Page 27 of Angel Eyes

And in the fantasy version, I didn’t stop.

In the darkness of my bedroom, as I lingered on the precipice of sleep, I traced my fingers along the straight line of his jaw, running my thumb over the dip at the bottom of his chin before moving up to the soft curve of his mouth. Just as my fingertips brushed his lips, those ocean eyes flared with heat, and he grazed his teeth over the pads of my fingers followed by a lingering sweep of his tongue …

I swallowed.

This was exactly why I shouldn’t call him. I was completely unhinged.

I glanced down at my phone on the table.

I mean, I could message him. He had been nothing but kind to me. It wasn’t his fault I had allowed myself to indulge in one too many nighttime fantasies about him. But that ended today. It wasn’t fair to Kyle, no matter how much of a jerk he was being at present. And frankly, it wasn’t fair to Gabriel either. He had made it clear he wasn’t interested in anything outside of a platonic friendship, and I respected that.

Plus, I am a professional woman, dammit. I could carry on a no-nonsense friendship with a man. After all, I worked with men all the time at the firm. Granted, most of them were married or had a complexion that hadn’t seen the sun in a decade, but still.

As I reached for my phone, my eyes snagged on a new message. Gabriel. I opened it, ignoring the slight tremble in my fingers.

Hey Juliet, hope you are well. I stopped by Café Procope to bring you a coffee, thinking you might be working. Guess I missed you.

Crap. When had he sent this? I exhaled when I saw it was from only a few minutes ago. Thank God. Biting down on a smile, I shot him a reply.

You brought me coffee on a Friday afternoon? You might just be my hero.

He replied a minute later.

I did. Then I realized I was bringing coffee—to a café. In hindsight, I’m glad you weren’t there to witness it.

A laugh burst free from my lips, and I clapped a hand over my mouth as several pairs of eyes swung in my direction.

Well, you know what they say—no good deed goes unpunished. But if you feel like trying again, I know a girl across town who is working and in desperate need of caffeine.

Three dots appeared.

Just name the place.

Gabriel

I had never been to the American University of Paris’s campus before, no less had a reason to explore the Learning Commons building. But I have to say, I was impressed. The building was new, with a contemporary facade and floors of functional space, and it took me only a few minutes to find the library. A cursory look around the high-ceilinged room lined with bookshelves revealed Juliet at a corner table across from the entrance, her face hidden behind a laptop. My lips tilted into a grin.

What was with this girl and corners?

“I hope you like French press coffee.” I placed the portable mug I borrowed from James in front of her as I lowered myself into a seat. I hoped the mug had held up and kept her coffee warm, but there was a fifty-fifty chance the promised “seven hours of insulation” was just bravado on James’s part.

Her eyes landed on the mug before settling on me. “What’s with the thermos?”

“Uh, most cafés in Paris don’t have to-go cups. Unlike Americans, most French people enjoy their coffee sitting down rather than in transit.”

“So that means you brought this from home?”

“Something like that.”

Her eyes brightened, and she reached for her phone. “Excuse me, I just need to text Ember and let her know chivalry isn’t dead after all.” I chuckled. “So,” she continued, setting the phone down after several seconds. “I wanted to ask you something.” Her eyes dipped down as a splash of color filled her cheeks. “Would you …”

I covered my mouth with a fist to stop myself from blurting out yes like an insane person.

“Well, I was wondering if you would read the piece I wrote for the magazine.” The words left her mouth in a rush, as if she were expecting me to shoot her down. I couldn’t imagine why.

“Sure, I’d be happy to read it.”

“Really?” The color in her cheeks spread as she looked at me uncertainly.

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