Page 55 of One Night in Paris

Looking in the rearview mirror, I saw Kylee lift an eyebrow. “I don’t know. I don’t give my number out to just anyone.”

Laughing, Trevor said, “Well, I’m not just anyone. I’m Trevor Fucking Schultz.”

Kylee giggled. “Give me your phone.”

A few moments later, Trevor bounded out of the SUV with her phone number in his phone, a huge grin on his face, likea high school boy who just got his crush’s number. He was so excited, he forgot to tell me goodbye.

The conversation lessened after that. The few times I glanced back at Kylee in the mirror, she was on her phone, so I figured Trevor was already texting her. I wasn’t sure if I should laugh at this or be frightened. After all, if he did something to hurt Kylee, Harper might get mad at me.

Harper was still contemplative. The plan had been for me to drop her off at Kylee’s place, but as I approached the apartment in SoHo, I knew for certain I didn’t want to. It wasn’t just that I wanted to take her back to my place in hopes that we might have sex. No, I wanted to comfort her. I wanted to make sure she was okay.

“Do you want to come back to my place, Harper?” I whispered.

“Oh, uh, I didn’t pack a bag,” she said, her eyes wide as she looked at me. “I was going to go home.”

“You can borrow some stuff from me,” Kylee offered. “We’re practically the same size, and I have an extra, new toothbrush.”

Kylee had been the one to make us dance in Paris to begin with, so it was no surprise that she was pushing Harper to stay with me now.

Harper turned and looked at her and then at me before she said, “Yeah. Okay.”

“Do you have a bathing suit she can borrow?” I asked Kylee.

“A bathing suit?” Harper was obviously confused.

“Yeah. I have a hot tub on the terrace,” I explained. “I thought that might help you to relax. I know it’s hot outside, but we can keep the water cooler if you want.”

Again, Harper only stared at me, her processing a bit off since she’d just gone through a traumatic experience. Eventually, she said, “Oh, sure. Okay. That sounds fun.”

Giving her a reassuring smile, I finished the drive to Kylee’s apartment. They asked me to wait in the SUV while they ran in so Harper could pack, and she’d be right back.

While she was gone, I thought through everything Harper had been through. Not just today, but in her life. I knew her mother had cancer, and from the sound of it, she’d had it more than once. Harper had worked so hard to pay for her mother’s treatment and take care of her. She was such a good daughter. She was such a good person.

After about fifteen minutes, I saw Harper walk out of the apartment building, a bag over her shoulder, and a smile came to my face. From the sound of things, she was at least considering staying the night. The thought of holding her all night again, like I had in the hotel, made my body flicker with excitement.

The moment she got in the car, her bag tucked between her feet, I reached for her hand and held it all the way to my apartment. We didn’t say much. Both of us needed a chance to decompress.

When we got to my apartment, I offered to make Harper something to eat. While she seemed surprised that I could cook, she was all for it. Both of us were starving after spending so much energy skydiving—not just the dive itself but the emotional turmoil it created. I whipped up some chicken and rice, and then both of us went off to slip into our bathing suits, Harper in the guest room and me in my own bedroom so we’d have a little privacy.

Standing in my living room in my swim trunks, waiting for her, I couldn’t help but think about how damn hot she was going to look in a bathing suit. I’d seen her in that sexy lingerie in Paris, and I’d seen her completely naked a few times, but seeing her in a revealing bikini would really get my blood pumping.

Not that I intended to seduce her. I’d never pass up the chance to have sex with Harper, but if that was what she wantedtoday, she’d have to be the one to initiate it because I wanted to give her some space and some time.

My eyes focused out the window on the skyline. New York was always breathtaking, but with the sun going down in the distance, the buildings began to gleam, reflecting the light of the sun in a thousand shades of pink and orange. I loved watching the light play over their surfaces, bringing out hidden architectural features that were nearly impossible to see during the bright sunlight of day.

The only thing more beautiful than the skyline at night was the woman I saw when I turned around at the sound of footsteps approaching behind me.

Harper was wearing an emerald green bikini that left very little to the imagination. Around her waist, she had on a silver chain that gave her an air of sophistication and elegance that one normally wouldn’t have in a bathing suit. Smiling at me shyly, she said, “Kylee and I aren’t quite the same size.” Adjusting the top, I could see what she meant. Kylee’s breasts weren’t quite as big as Harper’s, which meant she was spilling out of the bikini a little. I didn’t mind at all.

“You look amazing,” I told her.

“Thanks. So do you.”

Glancing down at the blue board shorts I’d put on, I could only shrug. Sure, she could probably see I was growing harder by the second just looking at her, but I didn’t think swim trunks did anything to enhance my physique the way that bikini made her look like a goddess.

Taking her hand, I led her outside to the private terrace. It was difficult to notice from inside the apartment, and surrounding plants and screens kept the hot tub hidden away from everyone else. It was the perfect place to have some privacy while looking up at the sky.

Helping Harper into the water, I flipped a few switches to make the water warm without turning it into a lava bath the way that I would if it were chilly outside. The bubbles hummed to life, dancing around her body, making her truly smile for the first time all day.

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