Page 58 of How to Resist Prince Charming

She glanced at his side of the bed only to discover a wra

pped box and note lying on his abandoned pillow. Reaching for the note, she ignored the gift and read impatiently.

~~

You looked too peaceful to wake. I have meetings until five, but I left you a gift I’m confident will keep you busy until I return. Don’t have too much fun touring the city without me. Be back at the hotel by seven. Dinner is at eight.

Enjoy, Brax.

~~

Disheartened to realize he was already gone and even more crestfallen he wouldn’t return until after five, Lenna glanced at the gold-wrapped box. Not too enthused about a gift, she peeled off the wrapping, wishing Braxton was present instead.

The day was going to be no fun without him. She didn’t want to tour Paris alone. She didn’t even have a camera to take any—

Lenna gasped...and then threw back her head and laughed.

It was official. The man thought of everything. Inside her unwrapped box was a digital camera so she could preserve her Paris trip forever.

* * * *

Lenna had lunch in a French café. She sat at a small table outside under a veranda and breathed in the cool February air. Too excited for the chill in the breeze to bother her, she gazed around her with her red cheeks and took in everything that happened.

It was thrilling to order a meal in French. The waiter hadn’t given her one strange look either. So, she must’ve done it correctly, though a woman at the table next to her did lean over and ask if she was American due to her accent.

After eating, she went straight to the Eiffel Tower. Lenna didn’t care if that made her a tacky tourist. She wanted to be inside the oh-so famous piece of architecture. Braxton had also left her some euros so she was able to buy a few trinkets in the gift shop.

When she went up the tower as far as she could go, she looked down at the grand city below, wishing she’d waited on Braxton so she could’ve experienced the view with him. But he had business to attend to and said he’d wanted her to have fun. So, she continued her day, touring.

The next place Lenna went was the Musée du Louvre. She’d intended to walk the entire way, hoping to experience Paris with all five senses, not just see it out a car window. But she only made it ten blocks before the freezing wind and her aching muscles made her give in; she hailed a cab.

The Louvre Museum was huge. She couldn’t believe how grand...and old it was. As if she’d just stepped into history, Lenna explored with reverent leisure. But the place was bigger than she’d anticipated, and Lenna had to skip most of the exhibits in order to return to the hotel by five.

Braxton had told her seven, but she wanted to be there when he arrived.

She’d worn her gift camera out by the time she finally made her way back to the Hôtel Duc de Sáint-Simon. She’d taken a picture of everything she saw. And she’d seen so much. Every statue, fountain, and exotic building had been caught by her lens. Lenna had even snapped a few shots of passing strangers.

She was sitting crossed-legged on the hotel bed, reviewing her day on the digital screen of her camera when Braxton returned. Lenna looked up as the door opened. She grinned, her heart lifting at the mere sight of him. Unable to help herself, she lifted the camera and snapped off a shot. Then she noticed the exhaustion on his face, lining his eyes and mouth with deep creases.

Braxton sent her a tired smile and tugged his tie loose. Dropping the briefcase he’d carried in, he mumbled, “Hi,” as he trudged toward her. Then he flopped face-first onto the mattress beside her and buried his nose in the sheets.

“Hi,” Lenna returned in a worried tone. She rubbed his back. “Bad day?”

He managed to lift his face and meet her gaze. “Not the first part,” he admitted. “I met my client, and we formed a pretty good rapport. But the second half of the day,” he rolled his eyes, “was a complete waste of time.”

Groaning, he sat up and scooted closer to her. “I thought I was going to be able to talk about our new line of mufflers. I even had a nifty little speech ready and everything. But all they did was call my name and have me stand up. Everybody clapped, and I sat back down.”

Running a hand through his hair and causing the dark mass to stand on end, Braxton went on. “I can’t believe I sat there through four hours of crap for that. I listened to a bunch of bullshit that had nothing whatsoever to do with Farris Industries... and all for a five second ovation of applause.” He snorted.

Lenna hugged him. “I’m sorry.”

He mumbled something incoherent and cuddled into her until his cheek landed on her lap. Closing his eyes, he let out a long, exhausted sigh, reminding her how little sleep he’d gotten.

Something nurturing sprang awake inside her. She wanted to make him all better again. After wiggling her fingers past his loose tie and undoing the top button of his shirt, she soothed his tousled dark hair back into place. “You really care about making this project work, don’t you?”

He opened one eye. “Of course.”

To hide her embarrassed flush, she leaned down to kiss his forehead. “I’m sorry, I just...I don’t know. You spoke so highly of your last job. But you’re putting so much time and effort into this one.”

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