“Did you want me to? Should that become our regular thing? Me popping into your hotel room unannounced?” Phoenix leaned into the doorway.
Raya rolled her eyes. “Get in here and stop making a spectacle of yourself.”
“Oh, if I were going to make a spectacle of myself, you’d know it.” He strolled to the bed. “What’s all this?” He scooped up a handful of the convention swag.
“Put that down!”
Phoenix dropped the items. “Calm down. I’m not stealing your trinkets. I was just curious.” He managed to look simultaneously hurt and haughty.
“Don’t pout.” Raya faced the mirror and fluffed her hair. “I was all set to be shown a good time.”
“In those clothes?”
“Why should I change when all you ever wear is a heap of black topped with a leather jacket?”
“Touché.” He loomed over her in the reflection. “Maybe I should get you one to match.”
Goodness, he was tall. And annoying. She was going to call his stupid bluff. “Maybe you should.” She turned around and shoved his chest, but he didn’t budge. She changed tactics and pointed her finger at him. “Go ahead. Get me a leather jacket.”
“Get you a leather jacket?”
“You suggested it.”
An odd look passed over Phoenix’s face. “I was only kidding.”
Raya snickered. “Too bad. Maybe you should think before you speak, demon.”
“Right. Well.” Phoenix looked uncharacteristically lost.
“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?”
“You want me to find you a leather jacket in Paris in July? Don’t you want to go sightseeing or eating or whatever it is that lunatic mortals like yourself do in Paris?”
Raya sat down on the edge of the bed and regarded Phoenix. “Oh, Phoenix. How will you ever learn that you should never, ever, try to bluff me?” She tilted her head and smiled. “Unless you want to suffer the immediate consequences. Now let’s go shopping.”
She hopped up and swept out of the room without looking back to see if he would follow.
He followed—probably just to make sure she wouldn’t have the last word. “Obviously you know where you’re going.”
“Obviously.” For once, she actually did know where she was going, since she’d passed their destination on her morning walk to the train station.
They emerged from the hotel lobby into the late summer twilight. A short walk down the sidewalk, past the cafe, and across the Rue de Babylone brought them to the doors of the famous Parisian department store, Le Bon Marché.
“Voilà!” said Raya.
“Oh, very clever,” said Phoenix. He pulled open the door and allowed her to precede him.
Raya breezed past. “Such a gentleman. Or should I say gentledemon?”
“Don’t push it.”
Raya laughed and ran ahead to a massive display of grapes piled in wicker baskets. “Look at these!” She reached out with both hands.
Phoenix darted after her and grabbed her hands. “You’re not supposed to touch them unless you plan to buy them.”
“So it’s forbidden fruit?” His hands felt very warm wrapped around hers. She wriggled away and pretended not to be affected. “I didn’t want to buy it. I just wanted to see your reaction. Where do they hide the jackets, anyway?”
“In July? Probably in the basement. Only you would want something so out of season.”
