Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 73324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
“Really? Okay…bad news first.”
“You’re not going home today. I’m sorry.”
“Thanks.” Daniel’s voice was muffled against his neck. “When did this happen?”
“I got the call in the middle of the night.”
Daniel pushed up to look down at him. “So, they still want me to keep hanging around?”
Edward nodded and brushed back a lock of Daniel’s dark-blond hair from where it was threatening to fall over his right eye. “I’m sorry.”
“You know,” Daniel said, tilting his head. “Strangely, I’m not. Not everything about this vacation has been terrible.” He rubbed his soft dick in the mess on Edward’s lower belly. “This part has been a lot of fun. Sightseeing with you has been fun.”
“I’ve really enjoyed spending this time with you too,” Edward whispered, lifting his head to kiss Daniel softly. “Even when you were pissed at me.”
Daniel stared at him before he cleared his throat and gave him a half grin. “You wanted to enjoy this time we have together. Guess I didn’t put up such a hard fight after all.”
“You had a good reason to be upset with me.”
“But now that I’ve accepted it’s a part of your job—a part of who you are—I feel better about everything.” Daniel’s face suddenly clouded over as he stared down at Edward. “Wait. Was that the good news or the bad news?”
Edward’s loud laugh filled the room. He couldn’t help himself. He wrapped his arms around Daniel, pulled him close, and rolled them on the bed until Daniel was under him. “I’m glad my bad news wasn’t all that bad.”
“What’s the good news?”
“We’re driving to Paris today.”
“Are you shitting me?” Daniel demanded in a deadly serious voice that kind of surprised Edward.
“No. We’re going to Paris,” he repeated.
“Up! Up! Get up! Let me up!” Daniel frantically shoved at Edward and kicked at the blankets until he could finally get free of the bed and on his feet.
Edward sat up, watching as Daniel dashed across the room to his suitcase. “What’s wrong?”
“Get your ass up! We’re going to Paris and I’m not wasting another second in that bed.”
“Seriously?” Edward asked with a laugh.
“Totally serious. It’s Paris.” He turned and pointed at Edward, his gaze narrowed in grim warning. “And we are not hiding in the hotel. We are sightseeing. You will not keep me from the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower…ooooh…or the Champs-Élysées.”
Edward smiled at Daniel for a moment as he watched him quickly pack his bag while setting aside what he needed for a shower. No, he was not going to keep Daniel from seeing Paris. He would do whatever he needed to keep him safe, but Daniel was going to see at least a little of the city of lights.
Daniel would be the first to admit that his Bermuda escape had been a tad bit extravagant. But he’d earned it. He’d rationalized that if he was going to take a true break from work and relax, he needed to go big.
Barcelona had made him feel posh and cultured.
But Paris…oh God, Paris!
Paris made him feel like he’d stepped into a decadent Audrey Hepburn movie.
He managed to pull Edward out of the hotel room by eight a.m. and get them on the road. After a late lunch in Orléans, they reached Paris by four, where Edward checked them into an elegant boutique hotel on the left bank. The room was as small as the last room in Toulouse but had a warm feel to it with its blue walls and brown accents.
In truth, Daniel barely noticed the room once he saw that it offered a view of the Seine River and Louvre. Daniel nearly wept to see it. They were only blocks from the Musée Rodin and Musée d’Orsay. Across the river was the former royal palace turned museum and the Tuileries. It was all so close and he wanted to see everything, but they were there for a job. They needed to check Kevin’s apartment before someone else got there.
“It can wait one more day,” Edward said. “Let’s take a stroll.”
Daniel bit his tongue to keep from shouting “Yes!” There was no missing the tension humming through Edward’s shoulders and tightening his jaw, though. He was worried. Daniel just didn’t know if he was worried about keeping Daniel safe or getting to Kevin’s apartment on time.
“Later,” Daniel said. “Let’s get the apartment out of the way.”
“Are you sure?” There was relief in Edward’s voice, and he knew he’d made the right decision.
He crossed the hotel room and lifted up to press a kiss to the corner of Edward’s mouth. “We’ve got to get this job done first. You can take me out for a fancy dinner tonight.”
“I promise.”
Grabbing a complimentary bottle of water, Daniel led the way out of the hotel room with a smile. He was definitely holding him to that promise. And maybe they could take an evening stroll then.