warning?
“I hope not,” he said and he clasped and released the top of my arm, making my skin tingle underneath my layers.
I tried to concentrate on Rodin’s door. I’d seen stuff of his before but this was so . . . disturbing.
We made our way through the museum. “See, this is beautiful,” I said, pointing to a small plaster sculpture of a couple kissing. “Eternal Springtime,” I read from the plaque.
“It’s not so different to the Gates,” Jake said.
I watched him. How could he think they were at all similar? Love and hell were the same thing? Was that what he was saying?
“See, the desperation is the same. The frustration. It’s in these figures as much as the ones trying to escape hell.”
“How depressing,” I replied.
“I don’t think it’s depressing at all.” He smiled at me and his eyes did that crinkly thing at the corner and my stomach tilted. I felt as if we were on dangerous territory.
“Okay, what about this one, Mr. Art Critic?” I pointed to a small bronze of a man whose arms and legs were everywhere.
“Yeah, that’s just a guy getting hammered. There’s no meaning there.”
I laughed. “ Bacchus in the Vat, ” I read from the sign. “You’re right.”
“I’m always right.”
I rolled my eyes and followed him across the room.
“This is my favorite,” he said as he stilled in front of “ The Kiss. ”
Of course, it was just a representation, but it was such an intimate sculpture. “It’s like we’re peeping Toms,” I said.
He nodded. “It’s intense.”
“And beautiful,” I said as I stared up at the tangle of limbs.
“You can tell he thinks she’s totally worth it,” he said softly.
“I think he’s cast a spell on her. She looks . . .” I couldn’t finish what I was saying. I was aware of Jake’s eyes on me and I daren’t meet them or I might be cast under the same spell as the woman in front of me.
After the Rodin Museum we wandered across to Ile de la Cité .
“Tell me about Luke,” Jake said as he gestured for me to sit at a table outside one of the cafes. He looked at me as he ordered some wine from our waiter. He didn’t even try to speak French.
“What do you want to know?” I asked as the waiter scurried away.
“Anything. Pick something.” Jake moved his chair closer to mine and his thighs brushed my knees.
Where was he going with this? “He’s a lawyer, although I think he’d prefer to have done something creative. He’d never tell me that, but I think he probably regrets that he didn’t do something else. When he was younger, he wanted to be a chef.”
“What else?” He looked at me as if he could pull out all my secrets with a blink of his eyes.
I unwrapped my scarf from my neck and opened the top buttons of my coat. “We’re close. We always were and then after our parents—and Ash has been in love with him for the longest time.”
He grinned. “Ash is in love with your brother?”
“What’s so funny?”
“It’s just, until about a minute ago, I thought Luke might be your boyfriend.”
“Ewww, that’s gross.”
“I thought so too. Any other men in your life I need to know about?”
My heart jumped in my chest. What was he asking me? “Jake.”
He reached across and cupped my neck, pushing his fingers into the bottom of my bun. “Take your hair down, Haven.”
I paused, not knowing how to respond. My fingers fumbled over his and pulled out a pin, and then another. There were five altogether. After the third my hair started to sag. I took a deep breath and took out the final two.
“I like it like this,” he whispered and leaned into me and placed a small kiss on my neck.
I closed my eyes. “What are you doing?”
“What you’ve been thinking about me doing all day,” he replied as he lowered his lips to my neck again.
My skin heated as if I were being branded by him. What was happening? I didn’t fall for men like him, but every part of my mind and body was being pulled toward
“I hope not,” he said and he clasped and released the top of my arm, making my skin tingle underneath my layers.
I tried to concentrate on Rodin’s door. I’d seen stuff of his before but this was so . . . disturbing.
We made our way through the museum. “See, this is beautiful,” I said, pointing to a small plaster sculpture of a couple kissing. “Eternal Springtime,” I read from the plaque.
“It’s not so different to the Gates,” Jake said.
I watched him. How could he think they were at all similar? Love and hell were the same thing? Was that what he was saying?
“See, the desperation is the same. The frustration. It’s in these figures as much as the ones trying to escape hell.”
“How depressing,” I replied.
“I don’t think it’s depressing at all.” He smiled at me and his eyes did that crinkly thing at the corner and my stomach tilted. I felt as if we were on dangerous territory.
“Okay, what about this one, Mr. Art Critic?” I pointed to a small bronze of a man whose arms and legs were everywhere.
“Yeah, that’s just a guy getting hammered. There’s no meaning there.”
I laughed. “ Bacchus in the Vat, ” I read from the sign. “You’re right.”
“I’m always right.”
I rolled my eyes and followed him across the room.
“This is my favorite,” he said as he stilled in front of “ The Kiss. ”
Of course, it was just a representation, but it was such an intimate sculpture. “It’s like we’re peeping Toms,” I said.
He nodded. “It’s intense.”
“And beautiful,” I said as I stared up at the tangle of limbs.
“You can tell he thinks she’s totally worth it,” he said softly.
“I think he’s cast a spell on her. She looks . . .” I couldn’t finish what I was saying. I was aware of Jake’s eyes on me and I daren’t meet them or I might be cast under the same spell as the woman in front of me.
After the Rodin Museum we wandered across to Ile de la Cité .
“Tell me about Luke,” Jake said as he gestured for me to sit at a table outside one of the cafes. He looked at me as he ordered some wine from our waiter. He didn’t even try to speak French.
“What do you want to know?” I asked as the waiter scurried away.
“Anything. Pick something.” Jake moved his chair closer to mine and his thighs brushed my knees.
Where was he going with this? “He’s a lawyer, although I think he’d prefer to have done something creative. He’d never tell me that, but I think he probably regrets that he didn’t do something else. When he was younger, he wanted to be a chef.”
“What else?” He looked at me as if he could pull out all my secrets with a blink of his eyes.
I unwrapped my scarf from my neck and opened the top buttons of my coat. “We’re close. We always were and then after our parents—and Ash has been in love with him for the longest time.”
He grinned. “Ash is in love with your brother?”
“What’s so funny?”
“It’s just, until about a minute ago, I thought Luke might be your boyfriend.”
“Ewww, that’s gross.”
“I thought so too. Any other men in your life I need to know about?”
My heart jumped in my chest. What was he asking me? “Jake.”
He reached across and cupped my neck, pushing his fingers into the bottom of my bun. “Take your hair down, Haven.”
I paused, not knowing how to respond. My fingers fumbled over his and pulled out a pin, and then another. There were five altogether. After the third my hair started to sag. I took a deep breath and took out the final two.
“I like it like this,” he whispered and leaned into me and placed a small kiss on my neck.
I closed my eyes. “What are you doing?”
“What you’ve been thinking about me doing all day,” he replied as he lowered his lips to my neck again.
My skin heated as if I were being branded by him. What was happening? I didn’t fall for men like him, but every part of my mind and body was being pulled toward
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