Page 27 of The Return of Her Billionaire Husband

Not wrong, but different.

Juliette lifted her head off his chest and looked up at him. ‘I can’t avoid social events for ever. I want to go with you. It’s important to support such valuable fundraising.’

A small smile flicked up the corners of his mouth and illuminated his gaze. ‘We could make a long weekend of it. How does that sound?’

She linked her arms around his neck and smiled. ‘It sounds wonderful. I haven’t been to Paris for years.’

He pressed a kiss to her upturned mouth. ‘How remiss of me not to have taken you before now.’

Juliette played with the ends of his hair that brushed his collar. But she was conscious of a small grey cloud of unease creeping closer. Paris. The city of love. Had he taken anyone else in the past? She wasn’t aware she was frowning until Joe inched up her chin and smoothed the crease away from her forehead with a gentle finger.

‘What’s wrong, mio piccolo?’

Juliette forced a smile but it fell a little short of the mark. ‘I guess you’ve been to Paris heaps and heaps of times with lots of other...people...’ She couldn’t bring herself to say the word lovers—the pang of jealousy was too intense.

His eyes softened and he drew her closer with one hand resting in the dip of her spine, the other gliding to the sensitive nape of her neck. ‘You have no need to feel jealous, cara.’

Juliette slipped out of his hold and pretended an interest in straightening her sketches on the table. ‘I’m not jealous. I know you’ve been to lots of places with lots of different people.’

‘But none of them have been my wife.’

My wife. The words sounded so...so permanent. But they hadn’t decided anything permanent about their relationship. They had discussed a lot of issues, yes. And grown closer in so many new ways. But Juliette knew there would be other issues to discuss. Difficult, painful issues—whether or not to have another child, for instance. That was one of the questions she most dreaded. For months and months since the loss of her baby, she couldn’t bear the thought of trying again. Going through another pregnancy with fear and dread on board as well as a baby. A baby there was no guarantee she would deliver alive.

Juliette held onto the back of one of the chairs and glanced down at her ring finger. The vacant space seemed to mock her. He referred to her as his wife but there had been no renewed promises. No official reconciliation. No renewed commitment. No declaration of love.

She brought her gaze back to his. ‘Have you told anyone we’re...?’ She left the sentence hanging, not sure how to describe their relationship. A fling sounded so tawdry. An affair even worse.

‘No. Have you?’

She pressed her lips together and released her grip on the chair, using one hand to sweep her hair back over one shoulder. ‘I didn’t think it was necessary...under the circumstances.’

‘Precisely.’ Something about the delivery of the word was jarring. Discordant. Like the wrong note played during a musical performance.

Juliette ran the tip of her tongue over her lower lip. ‘It would be silly to get people’s hopes up. Lucy and Damon, for instance.’ Not to mention her own hopes.

‘But what if the fundraiser draws a lot of press attention? Aren’t people going to assume we’re back together permanently?’

The ensuing silence was too long. Why wasn’t he asking her to come back to him for ever? Why wasn’t he dismissing her concerns with a declaration of love?

‘There isn’t a law about divorcing couples attending a social function together.’ Joe’s voice sounded tight. Constricted. ‘If anything, it will demonstrate how civilised we’re being about the whole damn thing.’

She studied his tense features for a moment, wondering if he was having second thoughts about their divorce. But, if so, why hadn’t he said anything? ‘Joe...?’

He scraped a hand through his hair and released a rough sigh. ‘The press will probably make a big thing of it, but that’s to be expected. I’ll try and shield you as much as possible.’

Juliette approached him, touching him on the forearm. ‘I want to be with you.’ She couldn’t think of anything she wanted more. Not just the Paris trip but with him all the time. For ever. Was she a fool for hoping he would agree to a reconciliation? Maybe the Paris trip would cement their relationship—take it to a new level that would make him realise they had a chance to make it.

The tension in his face relaxed slightly and he cupped her face in his hands. His eyes searched hers as if he was looking for something he’d lost and hoped desperately to find again. ‘The dinner is only for a couple of hours. We can spend the rest of the time doing our own thing.’

She linked her arms around his neck and pressed closer. ‘I can’t wait.’

CHAPTER TEN

THEY ARRIVED IN Paris on Friday afternoon and once they had settled into their luxury hotel Joe suggested they go shopping.

‘Shopping?’ Juliette looked at him in wary surprise. ‘But I don’t need anything.’

‘How about a new outfit for tomorrow night?’ He wanted to spoil her. To make this weekend as special for her as he could. To make this weekend last for as long as he could.

---