When Robin stepped into the lobby wearing the tight black dress and spiky heels, he almost swallowed his tongue. Her legs appeared longer, sexier than he remembered they had felt wrapped around him.
Her long hair was tied in a braid that hung over her bare shoulder. Her lips were painted a sexy deep red.
“Evening,” she purred as she stopped in front of him.
“Hi.” He felt his throat close up. “You look…” He blinked and was surprised to realize that he didn’t know exactly what to say. ‘Amazing’ didn’t cut it. “Wow,” he finished.
Her smile almost tipped the scales to him rushing her back upstairs and skipping dinner. Then she took his arm and started walking towards the doors.
“I can’t tell you how much I need tonight,” she sighed as they stepped outside.
“Oh?” He figured he’d keep his statements to one or two words, at least until his brain started functioning again.
“Yes. I loved the roses you sent me,” she said, but he could hear the strain in her tone.
He opened the rented car’s door for her, then slid behind the wheel. “But?”
“I’m afraid someone broke into my trailer and destroyed them.”
He was thankful he hadn’t started driving away yet. He turned towards her. “Are you okay?”
“I wasn’t there.” She touched his hand. “The only casualty was pretty much everything in my trailer and the flowers.”
“I’m sorry.” He frowned. “Does that happen to you often?” He ran his eyes over her face and searched for any signs of distress but could only see how beautiful she was.
“No, never.” She shrugged slightly. “A few stalker-y type notes, but nothing this… desperate before.”
“You have security on the set, right?” he asked as he pulled out into traffic while he thought about checking into the situation himself. He knew a guy personally that was perfect for the job. GI Joe.
“Yes.” She waved her hand towards him. “Marcus has assured me that it was probably just a one-off type of deal. They probably didn’t even know it was my trailer since none of them are marked, for privacy reasons. One of Marcus’s requirements after an incident that happened way back when he’d been working with Amber Scott.”
“Wow, your director has worked with Amber Scott?” He thought of the Hollywood A-lister blonde bombshell. The woman was everywhere now. Even after having two kids, she was in a ton of good movies and even a few television shows. He liked them all.
“Yes, a few times.” Robin smiled. “Jealous?”
“Amber Scott is… well, Amber Scott.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her as he pulled up to the valet at Le Cinq.
“I know it. Even I have her on my freebie list,” she said before getting out of the car.
He was chuckling and holding Robin’s hand when the first flash went off. Trying to shield her from the onslaught of flashes that followed, he rushed them towards the doors and the safety inside the restaurant.
“How did they know we were coming?” he mumbled when they were safely inside.
“They always seem to know.” Robin sighed and held onto his arm. “I’m so sorry.”
He stopped and turned to her. “This is in no way your fault.” He waited until she nodded before turning and checking in with the maître d’.
They were seated on one of the small square tables with crisp white tablecloths and high-back chairs, far away from the windows. The room was massive and filled with people who appeared to have zero interest in them, and he relaxed his guard.
“Does that always happen to you?” he asked after the waiter poured them each a glass of water and gave them a moment to decide on their drinks.
“Yes,” she said, and he noticed her slump a little in her chair. “But not as bad here as in the States.” She shook her head and leaned forward. “What kind of wine shall we get?”
“Change of subject.” He nodded. “Okay.” He glanced at the menu. “I suppose it depends on if you’re having the fish special or the beef.” He glanced up at her over the menu.
“Fish,” she said quickly. “You?”
“Same.” He smiled. “Then…” He ran his eyes over the wine list and rattled off three options for her to choose from.
“A man who knows wine.” She set her menu down and ran her eyes over him. “What other hidden talents do you possess?”
He smiled and thought for a moment. “I’m pretty good at baking.”
Her eyebrows shot up as she leaned forward. “I’d love to hear how that came about.”
During the hour and a half meal, they dove deeper into each other’s pasts. He opened up to her about things he didn’t even think were important. Yet she hung on every word, as did he when she talked about her life with her sister.
She mentioned her sister Claire more than she mentioned her parents, something he was dying to ask about, but the night was going too well to put a damper on her mood.
“I hear we’re all moving out to your place in two days.” She smiled over her wine glass. Their empty plates had been cleared long ago.
“My PAs have assured me there will be enough room for everyone. Including all the equipment. They’ve been working with the château’s staff.” He smiled. “Did you know that most of the staff at the place are multigenerational? Some have family members that worked at the château almost one-hundred and fifty years ago.”
She shook her head as her eyes grew big. “I can’t imagine. I don’t even know what my grandparents did for a living.”
He chuckled. “Me either.”
She glanced around and then sighed. “I suppose they want us out of here soon.”
He glanced at his watch and winced. “You have an early morning.” She nodded. “Yeah, so do I. Unfortunately. I’ll take you back to your hotel.”
She smiled. “Just because we can’t spend the night in the same bed, doesn’t mean things are over.”
“Hm?” he asked.
She chuckled. “The look on your face.” She shook her head. “Heartbreak.” She placed her hands over her chest.
He smiled and moved to pull out her chair for her as she stood up.
“I was hoping to find out what you were wearing under this.” He ran a finger over the strap of her dress.
She turned and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “I was hoping to show you.” She kissed him lightly since they were standing in the middle of the restaurant. Even though the place had emptied in the past half hour, there were still people around.
He took her hand in his, and they walked towards the doors. “What are the chances we waited long enough for the cameras to go away?”
“Unfortunately, not high enough for a bet,” she answered.
He sighed. “I thought not.”
Once again, the moment they stepped outside, they were bombarded with flashes and questions. Thankfully, the rental car had been retrieved before they’d stepped out.
He opened her door for her and was rushing around to get inside the driver’s side when the back window of the rental exploded. People screamed and ran, pushing him away from the passenger door, away from Robin. He fought for what seemed like minutes before he was able to free himself from the rushing crowd to return to the car and yank open her door.
He instantly worried when he saw her bent over on the seat, but then she glanced up at him. Her face was pale, and shards of glass covered her entire body.
“Are you okay?” he asked, kneeling beside her.
“Yes. You?” she asked, looking around as everyone continued to scatter.
“Yes, let’s…” He moved to cover her this time when the window on the open door beside them shattered, sending more glass raining over them.
“Someone’s shooting at us,” she cried out. She pulled him into the car and tried to shield their bodies as best as she could. He didn’t know if he was shielding her or if she was trying to protect him from any further shots.
The silence was almost deafening, and the seconds seemed to stretch on forever. They cowered there until the sirens became so loud that his head ached. He thought Robin would cry, but she just held onto him, as if she was trying to keep him from leaving her and getting in harm’s way.
“Sir,” someone said in French to them. “It’s safe to come out now.” He glanced over at the male officer and noticed there were four other men in black uniforms standing beside the car, scanning the area. “We’ve searched the area.”
He climbed out of the car and reached to help Robin out. Her eyes were huge. Her beautifully braided hair was now messy, and her dark eye makeup ran down her cheeks, assuring him she’d cried silently as they’d waited.
“Are you okay?” he asked, pulling her into his arms.
“Yes,” she whispered, holding onto him.
“You’re bleeding,” one of the officers said. “Let’s get a medic over here.”
Blake tensed, and his arms around Robin tightened. Had she been hit? Was she bleeding? He pulled back and ran his eyes over every inch of her. Then he noticed her eyes zoned in on his arm. Her hands moved up and gripped the sleeve of his dress shirt.
At first, he didn’t register anything, then he felt a dull stinging on his skin under his dress shirt.
“It’s just a cut,” he assured her. “From the glass.” He ripped the sleeve of his shirt and exposed the scratched skin. “It’s not even deep.” He showed her.
“Americans?” the cop asked them.
“Yes,” Robin answered for them as she started pulling him towards the flashing lights of the ambulance.
He sat in the back of the ambulance, listening to Robin tell the police what had happened as the medic bandaged up his forearm. When she was done, the medic told him that he wouldn’t need stitches, but to keep an eye on the wound.
“Well, this was a fun way to end the night,” he said as they climbed into a cab.
“I can’t even wrap my head around what happened.” She leaned her head against his shoulder.
The fact was, he could wrap his mind around what had just happened. There was no doubt, in his opinion, what someone had been shooting at. So, while Robin had been talking to the police, he’d sent a 911 text to his brother-in-law.
Ethan had replied quickly and assured him that he would be on the next plane to Paris and would meet them at the château. He even mentioned that he’d be bringing his longtime business partner, Javan.
For as long as Blake could remember, the huge Jamaican man had been one of his favorite people on the planet. In the past few years, he’d seen less and less of the man. He’d married Jenna a few years back and they’d had a daughter, Chloe, who was almost five now.
He’d missed the man and thankfully knew that his brother-in-law bringing Javan meant they weren’t going to mess around.
“What now?” Robin asked when the cab pulled in front of her hotel, and they noticed even more paparazzi out front.
He pulled her tighter against his body. “Now you pack up and move in with me until my bodyguards get here.”