"I'm in Paris because my past caught up with me," I said, voice rougher now. "There are bad people out there who?—"
"Are you in trouble?" she interrupted.
I laughed. I couldn't help it. A short, sharp bark of sound that had no humor in it.
"I can't believe you're asking me ifI'min danger," I said. "Not about what I just told you. Not about my past catching up with me. Just—are you in trouble?"
She tilted her head, her gaze steady. "Because you're a good man, Connor. A protector. I can see that."
Something deep inside me cracked.
Not broke. Cracked. Like the first fracture in ice that's been frozen solid for years.
She saw me asgood.
Not damaged. Not dangerous. Not a weapon with a conscience problem.
Good.
I wanted to believe her so badly it hurt.
"Mila," I said, my voice dropping. "You're in trouble, too. Because of me. You need to leave Paris. I'll pay for it. I'll pay for everything. Just?—"
"Are you telling me to leave?" she interrupted again.
I laughed again, louder this time, almost manic. "No. God, no. That's the problem."
I stepped closer, close enough that I could smell her shampoo, feel the warmth radiating off her skin.
"The only thing I want to do right now," I said, voice raw, "is pick you up and take you to bed."
The words hung in the air between us.
I couldn't believe I'd said it.
But instead of looking shocked, her eyes went darker. Heat flickered behind them, unmistakable and unashamed.
She smiled. Slow. Deliberate.
"That's what I was waiting for," she said.
My breath caught.
She took both our glasses and set them aside on the table, deliberate and unhurried. Then she turned back to me, her gaze holding mine.
"Do you think Ellsworth can pack up dinner and leave it in the fridge?" she asked.
I could only nod.
"Good," she said. "Then you can pick me up now."
I didn't hesitate.
I crossed the distance between us in two strides, slid one arm under her knees, the other around her back, and lifted her.
She was lighter than I expected. Softer. Her arms came around my neck immediately, her face close to mine, her breath warm against my jaw.
Holding her felt like the first honest thing I'd done in years.
