I know we’re both close. I drop my hand from where it’s cupping her breast to her clit, and apply pressure there.
“Oh, Barrett. Yes. Please,” she moans.
I love taking care of her like this. Touching every inch of her body, hearing her moans, and feeling her pulse around me as she comes. I never want it to end.
I rock up into her over and over, loving the sight of her slick and greedy, taking me in. Chloe reaches back, thrusting her fingers into my hair. The sharp tug on my scalp only spurs me on.
With our eyes locked in the mirror, we come apart together.
After a shower, we had breakfast at Café de Flore, a coffeehouse known for attracting famous writers and philosophers. We perused the book stalls along the Seine. Even though they were in French, Chloe purchased three books because the covers were pretty.
Now, we’re finishing lunch on the patio at a bistro near our hotel. Just like yesterday, she had me order and was excited to try everything the waiter brought. That’s one of the things I admire about her. She isn’t afraid to try new things. To get out of her comfort zone. I know because I’ve been pushing her out of it since we started this whole fake dating arrangement.
There’s nothing fake about it now. Nothing fake about how I feel about her.
She’s wearing a white sundress with ties at the shoulders. Her hair is pulled up on top of her head. With no makeup on her face, I can see the light smattering of freckles on her nose.
She catches me staring.
“What?” She looks behind her, oblivious to the idea that in a place like Paris where everywhere you look, the architecture and sights are breathtaking, it’s her I can’t keep my eyes off.
“Are you ready to go?” I ask.
“Oh. Sure.” She stands and positions her small purse across her body. “Where to now?”
I take her hand and we start walking along Rue du Maréchal Harispe.
I know she wants to see the Eiffel Tower. She hasn’t asked about it. I know she’s let me take the lead on showing her the city, defaulting to my expertise, but there’s no way I can let her leave without seeing the view from it.
I have no desire to do it, but that shouldn’t stop Chloe from experiencing it.
As we walk, Chloe talks about how much fun she had yesterday and how she still can’t believe that we came to Paris for the weekend.
“Oh, I should grab something for Jules. She’s going to freak out. And my family. Maybe an ornament? Or shirts? What do you think?”
“We’ll hit the souvenir shop after.”
“After what?” she asks.
I nod in the direction we’re headed.
Chloe’s eyes light up. “The Eiffel Tower?”
My answer is to take her hand and lead her to a small building on the side.
“Isn’t the line over there?” she asks.
“I had Bea arrange this,” I tell her after I check in with the security guard.
“You both going up?” he asks when he returns.
“No, just her,” I say, dropping her hand so she can follow him to the entrance. “I’ll wait here.”
Chloe grabs my hand. I look from where our hands are joined up to her face.
“Come with me.”
I want to share everything with her, but I can’t do this.
I shake my head. “I can’t.”
She lifts up on her toes and takes my face in her hands.
“Barrett, do you trust me?”
I hold onto her wrists.
“Of course. It’s not about that.”
“Isn’t it? I got on a plane not knowing where I was going, because I knew if I was with you, it would be okay.” She looks around. “And it’s better than okay. I get it. You’re scared, and you might freak out, but if you trust me then you know that you’ll be okay because I’ll be with you.”
I look into Chloe’s eyes and I know that I’m falling for her. Now I’m not sure if the fear twisting in my gut is from thinking about being nearly a thousand feet off the ground or fear that she doesn’t feel the same way. And if she does, can we make this work? There’s a reason I needed a fake girlfriend. Business has always come first.
I decide to not focus on the latter right now, and be in this moment with Chloe.
The confident look in her eyes is what does it for me.
“Okay,” I say. Chloe jumps into my arms and presses her lips to mine. “You can return the favor later.”
Her eyes go wide, then she presses her lips together, fighting a smile. “Looking forward to it.”