AllFreeNovel
Share Us
With his thumb, he wipes the corner of my mouth. “Physical evidence.” He licks his thumb. “Cassis. Excellent.” Then he presses his lips to mine, gently pushing his tongue forward to coax them apart. “You taste like cassis, too. Perfect.”
We embrace for a long moment, then I pull away. “You taste like cappuccino.”
“Bien sûr. I had several during the tediousness of meeting with Allan and the Inspector.”
“That bad?”
He shrugs. “It was important, but Allan is un criss de cave.”
I cross my eyes.
“A jerk,” he says. “Let’s forget about Allan. I’m much more interested in you, ma chouette.” He holds me at arm’s length, the deep gaze mesmerizing me like an invitation into a magical forest glade.
“I thought you needed to be back for a meeting over an hour ago.”
“Canceled.”
Face crinkled in thought, he finally asks the million-dollar question. “Dangerous situation at the office?”
“No idea. Just a text from Rebecca. We’ll meet tomorrow. She said not to worry.”
“But you will.” He takes my hand and tries to move me toward the bed.
I plant my feet firmly. “We met a friend of yours.”
“A friend? In Paris?” He looks surprised.
“A friend of Max’s anyway. A Turkish guy, Yavuz Arslan. He was at Mariage Frères.”
He lets go of me and collapses into an armchair. “We knew he and his brother Tanik were coming to Paris. Their youngest brother is here studying. Still, I’m surprised you ran into him. Especially at a fancy tea shop.”
“Don’t Turks drink tea?”
“According to Max, they drink tea all the time. In glasses, using samovars, like the Russians. But a place like that isn’t his style.”
“Maybe he wanted a gift for a lady friend?”
Now he paces, and I wonder if there’s something shady about Yavuz.
“Do you not trust him?”
JL’s face scrunches. Then he rubs a fingertip over his lips. “He shows up at unexpected times. But then I can be a suspicious bastard. Goes with the job, I’m afraid.”
With a gulp, I decide not to tell him about the dinner invitation but resolve to tell him about Sam’s texts. “JL.” I stop because I’m not sure what to say.
“Hmmm?” He grabs me and leans in for another taste, but I put my hand up to his mouth. He moves back in surprise. “Wha-at? Is something wrong? Don’t give Yavuz another thought.”
I walk over to my purse, pull out my phone, and open the text messages. Then I hand it to him and flop into a chair, my eyes squeezed shut.
The sound of him huffing with outrage as he reads what Sam sent me makes my chest tighten.
“Tabarnak. What the—” I look over. He’s holding the case so tightly I wonder if he’ll crush it. Which text is he reading?
“How does he know you’re in Paris?”
“No idea. Maybe he overheard something.”
“Where would he overhear something?”
