“I can see why,” I admitted, feeling breathless. Paris definitely lived up to the hype.
“It turned out well,” he continued, nuzzling my neck. I had a feeling that it wasn’t a coincidence that it was becoming his favorite spot.
“What? The tower?” I asked. I was still mesmerized by the light show.
“The apartment. It wasn’t finished when I purchased it in the eighties.”
If it hadn’t been finished, then…I twisted in his arms. “Are you saying you’ve never been here?”
“Not in its current state. I asked a friend to oversee the completion of the project. Let’s see how she did.”
She? I hoped he meant Celia.
Before I could ask, he tugged me back inside, and we continued our tour. Hughes showed us the kitchen, which looked like something out of a postcard with its black enamel oven and gold hardware. Then to a sitting room off the main entrance, which had been decorated with extravagant paper murals of exotic plants and animals. Green velvet couches sat opposite each other by a large, unlit fireplace. Across from it, another sitting room decorated with gilded plasterwork was a slightly softer room in terms of design, but I could only imagine how much the furniture cost.
“Perhaps, we should explore the upper floors ourselves,” Julian suggested in a low voice so that only I could hear.
I licked my lower lip and nodded. So far, Paris had lived up to every romantic notion I had. All that was left was to be seduced.
“I will see to the luggage.” Hughes tipped his head with an understanding smile.
“Take your time,” Julian said. He knitted his fingers through mine and led me up the grand staircase off the foyer. We paused on the second floor. “To be honest, I don’t remember what I had done to these rooms.”
“I hope they aren’t hiding your coffin behind one of these doors,” I said seriously.
“Yes, let’s.” He rolled his eyes. He reached for the closest knob and opened it to reveal a room of mirrors. “Ah, the studio.”
“It looks like a ballet studio,” I said, crinkling my nose. “Is there something you aren’t telling me?”
“It was original to the property. I decided to keep it.” There was more to this story. I could sense it, but Julian didn’t seem to want to share it.
“Next,” I said, not wanting to ruin the mood. Behind another door, we found a library with shelves that reached to the top of its ten-foot ceilings. A brass rail ran along the center shelving, allowing for the use of a rolling ladder. A number of oversized chairs upholstered in thick linen filled the space, each with a different antique table beside it. A quick perusal of the shelves resulted in spotting books in dozens of languages, most of which I couldn’t identify.
“One more,” he said, “and then we can continue to the upper floors.”
Something about the way he said upper floors made my skin tingle. We opened the final door to reveal a large screening room. For the final room on the floor, it was a disappointment after the others.
“These are all guest rooms and a few rooms for the staff,” he explained, continuing past the third floor. “This is the room I wanted to show you.”
He led me to the fourth floor, where only one door waited. I held my breath as he opened it to reveal the main bedroom. It was drenched with luxurious silk draperies, gorgeous antiques, and a large terrace that extended out over the green space below and offered a spectacular view of the Eiffel Tower. But I barely processed any of it because waiting on Julian’s bed was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
And she was completely naked.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
JULIAN
“Jules, you brought a snack.”
Thea swiveled to face me and raised an eyebrow. So far, she was taking finding a naked woman in my bed well. Too well. Maybe she was spending too much time around vampires. Still, this was going to be hard to explain.
“Actually, I brought my girlfriend,” I said in a tight voice. “Jacqueline, this is Thea. Thea...”
But Thea had gone from curious to some mixture of amused and flabbergasted. Maybe the introduction had been too much.
Jacqueline slid from the bed and sauntered toward us, acting blissfully unaware of her own nudity. I knew her better than to believe she’d just forgotten she was naked. It was a power play. One intended to size up the newcomer in the room. She planted one hand on her hip and offered Thea the other. “Enchanté.”
“The same,” Thea murmured, her eyes darting around as if looking for a safe place to land that wasn’t Jacqueline’s breasts.
“I’m sorry for the intrusion. I didn’t expect to see Julian with a human.”
Thea blinked, obviously startled by her bluntness.
“Well, we certainly didn’t expect to be seeing so much of you,” I said through gritted teeth. “Perhaps, some clothing?”
“Oh, of course.” She waved a delicate hand as if it was all a silly mistake and then sashayed toward the en suite bathroom. She left the door slightly ajar, dressing within plain sight. “I wish I’d known you were bringing someone. I would have stayed dressed.” She poked her head out and slid her gaze down Thea once again. “Then again, I could stay naked, and we could all–”
“Get dressed,” I cut her off. Next to me, Thea was turning red. “And maybe call in the future?”
“You gave me the key.” Jacqueline came out of the bathroom, tying the belt of a khaki coat dress.
“A mistake I won’t repeat.” I reached for Thea’s hand, but she seemed oblivious to me. I couldn’t blame her; Jacqueline could dazzle any creature. No one–vampire, familiar, or mortal–could resist her.
Jacqueline tossed her blonde locks over her shoulder with a careless ease that made Thea’s eyes widen. I could almost see my girlfriend calculating where she stood next to this mysterious vampire. But before I could correct the misunderstanding, Jacqueline continued. “You asked me to decorate. I decorated. And this is how you greet me.”
“Jacque, you were naked in my bed.” I glared at her.
“Come on, it was funny!” She looked to Thea for confirmation but got none.
