Page 77 of Breach of Honor

31 Miranda

EASTER SUNDAY IN the St. James mansion had been positively beautiful. We’d just finished eating a traditional rack-of-lamb meal. The conversation was light and casual and I was relaxed, unlike the last holiday I’d spent here.

Lily attended again, but this time Simone had invited her. I loved having my best friend with me. The three of us went out onto the veranda after eating to talk about Paris. Simone spoke a mile a minute about her list of must-sees. Clearly, she loved Paris. Her face glowed, eyes wide with excitement. Every so often, she’d brush her long brown hair off her shoulders and bounce in her seat. I was glad she was feeling better. Her bout with the flu bug back in March seemed to be over.

I couldn’t keep up with her rapid-fire rattling off sites to see. My head spun with each French word that left her lips. It would be impossible for me to remember any of this.

“This sounds extensive. Maybe you could email me?” I fluttered my eyelashes. “And your French is on point.”

Simone flipped her hair off her shoulder and giggled. “Ah,merci beaucoup, belle dame.”

I frowned, unable to understand what she’d said. I’d taken Spanish in high schoolandcollege. Even so, I couldn’t speak it fluently—disgraceful no doubt.

“Thank you very much, beautiful lady.” She puckered her full lips and blew me a kiss. The shade of peach lipstick she wore was one few could pull off. She was stunning. “How about I email you a complete itinerary? But...”

Will stepped out of the house, catching the tail end of Simone’s strict orders.Follow all the sites as I list them in the email.

“What’s going on here? Is Simone playing travel agent?” He laughed, shaking his head.

“There’s so much to see in two short weeks,” she explained. “I’m just making sure Miranda gets the full Parisian experience.”

“No worries, we’ll see everything you suggest,” I assured her. Maybe. Hell, I didn’t have a clue. Will had been talking up Paris for months. Surely he had his own itinerary.

Will put his lips to the shell of my ear and whispered, “Unless we don’t leave our suite.” His words felt like a proposition, sending ripples of heat through me. My mouth went dry, thirsty for his.

Of course, he hadn’t whispered it low enough. Simone and Lily squealed with laughter, and I laughed right along with them.

I loved how we all got along, just like with my parents. Every sign I needed saying Will was the one was as visible as a billboard drenched in spotlights. Nothing meant more to me than the peace and harmony within a family.

As an only child, I’d always dreamed of being part of a big, close-knit family. I’d never had cousins or grandparents. I knew I had family somewhere in the world, since a stork hadn’t just delivered my parents to the orphanage one day. Still, I wasn’t curious enough to look for them. It would only stir up painful memories.

Growing up without a family could have destroyed my parents, but they had found each other at the orphanage. They became best friends and then lovers. When they turned eighteen, they left together and had never spent a day apart from each other. They also had unresolved feelings about the choices their parents had made giving them up. I knew it was better to leave well enough alone for their sakes.

Today was just a glimpse of what the future held, sans little kids running around the backyard hunting for colorful eggs in their Sunday best. Their giggles and smiles would melt my heart.

I turned toward Will, whose eyes were on me, and I knew he was curious about what had put me in a trance. He leaned toward me and then the moment was interrupted.

“Dessert,” Claire announced, poking her head out the french door. We all stood at once.

I’d been eyeing the lemon meringue pie on the buffet. But then, the strawberry pie looked equally delicious. As did the french silk.

Pie was one of my guilty pleasures. Desserts were my first love. If I had a slice of each, would it be tacky? Probably.

I gripped Will’s forearm and pulled him toward me. He stopped, a glint in his eyes.

“We’re having pie for dessert,” I stated the obvious, grinning sheepishly. The buffet only had pies displayed, four to be exact. I wasn’t a fan of coconut cream or coconut in general, unless in the form of a candle or body wash.

“And what about it?” He snaked his hands around my waist, eyes glimmering as he toyed with me. “Hmm?”

I pulled out my doe eyes, raking my hand up and down his abs. “You love me, dontcha?”

He nodded with a wide grin.

“And you know how I love pie, dontcha?”

“I do. Tell me what you want.” A wicked curl to his lip appeared. “Your wish is my command.”

“Okay, I’m getting a slice of the french silk.”

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