Page 113 of The Heart You Kept

Boom

Boom

Boom goes my heart.

“So when he messaged me yesterday and said he was coming to Paris to see me….” She cuts herself off with a shrug. “I mean….”

I wait for her to finish her sentence….

Wait, what?

“He’s coming here?” I stammer. “To see you?”

What the hell?

“Oh my god,” she whispers as she sits back. “Here he comes now.”

I look up and see him walking though the restaurant, gray suit and dark hair, looking like he just stepped off the catwalk. He has two bodyguards trailing behind him.

“Ladies….”

“Hello, Mr. Prescott.” She swoons.

“You look lovely, Nel.” He leans in and kisses her cheek and she blushes on cue. “Hello, Alora,” he says, he undoes his suit coat button with one hand as he sits down.

Hmm….

Where’s my ‘you look lovely’…? Asshole.

He sits back, crosses his legs, and brings his eyes to meet mine before raising an eyebrow, arrogance personified. He raises his hand for a server and she comes over. “I’ll have an espresso please.”

“Yes sir.” She disappears into the kitchen.

He seems different today. Cocky or something, pissed even.

Ha, he’s pissed that I didn’t call him…well, screw you, asshole.

He’s here to see Nel and I want to know what the ever-loving fuck is going on here.

“I didn’t realize you were coming to Paris,” I say, damn this bastard for being so sexy.

“I have business here this weekend.”

“And yet you didn’t mention it?”

“My calendar is a private matter.”

Really?

Like that is it? We glare at each other as animosity bounces between us.

“Alora was just telling me all about how close the two of you are,” Nel gushes in an overenthusiastic tone.

“Was she now?” A trace of a smile crosses his face.

Shut up, Nel, you big-mouthed idiot.

“Not how close we are.” I feel my lying face begin to blush. “How close I am to your sister.”