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He’d managed to coax her back into bed after their shower earlier that morning for another round of sex so hot she still felt flushed. Eventually, they’d had a late breakfast, then set out for a couple of hours. They had to be back at the hotel by three to prepare for the ball, but it gave them time to wander around to her usual haunts.
Nyssa had been to Paris enough times to know exactly where everything was. She had two bookstores on her list of stores to visit. The first, which they’d already gone to, was Librarie Delamain, which happened to be the oldest bookstore in Paris. She loved walking the aisles and breathing in the scent of old books; there was nothing like it.
Now, they were approaching the second, better known one—Shakespeare and Company. Located at the end of Rue de la Bûcherie, they had to walk as the road was closed off to traffic and only accessible on foot down a cobblestone path. All stores were on the right, and it didn’t take long before they were at the bookstore and its attached café, which sat at the end of the road.
The café had wooden seating outside, located underneath cream awnings and umbrellas. A few hearty souls were enjoying some baked treats and hot drinks outside, but hopefully there’d be a couple of spare seats inside the café once they were done shopping.
She stepped inside the bookstore, her hand still firmly entwined in John’s, and smiled. There were books as far as the eye could see and she couldn’t wait to explore the bookshelves stuffed to the brim.
“Take your coat off, sweetheart.” She stuffed her gloves inside one pocket and allowed him to help her remove her coat, then held on to it while he did the same with his. When he took hers and folded it over his left arm on top of his own coat, she bestowed a soft kiss on his lips in thanks. It meant she could wander freely and look at all the books clamoring for her attention.
The rare book section called to her first, and John stayed close behind her, browsing a shelf or two himself. Nyssa spotted a couple of books she was interested in but decided to think on before purchasing. She went from section to section, showing her man a book here and there.
By the time she was done, she had an armful of books to take to the register. After purchasing a branded tote to carry them all in, she allowed John to take the bag off her as they made their way next door to the café. They managed to find an empty table, and after perusing the menu, Nyssa made her selections while John went to the counter to place their order.
He kissed her as he sat down next to her, and she shuffled a little closer to him. The café’s menu was not extensive, but there was a good enough selection to choose from. They decided to share a few desserts, so settled on a slice of lemon pie, a chocolate muffin, and scones with butter and jam, along with coffee for both.
She fed him pieces of their desserts in between kisses, and there was nowhere else in the world she would rather have been at that moment—and with nobody else. Sliding an arm around his neck, she kissed him longer than polite company would have deemed necessary, but they were tucked away in a corner and nobody was looking at them.
Once they were done, they put their coats and gloves on and headed back to the hotel. They had about half an hour before they needed to commence getting ready for the ball, so they spent that time lying on the bed in each other’s embrace, talking and kissing.
Eventually, it was time for them to begin preparation for the evening’s activity. Nyssa had declined her mother’s invitation to get ready with her parents and use the queen’s attendants to help her prepare. She’d been doing her own hair and makeup since she’d moved to the U.S. and was perfectly capable of making herself up appropriately. She even preferred to do so these days.
They took a quick shower together to freshen up, then John disappeared into the bedroom he’d originally been allocated to dress in his tuxedo. Nyssa took advantage of the time alone to slip into the new lingerie she’d brought with her in the hope perhaps her bodyguard would see what it looked like on her. Thankfully, now that their physical relationship had begun, she’d do just that before the night was over.
By the time John came back into the master bedroom, she’d already donned her gown. Made of a deep red silk, it was longsleeved with a high neckline, as protocol dictated. She wasn’t allowed to show off any of her assets while at events where she represented her country. It tucked in at her waist, then flared out, the hem near her ankles. Her high heels were the same color, and she’d decided to forgo wearing a necklace in favor of drop ruby and diamond earrings which matched her tiara.
She was still bare faced, her tresses hanging loosely around her head. Normally, she’d have done her hair and makeup first before donning her dress, but since she had to put it on over her head she didn’t want to risk ruining her hair or getting makeup on the gown. Since she was dressing alone, it was easier for her to put her gown on first. She watched as John’s gaze slowly traveled the length of her body and back again. “You’re so fucking beautiful you take my breath away.”
Nyssa smiled and held out a hand to him. He took it and brought it up to his lips so he could kiss the back of it. “You scrub up quite nicely yourself, Mr. Ashwood.” Stepping forward, she adjusted his slightly crooked bow tie and brushed lint off his shoulders. “Every woman in the ballroom will be drooling once they get a look at you.”
He gave her a toothy grin. “Too bad for them my heart has already been stolen.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her, deep and slow.
“I’m never going to give it back, you know.” Her voice was soft and breathy.
“I don’t want it back, Nyssa. It’s yours. Has been for years.” After one more kiss, he let her go so she could finish getting ready.
Half an hour later, her face was perfectly made up and her hair swept up off it in an elaborate style held in place by her favorite tiara. The diamond and ruby headpiece had been a sixteenth birthday gift from her paternal grandmother, who’d then been queen, and she loved it.
Once she checked she had her essentials for the evening, she made sure John’s pockets held everything safely. She’d taken up her lover’s offer to save her having to tote around a clutch all night, and not for the first time she lamented the lack of decently sized pockets in women’s clothing.
Since they were going straight from their hotel room to the car to the venue, she opted not to bother with a coat. The large ballroom would be heated, so it was unlikely many of the guests would choose to wear heavy coats that would simply get in the way. Once they were ready, they went down into the hotel’s private garage and got into their car. John put the heating on, and soon enough Nyssa was warm enough to forget it was an incredibly cold winter’s evening in Paris.
She stared in wonder at the lights which blazed around the city as they drove the five minutes from the eighth arrondissement, where their hotel was located, to the sixteenth arrondissement, where the event was being held. She found herself wishing the drive had been a little longer, just so she could stare at the lights and the stars twinkling above them in the inky black sky.
They arrived at the venue for the evening and left their car with a valet after John helped her alight from the vehicle. Hurrying inside, they entered the elaborately decorated ballroom and looked around. Nyssa studied the room in wonder, even though she’d been to hundreds of similar events over the course of her life. There were flowers as far as the eye could see; large arrangements dotted the perimeter of the room, while smaller ones sat in expensive crystal vases on the tables.
There were ten people allocated to each one, and each place held china gilded in gold with solid gold cutlery. Heavy crystal glasses sat at the head of each setting, with linen napkins artfully folded on the top plate.
Wait staff circled the room carrying trays filled with champagne, beer, soda, and water. Others had bite-sized canapés. Nyssa snagged two glasses of champagne while John grabbed some canapés, and once she spotted her parents they made their way through the crowd to reach them.
“Bonne soirée, Maman, Papa.” Placing the glasses down on the table, she kissed both her parents on the cheek in greeting.
“Good evening, Your Majesties.” John bowed deeply, and Nyssa’s heart warmed at his sign of respect.
Queen Manon held her hands out to the American and he took them, then placed a kiss on each cheek before shaking the king’s hand. “Good evening, darlings,” she greeted them both warmly. “You look wonderful. Nyssa, that dress is gorgeous on you.”
While Nyssa usually spoke in French with her parents, she loved that they stuck to English in John’s presence, aware he would not be able to follow their conversation otherwise.
