Page 61 of Brooke
Suddenly her feet were moving quicker. She rushed across the street at the last moment so she wouldn’t be caught by the stoplight.
When she reached the intersection where she’d told him to meet her, she had no trouble picking him out. His golden hair was a beacon under the afternoon sun, and his height and broad shoulders had him towering over everyone around him. He was wearing dark jeans and a bulky green sweater with suede boots, and she was starting to wonder if that casual masculine look was his favorite. Certainly, it worked for her, although she did love a man who could wear a suit.
He turned, as if sensing her, and smiled widely, the broad planes of his gorgeous face shifting into warmth and that humor she was coming to love.
Whoa! Love. She wanted to shake herself.My Axelwas quite enough for one day.
“You are on time, as usual,” he observed when they reached each other, “and looking as beautiful as a hot-house orchid in bloom.”
She laid her hand on his massive chest and lifted on her toes in her heels, wanting a kiss. She thought about whether to mention Giulia’s comment about him, but his eyes lit withmischief, and talking about that bitch was the last thing she wanted to do.
Their eyes held a moment—her heart skipping in her chest, her lungs seizing up, her belly tightening—but he only kissed her cheeks Parisian style. When she gave him a baleful glance, he laughed heartily, his deep voice making her belly turn liquid.
“Ah, no frowning; we would stop traffic if I kissed you like I wished,” he told her as he took her hand and led her to the edge of the building, out of the way of pedestrians.
She was slightly mollified by the tender gesture. “This is Paris, Axel. People kiss all the time here. Quite passionately.”
“Exactly my point.”
She was slow to understand him, and then she caught the blue fire in his eyes. “Oh, I see.Well…”
“I must rein in my inner animal hard with you, Brooke.”
Blowing out a breath, she found herself laughing. “If you could know what it means to hear you say that…”
“Tell me.”
After Adam had cheated on her and dumped her, she’d questioned her feminine mojo. “You make me feel sexy, maybe sexier than I ever have.”
“Perhaps you feel sexier with me because you trust me. Wanting someone is powerful, but when you mix lust and trust—the rhyme was unintentional—we are reaching volcanic proportions.”
“Volcanic.”A wave of heat rose in her belly even though the metaphor was totally foreign, and a little funny, if she was honest. “How about we focus on why I asked you to meet me here?”
“Yes, please.” He faced her, all active listening now. “I am eager to hear.”
“Do you see that three-story building across the street?” she asked, discreetly pointing in its direction.
“I do. I believe it used to be a renowned furniture anddesign store. I once visited it when I first came to Paris, but it was not to my taste.”
“It would have been too cluttered and erratic for you.”
“Exactly. See, already we know each other’s tastes.”
A cat who had the cream couldn’t have been happier than she was at that observation. “The store relocated recently. I know we haven’t talked about your desire for expansion yet, but when I saw it, I had this feeling that it might be perfect. For you.”
His brow knit before he smiled as if to relieve the tension there. “Me? This time I am not following.”
“Axel, I’ve researched interior designers who create their own lines, which you know is difficult to do.”
“If everyone could do it, it would not be worth doing.”
His practical wisdom held an edge, and she wondered if she’d stumbled into an area where he felt stretched personally. “Of course it’s possible for you. You’re Axel Erikson. One of the world’s biggest interior designers. People who know design knowyou. Not the general public, though, which is the broad reach most design lines want. You’re not a household name with the public, and that’s what I think we need to change.”
Now his brow was deeply furrowed. “Keep going. I’m listening.”
She knew he was, but his massive arms were crossed over his equally massive chest. Nerves rose up in her. Was she screwing this up? “Look, with the current situation, we could probably find you a boutique design store to design products for. A number of them would be thrilled to have you.”
“I have been approached by such stores.” His large hand slashed through the air. “I want more reach than that.”
