Page 94 of Angel Eyes

A prolonged silence passed between us before he gave me a stiff nod, the muscles in his jaw clenching.

Did he mean it? Did he actually want a relationship with me? Or … my stomach shifted uncomfortably. Was he just saying it because he thought it was what I wanted?

I swallowed thickly. “No, I can’t …” Force you into a relationship. I’d promised myself I would stop being selfish, and no matter how much I wanted this, wanted him, I wasn’t willing to give in at the expense of his convictions.

His eyes hardened with the rejection of my words. “Oh, okay, I get it.”

“Gabriel—” Another streak of lightning scorched across the sky, and my chest caved in as his expression shuttered.

No, no, no. I needed to find a better way to explain myself, to make him understand. I wet my lips, searching for the right words just as a deafening crash split the sky.

Then the heavens opened up.

Thirty-Two

Gabriel

No. The word sliced through the air, piercing my chest with a sharp finality. She said no.

My hands felt numb, and I balled them into fists. Be with me. Why had I opened my mouth? Juliet had made herself clear, and I was a fool to think I could change her mind.

“Gabriel.”

I jolted out of my stupor, blinking down at her as she stared up at me with wide, pleading eyes. She opened her mouth to say something just as the wind sent a torrent of biting, cold rain barreling toward us, soaking our clothes through instantly. She squeezed her eyes shut, a shiver visibly racing over her skin, and my jaw tightened.

“We have to go.” I grabbed her hand, pulling her alongside me.

We didn’t speak again as we splashed up the path, avoiding rivers of mud and deep puddles on the road that led through miles of farmland back to the entrance of the estate. Eventually, the lights of the train station came into view, and we sprinted toward it, climbing the steps as quickly as our frozen limbs would allow. Inside, we found a mass of people waiting on the platform, some of whom were as drenched as we were, others who were dry but no less irritable.

I scanned the train schedule for the next departure time but couldn’t find it anywhere.

“Pardon,” I said to a woman standing nearby, her face streaked with exhaustion as a screaming red-faced child clung to her, “Quand part le prochain train pour Paris?” Her eyes clouded with confusion, so I tried again in English. “Do you know when the next train leaves?”

Her expression cleared before morphing into a scowl, frustration eating up her features. “That’s what I’d like to know. Last I heard, there are no more trains departing this evening due to reports of flash flooding. I’ve just sent my husband to find a conductor.”

No more trains? Fan-fucking-tastic.

“What about a taxi or an Uber?”

She shook her head, bouncing the child. “It’ll be the same problem as with the train, I expect. They say the tracks are flooded, so I can only imagine the roadways are too.” She turned away from me as a man pushing a stroller approached, shaking his head.

I glanced at where Juliet stood with her arms wrapped around her. I had to do something. She might not be complaining, but she had to be freezing. Running a hand over my mouth, I weighed options in my head. But after several minutes, I could only come up with one solution that would solve the immediate need of getting her warm and out of this weather.

I fished my phone out of my pocket, swiping a thumb over the damp screen. I wasn’t particularly thrilled with this plan, but I didn’t have time to think of a suitable alternative. I did a quick internet search, then hit the call button.

I placed the card against the electronic keypad, waiting for it to flash green before pushing the door open. Reaching into the darkness, I found a switch on the adjacent wall and flipped it on, the recessed lighting of the entryway flickering into existence.

Alone in a hotel room with Juliet was the last place I wanted to be. Not because I was angry with her because I wasn’t. But being cloistered in such intimate accommodations might be uncomfortable, if not for her, then at least for me.

Moving farther into the room, I looked around at the blue-gray wallpaper and modern furniture. A plush sofa stood against one wall and beside it was a sleek, utilitarian desk positioned beneath the room’s only window. It all looked rather posh, which had been the least of my concerns. All I required was a place that was clean, comfortable, and had two beds—

I stopped, coming to a standstill as my mind caught up with what my eyes were seeing.

One double bed stood in the center of the room, its white sheets and matching duvet folded down as if in greeting. Heat shot up my neck, and I darted a look at Juliet standing behind me. She stared past my shoulder, a look of comprehension dawning on her face.

“I reserved a room with two beds,” I said before she could draw the wrong conclusion. “I’ll just call down to the front desk and ask for a change.” I practically dove for the phone on the bedside table as Juliet moved around, opening drawers and examining their contents before wandering toward the bathroom. She returned a minute later just as I was hanging up the phone.

“Um,” I said, scrubbing a hand over my face and fixing my eyes on the framed artwork hanging above the bed, “unfortunately, they don’t have any other rooms available.” I hazarded a glance at her as she drew back the curtains, peering outside where the storm still raged.

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