Page 33 of Angel Eyes

The second she clocked our arrival, she smiled, throwing her arms open in greeting.

“Juliet, you made it.” I watched as she zeroed in on our linked hands. “Gabriel, come and sit here.” She patted the space beside her. “Dean was telling me the most incredible story about the Paris cabaret scene, and I am dying to get a local’s opinion.” Her dark eyes ticked to me. “You don’t mind if I borrow him for a minute, do you, Juliet?”

I pasted on a smile, my body tensing. “No, of course not.” Gabriel shot me a surprised look, and I shrugged. “You should go and mingle.” Marlena nodded, beckoning him with a feline grin, and I had to bite my tongue hard to stop myself from taking back my words.

Gabriel frowned. “Are you sure?”

Truthfully, I was about the furthest thing from sure, but I didn’t want to look like I was intimidated in front of Marlena. It would only give her more ammunition.

“Don’t worry,” Simone said to Gabriel, interrupting my prolonged silence. “I promise to take good care of her until you get back.” She moved over to make room for me, and Gabriel hesitated another beat before nodding and releasing my hand.

I plopped down on the cushioned seat next to Simone.

“Everything all right? You were gone a long time.”

I shook my head, recounting the details of my blow-up with Kyle.

“What a selfish bastard.” She grabbed a bottle of champagne and poured two glasses, handing one to me. “Here’s to leaving behind everything holding you back from the life you deserve.”

“Here’s to making new memories.” I downed the champagne, my eyes flicking to Gabriel’s darkened form. Unfortunately, the look didn’t go unnoticed, and Simone flashed me a wicked grin. I rolled my eyes, smiling despite myself.

Around my fifth glass, Simone, Carter, and I started up a conversation about the sites we wanted to visit in Paris.

“We should go see the catacombs together,” Carter said to Simone, slurring as his gaze dipped to her thighs. “Who knows what interesting things we might discover.”

“Are you asking purely out of academic interest?” she said, her lips curving upward.

“Nope, not at all,” he said with a drunken wink, and I snorted a laugh a second before Simone elbowed me in the ribs. Carter blinked at me, seeming to remember my presence. “What about you, Juliet? What places are you interested in?”

“Art museums, mostly. Although Paris is bursting with artistic works in a variety of places, from cathedrals to palaces. It’s hard to know where to start.”

“Luckily for her,” Simone chimed in, “she has a knowledgeable tour guide who I’m sure would love to show her what’s what about art … and many other things.”

“Simone, honestly,” I said, my neck sparking with heat.

“Oh, please. He hasn’t been able to keep his eyes off you this entire time.”

Giving in to impulse, I looked in Gabriel’s direction and found him leaning forward, resting his elbows against his knees as Marlena prattled on beside him. As if sensing me, his eyes rose, glinting like sapphires as he locked me in the intensity of his gaze. My pulse skipped when his mouth hooked up in a slow grin. The beginnings of a smile traced across my lips, but before it was fully formed, Marlena leaned over to whisper something in Gabriel’s ear. I froze, a trickle of ice sliding through my veins.

“What the hell?” I heard Simone say, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the sight of Marlena in Gabriel’s personal space, her hand lingering on his knee. “Um, Juliet?” Simone swiveled in my direction. “Are you just going to sit there and let her hit on your man?”

“For the last time, he’s not my man. We barely know each other.” I swallowed each word like jagged glass. “He’s an adult. He can make his own decisions.” I reached for the champagne bottle, but Simone batted my hand away.

“Uh-uh. No way are we letting her get away with this. Let’s go, party princess.” She seized my hand, dragging me upright and toward the dance floor.

“Where are we going?” I hurried after her, stumbling under the influence of one too many glasses of champagne.

“Marlena may think she’s won the battle, but you’re about to win the war.”

Twelve

Juliet

The dance floor sparkled like starlight, its surface shimmering with LED lights beneath a sea of people dancing. I looked over my shoulder, peering through the throng to where Gabriel was seated, but Simone clasped my chin, turning my face toward her.

“Eyes on me, babe. Trust me on this.”

I blinked in confusion. “But—”

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