"Don't forget handsome and of course dashing."

I tried to let go of his hand but he only clutched mine harder while steering me toward the river.

"Here we are," he said. "What do you think about a little nighttime trip down the Seine?"

Honestly, there was nothing in the world he could have planned that would have been better, but I wasn't about to tell him that. I shrugged. "Sounds okay, I suppose."

He didn't reply, but I caught his amused smile in my peripheral vision as we walked closer to the boat where he said a few words to the man waiting there before we were able to go aboard. The interior was absolutely stunning with huge glass windows everywhere, the lights of the city beyond fully on display.

Ethan led us toward the back corner where we had more privacy, and we sat at a table adorned with a white linen tablecloth, a bottle of champagne chilling in ice next to it.

Looking out at the panoramic views, I had to admit something to Ethan. "Okay. So this is more than okay. But just a little."

I heard his soft laugh as he reached for the champagne and easily popped the cork, filling up the two glasses in front of us. Did Ethan have any idea that champagne was my all-time favorite beverage? And that it did things to me?

Racking my brain, I tried to think back to any interviews I'd done in the past and whether that particular topic had come up, because if it had, Ethan would have found it as part of his extensive research on me I was sure.

"So what's going on in that brain of yours?" Ethan asked from his spot next to me. "Still thinking about that kiss?"

"As a matter of fact I'm not." I leaned in closer to his side. "But I am wondering if there's anyoneherethat's keeping an eye on us..."

Ethan glanced around at the sparsely filled interior. "No. I didn't tell anyone about this. The rest of this night is ours."

Those words reverberated through me for the next several hours as we ate and drank, then drank some more, and then even more, the scenery unfolding in front of us stunning and magical, like we'd been transported to another time, another life.

Whether it was the champagne or the picturesque setting, I couldn't be sure, but being by Ethan's side began to feel like the most natural thing in the world. We laughed, we talked endlessly, we had easy moments of silence where we were both caught up in the romantic ambiance, but we were always touching—Ethan's arm around me or his hand grasping mine or even just our legs brushing against each other.

The boundaries had definitely been blurred again, especially with Ethan's warm hand now resting on the bare skin of my thigh. I had no idea if he was even aware of what he was doing, the way his caresses were driving me crazy.

I turned my face toward him, my lips right near his ear. "So did you really mean what you said about our kiss? That it was everything?"

"Abso-fucking-lutely. You're the most intriguing woman I've ever met."

I nearly choked on air. "Me? The most intriguing woman you've ever met? Are you joking?"

"No."

"What is so intriguing aboutme?"

"You're the rare combination of beautiful and humble. You're smart and capable. You love your family. I feel like you'd do anything for your sisters, and that kind of loyalty..." He looked away for a second at an illuminated monument that we glided past. "Well, it's deeply admirable."

He seemed to have a hard time expressing that last part, and I wanted to push him, wanted to know everything about this man sitting beside me. But his hand on my leg moved, and all thoughts fled my stupid mind, the buzz from the champagne hitting me full force.

His warm palm grasped my inner thigh, rubbing me back and forth, back and forth, making me crave more. The wordshe'd just expressed combined with his hypnotic touch were the ultimate aphrodisiac.

Without thinking, lust the only thing on my primitive brain, I shoved my hips forward, hunger for his touch overwhelming me. The only question was, what would Ethan do?

His hand paused, the whole world paused, in the long moment that passed. But then his mouth was near my ear, his hot breath making me shiver.

"Let me touch you," he said in a raspy voice only for me.

This time, I didn't want there to be any doubt. Placing my hand over his, I guided him straight to my pussy, his hiss sounding in my ear. There were no words for how much I wanted this, although part of me was in massive disbelief that Ethan Locke was touching me under the table on a boat tour of the Seine.

How had my life taken such a turn? From cold Chase always brushing me off to this man breathing heavily beside me like he was just as affected?

I suddenly regretted wearing underwear tonight, his hand cupping me, warming me, making me downright needy for some friction, any kind of friction. Moving my hips again, Ethan's lips grazed against my jaw in what I thought could be a smile.

"What's your rush, darling?" he murmured.