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I felt his hand on my chin and the pressure as he gently raised my head and wiped the tears from my cheek with his thumb as he looked into my eyes. “Remember what I said. He deserves none of those tears.”
His words made me cry even more. "You didn't have to do this," I said between tears.
"I know, but I did it, so let’s not waste the reservation, okay. Besides, you deserve it. I mean, when do you think you are going to be back in Paris?" he asked, bringing his hand up to wipe away another tear from my cheek.
I glanced up at him, staring into his eyes. “Thank you,” I said, leaning in and kissing him on the cheek.
"Don't thank me. Just please, do me one favour and just explain to me sometime over this trip what it was you ever saw in him, because I'm having a hard time figuring it out what a girl like you was doing with a guy like him," he whispered, his voice barely audible.
"I think I can do that," I whispered, looking up at the twinkling lights once again.
I looked at Maddox, a soft smile falling over my lips. Our eyes locked, and we stood there before the Eiffel Tower, and before I knew what was happening, he leaned in and placed a single kiss on my lips.
A surge of heat ran through my body the instant his lips touched mine, and I closed my eyes. We stayed that way for a few moments before he pulled away. "Shall we go?" he questioned, looking into my eyes.
I bit my bottom lip and nodded, and even though all I wanted was to feel his lips on mine again, I threaded my arm through his and allowed him to lead me toward the Eiffel Tower.
Dinner had been absolutely amazing, each course better than the previous. Once again, the conversation flowed between us, and it seemed all the tension that had been between us before was quelled with that kiss. As the night passed, I wished that we could have spent the entire night at the table, drinking and talking as we looked over the beauty of the city.
We now walked through the quiet streets of Paris, snow falling heavily. Maddox was quiet, and I clung to him so I didn't slip.
"Did you enjoy dinner?" he asked. It was the first thing either of us had said in over twenty minutes.
"Loved it. That meal—oh God, and those desserts…What amazing choices you picked." I smiled. We'd each ordered a main, and then each a different dessert. We both ate half, then switched, but the chocolate souffle had stuck out in my mind and how it practically melted in my mouth.
"Good, I am glad."
"You need to tell me what I owe you though."
Maddox abruptly stopped. "No way! That was my treat. My surprise."
I frowned. "No, you got dinner the other night. There is no way I am letting you pay for another meal when you are a guest on this trip."
Maddox stopped walking and turned to me. "I'm not telling you what that meal cost, Tess. But if you want to owe me then for payment, I want you to tell me what on earth you ever saw in Derrick. I figured you would have told me over dinner.”
"I would have, but it would have ruined my appetite, and if you don't want to see my dinner in reverse, we don't need to talk about it now. Besides, your rule. We aren't supposed to mention his name, remember."
He stopped, taking both of my hands in his. "All right, you're right, but, please, let me treat you to whatever I want on this vacation, without a word of disagreement."
I had a hard time accepting that he wanted to do these things for me. When Derrick had done things like this, he was always looking for something in return.
“I wanted to treat you,” he said, studying my eye. “I can imagine you’re not used to that, but get used to it, at least for this trip.”
“Okay," I said, biting my bottom lip and looking into his eyes.
As his eyes washed over my face, he didn’t hesitate. He leaned in and slowly took my mouth with his, his tongue forcing my lips apart. I could feel the urgency in his kiss as his lips pressed firmly against mine, my body lighting up like a Christmas tree. When we parted, both of us breathless, no words were said. He took hold of my hand, and we continued our walk along the Seine River back to our hotel as if nothing happened.
Maddox
We enjoyed a few glasses of wine down in the lobby bar once we had returned from dinner. We sat in one of the booths, talking and drinking, while we watched the gentle falling snow turn into a blowing and quickly accumulating snowstorm. We sat watching in amazement as everything was bathed in white, while the other guests began panicking. This wasn't normal weather for Paris, and as the storm raged on, the bartender soon announced that they were closing the bar early so the hotel staff could make their way home safely.
We’d just gotten into our room, changed, and both of us settled for the night. Tess lay in bed, and I was back in my usual spot on the couch. We were right in the middle of a movie when the power flickered once then twice. The third time the room was bathed in darkness.
"Dammit, that was a good movie too. Now I'm never going to know how it ends," Tess cried.
I couldn't help but laugh out loud. "It wasn't that good, Tess."
"Oh stop, it was great." She giggled.
