“Weren’t you the one who said so?”
“I was angry. People say all sorts of things when they are angry. Things they don’t mean.”
A red light was coming up. Bastien eased to a stop. “People say exactly what they mean when they are angry, Celine.”
“Maybe, but I was wrong about it,” she said. The buildings were tall enough to block the sun on this side of the street, so Celine slid the shades down her nose, folding them on her lap. “Surely…there must have been someone…”
There were so many names Bastien’s was associated with in the rumours that circulated their social circle, one of them must have held some special place in his heart. For Jacques it had been Emilie. For Anaïs it had been a girl named Juliette. Celine, too, had had her first love manifested as Simon.
Bastien shook his head. “I was never in love with any of my paramours. Loving just one person has always seemed ridiculous to me.”
“But—” Celine frowned. “How do you know, if you’ve never been in love?”
“If desire is fleeting, love must be too, no? I have no interest in it. I’ve only ever wanted to have fun with whoever I wanted, whenever I wanted. No strings. No sillyI love yous.”
The light turned green; the car rumbled forward once more. Celine leaned back into her seat, turning the thought over.Fleeting. Like Bastien’s moods. Like his words. Like the desire that had emanated from his body the other day. There for a dizzying heartbeat, and then gone—to someone else. The thought weighed like lead in the pit of her stomach. Celine shouldn’t have expected anything else from him. Even if the first kiss had been her idea, even if the second one had been initiated by him, it didn’t mean he wanted her the way she had started—
No!
The car came to a sudden lurch, causing Celine to thrust her arms out and brace on the dashboard. Someone had abruptly cut in front of them. From her peripheral she could see Bastien turn off the ignition key and get out of the car to shout at the other driver. Celine paid no heed to the commotion. Her heart was hammering so loudly in her chest, she could feel the drumming beats in the back of her head.
The realisation had slammed into her with the same breakneck speed that the car had stopped.
No! She couldn’t possibly want him!
Celine curled her fingers into fists on her lap, bunching up her dress. It had been just a kiss—just a kiss to pay him in kind for all the pranks he had pulled. Nothing more, nothing less. It shouldn’t have meant anything.
“Are you okay?” Bastien asked, shaking her from her thoughts. She had seen him return to the car but none of it had registered.
Celine blinked at him several times before realising she hadn’t said anything yet. “I-I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? You look flushed.”
She nodded, though she was certain the movement seemed exaggerated. Other than reassuring him, she was trying to dispel the mortifying thoughts her mind had elicited. But when shecaught her reflection on the sideview mirror, she startled. A fervent pink had crept over her cheeks.
“I can stop,” Bastien was saying. “Let me find a parking space.”
“No need. It was just the sun,” she lied, quickly sliding the shades back on. “Really, I’m fine.”
He looked far from convinced, but he averted his eyes regardless, focusing on the road again.
Chapter 23
Castles in the Sky
The car pulled up to an almost deserted street, right in front of a store with yellowing newspapers covering its windows and a sign that had been painted over to conceal the previous name of the establishment. A faint R and E stood out the most, but they could have meant anything.
Bastien turned the engine off, stepped out, then opened Celine’s door for her.
“We’re here,” he announced aloud. “You can get out now.”
She held fast to her seat. “Where have you brought me to?”
“Your paranoia astonishes me.” Bastien held out his hand. “No hidden agenda today, I promise. I’m not as careless as to murder you in a place surrounded by windows.”
“Coveredwindows.”
“Please, get out of the car.”
