Page 25 of Her Forbidden Bargain

Sheri realized that his indulgent attitude toward his sister only lasted for so long. The commanding man Tristan normally was had come back to the surface.

“Tristan—”

“Blanche, this is not open to discussion.”

She shrugged in a way that Sheri thought was distinctly French and turned to Gui. “I suppose that will be fine. You must be on your best behavior, Gui.”

He lifted Blanche’s hand to his mouth and brushed his lips across the back. “With you that will be easy.”

“I’d be flattered if I didn’t know you were always trying to charm anyone female.”

Gui laughed and said, “You always say the nicest things.”

“Your ego can stand it.”

“Indeed,” Gui said, leading her away.

Tristan led Sheri to the car, and she slid inside. She started to move across the seat to make room for him, but he closed the door behind her and walked around toward the other side. She sat there for a moment feeling as if she’d stepped into someone else’s life. And realized that she wanted it.

Tristan wasn’t sure that coming to Paris was the best idea he’d ever had. But he needed the resources of his family and he’d wanted to take Sheri to the safest place he could think of. The Sabina house on the outskirts of Paris was just that.

His grandmère had been a famous actress in Europe, and his grandpère, a director twenty years her senior. They’d had a scandalous love affair that had resulted in a marriage that lasted for fifty years, until his grandpère’s death. And the paparazzi had hounded them all their lives.

Tristan’s mother had grown up with the photographers following her and the world being interested in everything she did. Tristan and his siblings had done the same.

They were used to the attention, but there were times like this when he resented it.

“Are you okay?” Tristan asked, looking at Sheri.

She’d be so easy to care for. Hell, he already cared more for her than he should. But he had to keep his focus, his distance from her, because he knew that she was barely holding herself together and a full-blown affair with him wasn’t going to help her.

“I’m fine,” she said, but she was clutching her purse to her stomach and staring out the window.

“Sheri, look at me.”

“Not now, Tristan.”

“Yes, now.”

She shook her head and turned her body away from his as if to emphasize her determination.

He simply took her chin in his hand and turned her toward him. She had that wounded look in her big doe eyes again and he felt the impact all the way to his cold and lonely heart. She kept her gaze fixed at his chest.

“What is wrong now?”

“Um…I work for you. Everyone in the world knows I slept with you. Figure it out.”

He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. There was the sassy girl he knew. The one that he’d been attracted to and hadn’t understood why.

But now it all made sense. There was a real fire and passion in Sheri that she kept deeply buried.

“What happens between us is our business, ma petite.”

“That’s easy for you to say. Guys will slap you on the back and say, go, you. But everyone will look at me and think…”

“Sheri, please look at me.”

She turned to face him fully and lifted those beautiful brown eyes of hers to meet his gaze.