“What happened to fresh air?” I asked.
She gestured upstairs with a mischievous grin. “Follow me, my dear tiger.”
Chapter Fifteen
GENEVIÈVE
As I’d hoped, the stairway opened to the roof, where we found a deck. My breath swirled as I skipped over to the railing and looked out.
“Wow. Not a bad view.”
Roux stepped up beside me. “Not bad at all.”
The treetops of the Bois de Boulogne stretched out before us, an unmade bed of dark, lumpy blankets. City lights twinkled beyond, all the way out to the sharp lines of La Defénse, the modern archway that mirrored the Arc de Triomphe. And if I leaned out to look right—
“Oh! Look!” I caught a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower before Roux leaned out and blocked the view.
“Oh. Nice,” he agreed.
I inhaled his fresh, herbs-of-the-jungle scent. Very nice, indeed.
Below us, traffic lights changed colors, and cars painted lines of red or white light. From up here, it all seemed distant, even peaceful.
“Have you ever lived in Paris?” I asked.
“Only for a few months.” He reached out and tapped the skyline. “Somewhere around…there. See that church spire?”
“No. I see old TV antennas, though.”
He stepped behind me and pointed over my shoulder. “Start from the tall building, go three roofs left…”
“That one?”
He shook his head and leaned closer. “Over there. See that tall building?”
His chest warmed my back, and I couldn’t resist leaning into him.
“Oh, I see it.”
“Now go left…”
I raised my hand, and he guided it.
“Oh! I see the church,” I said.
“I lived in the next building over.” He dropped his arm to the railing but kept the other on my shoulder, boxing me into a nice, cozy space. “On the second floor, with a view of a wall outside the only window.” He chuckled. “Have you ever lived in Paris?”
I nodded. “No. Just visits to Gordon. Auberre suits me better. More space, more peace…”
“Suits me better too,” he murmured.
Was that a note of yearning in his voice or wishful thinking on my part?
“You don’t get bored out there?” he asked.
“No. Not as long as I have good company.” Then I blushed. “That sounds like a bad pickup line, but it’s true. It doesn’t take a lot of people, just the right person. I mean…” I sputtered, embarrassed.
Roux’s chuckle warmed my neck. “I know what you mean, Geneviève.”
