it. I just wanted to let it unfold, to see where it might lead.
For tonight, that was enough.
MIA
Paris at night was straight-up magical. I pressed my nose against the window of Jack’s town car like an excited five-year-old, watching the lights blur past us.
I felt pretty good in the new dress Jack had insisted on buying for me. Never in my life had I imagined shopping on the Champs Elysee, let alone buying a silky, swishy, silver dress that Jack chose because it matched my eyes. It was a little more revealing than I’d normally wear and I’d definitely had a moment of doubt when I was getting ready. But the moment I’d stepped out of the bathroom in it, with my hair worn swept to the side at Jack’s request, all doubts had faded. He’d looked at me like I was the hottest woman in the world.
A girl could get used to this life, honestly. Except she couldn’t really, because it was all fake. Best not to forget that little fact.
Jack bumped his knee against mine. “Penny for your thoughts.”
