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The stirrings of desire made him shift his position, adjust the fit of his trousers, before he let his eyes roam in her direction again. She sat very upright, her proud profile staring ahead, her hands clasped in her lap, until the last strains of the can-can finally died away and she raised them to clap politely again, her soft applause drowned out by the cheers of the crowd.
She couldn’t wait for this to end—that much was obvious. As he watched she bent to pick up her purse and as she straightened up their eyes met. Those beautiful green eyes... For a moment he caught vulnerability there—a sort of lost helplessness that threatened to slash through his tough resolve. But a second later it was gone, replaced by the now familiar look of haughty disdain. A look that said she was tolerating him only because she had to, and even then, for the very least amount of time possible.
Well, they would see about that. This was starting to feel like a challenge—and Nikos had never been able to resist one of those.
Stepping out into the cool night air was a welcome relief after the claustrophobic atmosphere of the club. With the windmill still turning behind them, Nikos put their guests into a taxi, then took Kate’s arm, tucking it against his side. He felt her stiffen but she didn’t pull away.
He wasn’t going to take her back to their hotel—not yet. He didn’t want the evening to end with him knocking back another tumbler of whisky to try and numb his traitorous thoughts. The temptation of knowing that Kate was just the other side of that designer grey wall was enough to rob him of sleep if he didn’t fight to control it. And enough to fill his dreams when he thought he had.
‘Shall we take a walk?’ He started to move them along the pavement, sidestepping the noisy crowd that were still spilling out of the club.
‘If you like.’
It wasn’t the most enthusiastic response to an invitation to accompany him on an evening stroll in the most romantic city in the world, but Nikos would take it. At least she wasn’t arguing, and the crush on the pavement meant she had no alternative but to stay close by his side. He had no intention of letting her slip away now.
* * *
Kate breathed in the Parisian night air, concentrating on soaking up the atmosphere to try and blot out the nearness of the man beside her.
This place had such a buzz to it you couldn’t help but fall in love with it. The ancient streets were bustling with tourists and locals alike, the cafés and restaurants were spilling out onto the wide pavements, the smell of cooking filled the air, laughter and chatter were all around them.
Turning a corner, they entered in a square filled with artists, their easels set up under trees festooned with fairy lights, their paintings spread out on the pavement or set up against the railings. Taking his cue from Kate, Nikos slowed his step.
‘Montmartre is famous for its artists.’ He gestured to the tall buildings around them. ‘Renoir, Van Gogh, Picasso—they all lived and worked here at some point in their career.’
Kate followed his gaze. She was pretty good on her art history, so she already knew that, but how wonderful it was to think that these geniuses, whose paintings she had drooled over in galleries, had actually been here—maybe even stood in the exact same spot. She could almost feel their presence.
‘Though I’m not sure these guys are quite in the same league.’
‘Maybe not.’ Kate gave a soft laugh. ‘But they have to earn a living, the same as the rest of us, and if this is the way they do it then I envy them.’
‘Really?’ Nikos turned her towards him so he could see her face. ‘You mean you would give up your candy empire in favour of an artist’s palette?’
‘It would be a camera in my case.’ Kate pulled her gaze away from his searching stare. ‘I would have loved to be a professional photographer.’
‘But I thought you hated the paparazzi?’
‘I do.’ She turned back quickly to look at him. ‘I’m not talking about that sort of photography. I mean portraits, landscapes—that sort of thing.’
‘So why didn’t you, then?’
‘Why didn’t I what?’
‘Become a photographer?’
