Page 49 of Brooke
“I think so. Now, text your friends and tell them you will be late so they will not worry given how upset you were upon leaving.”
Her belly tightened, and she gulped. “How late?”
One golden brow rose in challenge. “How late do you want to be?”
She tugged at her lip, desire swirling between them. “How late can I stay?”
Another wicked smile. “You know the answer.”
Yes, she did, because they could read each other. They understood one another. God, he held the answers to things for her too. “I’ll tell them I needed to deal with a dog shit incident. That should work.”
He picked up his phone and jostled it in his large hand. “I can find you shoes.”
So could she, with one call to any number of shops or designers who would rush them over without a thought. “Or we can wrap my feet in bandages. Yes, that’s more exciting, isn’t it?”
He started laughing.
“You always talk about adventures!” She gave him another poke, grinning now. “One that involves bandages will not be easily forgotten. By anyone.” She rather liked the idea of making memories with him. God, already… This thing between them was…as exquisite as Marilyn Monroe’s Bob Mackie evening gown.
“Consider it done.” He touched her cheek sweetly. “We both have a longing to take the road less traveled. I will order bandages and have them delivered tonight while you look inside my fridge and see what appeals to you. How does that sound?”
She rose on her tiptoes, hoping he could see the smoky promise in her eyes. “Perfect.”
“But you must promise to share your roommates’ reactions when you arrive home after midnight with bandages around your feet.” His massive shoulders shook with mirth. “I wish I could be a fly on the wall.”
She did too. “I wish you could come home with me, Axel.”
He opened his arms. “I am home with you, Brooke, remember?”
Nodding, she walked straight into his embrace.
CHAPTER
TEN
The bandage adventure went awry immediately when the driver Brooke had called freaked out, thinking she needed to go to the emergency room.
Apparently, she lacked the comic styling of Dean. According to him, he’d had Jacqueline laughing nonstop for an hour after he’d come home with a sling and eye patch—an eternity for a French person. Or maybe it was because she was a woman.
Either way, the red-eyed, wild-haired man did not find it amusing when she and Axel started laughing in response to his concern, so Brooke enjoyed a tense cab ride back home, untying the bandages along the way. Because maybe her roommates would also freak if any of them were still awake too.
She winced as her bare feet touched the dirty Paris street. The distance to their entrance wasn’t long, but still…
Inside the walkway, she carefully trudged on the cobblestones before hitting the garden and then opening the front door. The lights were on in the kitchen when she arrived, but she decided to detour to her bedroom and start fresh.Tomorrow morning, she would see Thea and make everything right.
Walking without making a sound wasn’t difficult, but she’d touched the first step when she heard, “Are you okay?”
Madison. She turned around and nodded. “Yeah. I felt like shit for failing Thea and not being a good friend. Then I stepped in it. Literally. As I texted. Hence my bare feet.”
“Everyone understood why you were upset.” Madison took a few steps forward, her black high-tops giving a squeak on the floor. “Thea too. Don’t beat yourself up too much about it. We all have our moments. Besides, you love being the fixer. It’s who you are.”
“Maybe that’s the problem.” She worried her lip, one that held no trace of lipstick anymore, because she’d kissed Axel quite deliciously after they’d eaten a simple omelet before the fire. “Thea doesn’t need me to be that for her anymore.”
“So you deal with the other people still in your day planner and be glad you’ve moved one out.” Madison jerked a shoulder. “Brooke, Thea could not have found or bought that wedding dress on her own if you hadn’t…shit…taught her what you have and built up her confidence. I know Fabiana was with her, but she still couldn’t have committed tothedress if you hadn’t taken her under your wing. She’s a bigger bird now and wants to fly. Let her. And if you tell anyone I said any of this, I will kill you. Slowly.”
They shared a smile, the quiet of the house somehow warm and inviting. “Understood. I attribute it to you being around Pierre all the time. Birds on your mind.”
“Good.” Madison shifted on her feet, the heel squeaking again. “Do you want to talk about why you’re out so late?”
