“What’s that?”
“I take it you want to surprise him?”
“Yes. That’s the plan.”
“So how are you going to find out where he’s staying?”
“Oh. I guess I could call Gabriel. I still have his number.”
“Skeevy boss guy?”
“Yeah…
Macon leaned back in his desk chair. “Have fun with that.”
“It’s worth it.”
I pulled out my phone and called Gabriel, glad I had his number.
He picked up on the first ring. “Maddy?” It wasn’t until I heard his groggy voice that I realized it was one a.m.
“Hi. Sorry about the time. I just need Colin’s address in Paris.”
“Missing him too?”
“Too?”
“I chatted with him this afternoon.”
“Oh. Does he sound okay?”
“He’d be better if he wasn’t picturing you with other men.”
“Well, I made a mistake.”
“Oh?” Gabriel’s voice rose slightly.
“I need his address so I can surprise him.”
I could almost hear him smiling through the phone.
“I have it at the office. What’s your email?”
I spelled it out for him.
“Okay, I’ll get it to you first thing tomorrow.”
“Thanks so much.”
“Of course. But Maddy?”
“Yeah?”
“Take care of him.”
“I will.” I hung up the phone. It was time to pack.
Chapter Twenty-Three
I checked the number on the door one more time before knocking. I knew I looked like hell from the flight and jet lag, but I didn’t care. My heart beat a mile a minute.
“Bonjour?” a woman in a robe answered the door.
I wanted to vomit. “Oh. Sorry.”
“Puis-je vous aider?”
“Uh. Forget it.” Another lesson learned: make sure to study up on basic phrases before visiting a foreign country.
The woman gave me another look before closing the door. I slid down to the floor in the hall. Now what? Could I call Macon for a ticket home? Had Colin really moved on that fast?
I closed my eyes, and let myself wallow in self-pity for a few minutes. At least I wasn’t sitting outside in the rain.
“Maddy?”
I opened my eyes to see Colin kneeling down in front of me.
“Hi.”
“You’re here?”
“I’m here.”
I barely registered what was happening before he had me in his arms and was pushing open the door—number six, not eight.
“Gabriel gave me the wrong number. You’re not with that woman?” I pointed to number eight.
“What? I already told you I don’t want anyone else.”
He didn’t stop moving until we were on his bed. His really small bed. “I’m going to assume that you didn’t fly this far to remind me why we shouldn’t be together?”
“No. I didn’t.” I locked eyes with him. “I came to tell you that I love you.”
His eyes lit up. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear that.”
“And I know about your lyrics. I know about the songs you write.”
He smiled. “Someone told you my little secret?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t think you’d care.”
“I do.”
He smiled. “Okay. I write song lyrics.”
“I love them.” I wanted to tell him how they got me in a place I didn’t think music could, and that he was right about how connected we were, but words weren’t what we needed.
“And I love you.” His lips met mine while his arms wrapped around me. My exhaustion melted away as soon as his tongue pushed its way into my mouth, and his hand made its way under my sweater. “Damn, I’ve missed you.” His lips left mine long enough to pull my sweater over my head.
“I’ve missed you too. So much.” I unbuttoned his pink dress shirt, quickly discarding it. He got to his t-shirt before I could.
My hands moved down his chest on their own volition—at least it felt that way. It also felt that way when I took off his pants seconds later. He did the same with mine.
He moved so quickly with my bra that he ripped the lace. Yes, I’d flown that far in a lace bra—I wanted to be prepared.
He hesitated with a finger underneath the edge of my panties. “You’re really here, right? This isn’t some dream I’m going to wake up from feeling like crap?”
“Have you had a lot of those dreams?”
“A few.”
“It’s not a dream.” I urged his hand down to remove the lacy fabric while I got rid of his briefs. I needed his naked body against mine.
“Can you prove it?”
“Prove it’s not a dream?”
“Yeah.”
“There’s only one way I know how to do that.”
I climbed on top of him, knowing that neither of us had any need or desire for foreplay. “I’m hoping this is going to be better than your imagination.”
“I like that line of thinking—”
He didn’t finish the sentence as I guided him in.
We watched one another like we were looking at each other for the first time. His hands gripped my hips, and I enjoyed every sensation. Maybe it was the two weeks apart—or the fact that I now knew the truth about his songs, but that night was like magic. Nothing else existed as we moved together perfectly.
He rolled me over, kissing my neck in just the right spot as he introduced me to a new level of completeness. One that was equal parts emotion and physical satisfaction. It was as though we both took down invisible walls.
Afterward, we cuddled until we fell asleep. Other than a few essential trips for basic human necessities, we didn’t leave his bed until three in the afternoon. Colin took the entire day off work and didn’t touch his phone after calling in his day off.
We ordered in room service—a nice benefit of living in a hotel, and we didn’t venture out until it was almost dinnertime.
“What should we get to drink?” he asked, holding both of my hands over the bar.
“I don’t know. Do you want a gin and tonic or something? Or just beer?”
He looked at me funny. “I’d rather have a different drink.”
“Aren’t they your favorite?”
He looked down. “No.”
“What? Why’d you make it seem like they were?”