Page 34 of Pleasure Games

By the time he turned off the highway onto D403 into Nemours, the rock in his boot was a constant annoyance, also reminding him that Jasmine was still shoeless. After an hour on the bike, her feet would be getting sore from the metal pegs. He needed to find a shoe store.

Once turning onto the Rue d’Paris, he saw a little shop on the corner and pulled the bike over. He flipped up his shaded visor and turned in the seat. “You see that store, Chaussures Sigal? It will have shoes.” Opening up the flap on his bag, he found his wallet and peeled three one-hundred-euro notes from a stack just as Jasmine dismounted and pulled off her helmet.

Her eyes were saucer shaped as she took in the bills. He thought she was going to comment, but she didn’t. She snatched the money out of his hand and padded barefoot into the store. That gave Luca time to take off his boot and shake the rock out of it.

Except it wasn’t a rock.

No, that wasn’t true. It was a rock, a big fucking rock. Luca picked the ring up off the road and inspected it. The band was small and platinum, made for a delicate finger. The diamond was...huge. Three, maybe four carats. This was an expensive engagement ring.

“Jesus,” he muttered to himself. Was it Jasmine’s ring? Was that why she’d been chasing him yesterday on the street? Had the ring somehow gotten lodged in his boot during the chaos of the robbery?

What was he supposed to do with it now?

Tell her? But then she would know that he’d been in the store, seen what happened and lied to her. No. He couldn’t tell her, but he did have to give it back to her.

Somehow.

If it was hers.

But if it was hers, what did that mean? Was she engaged? Where was her fiancé? What the hell was she doing with him?

Luca tucked the ring into his wallet—maybe he’d slip it into her pocket while saying goodbye at the train station. If it wasn’t hers...oh, well. Twenty minutes later, Jasmine emerged from the store wearing a pair of sandals and holding another bag in her hand.

She held the bag aloft and said, “I borrowed some money to buy some clothes, too—I got great prices on two pairs of shoes, a blouse, a skirt and a dress.” She smiled wide, showing her teeth. “I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course.” He swung his head to indicate the seat behind him. “Get on.”

“I’m a very good shopper,” she continued, as if he’d commented about it. Which he hadn’t.

“Great. Now, get on.”

“Yeah. I don’t think so.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m not getting on until you tell me where we’re going, why you’re driving like a maniac...” She eyed the bag he had slung across his chest. “And why you have an enormous wad of cash in your wallet.”

Dammit. He had no intention of answering any of those questions. Well, he could answer the first one. “We aren’t going anywhere. I am dropping you off at the train station and you are returning to Paris.”

She set the bag down, crossed her arms over her chest and said, “No.”

“No?”

“I’m not going back to Paris.”

“Yes, you are.”

She shook her head. “Nope. And I’m not getting on the bike, so...”

“Fine.” Luca pulled his wallet out of the bag again and peeled off a few more notes. He held them out to her. “You’ve got shoes now. You can walk to the train station.” When she didn’t take the money he leaned over, picked up the shopping bag and dropped the notes inside.

She glanced down at the money and then said, “You know what I think?”

“Non. I don’t.”

“I think you’re on the run from the police.” Her eyes lit up. “And I think you’re worried that I’ll turn you in.”

If she thought he was some criminal on the lam, why the hell were her eyes so bright and her cheeks so pink? It was like the notion turned her on.

And—bam—like that, he was turned on.

Fuck. He had to get rid of her. Quick. She was a liability. “An interesting hypothesis.” He pointed to the end of the street. “Take this street across the river and then turn right. The train station is maybe five hundred meters north.”

Jasmine’s lips twitched. “So, you’re saying I need to walk right past that official-looking building on the other side of the street?” She pointed. “Because that’s the police station.” She smiled. Wide. “I asked the girl in the store. She pointed it out to me.”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. Luca started the engine and lowered his visor, ready to call her bluff. “Au revoir, Jasmine. Bonne chance.” He was just about to drive away when he remembered something.

He still had her ring.

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