She scrunched up her face and worked her lips between her teeth, like she was busting with a secret she was dying to share. “Are you hungry?” I asked, taking pity on her misery and trying to distract her. I’d have to ask Xavier what that was about later. “I’m starving.” On cue, my belly growled.

“We have been up since very early,” she said. “It is lunchtime already in France. But we saved a little bit for you, in case you were hungry. But just a little bit because we have a plan today to—”

“Dauphine, why don’t you go down and make sure everything is ready for Josie,” her father said. “We will come down in two minutes.”

She gave a long sigh and nodded and stomped down the stairs.

“Hey, I wanted to ask you. Last night, when we were …”

“Making love?”

“Yeah. You said your heart started beating again when you met me, and then you said even before I knew. What did you mean?”

“You were able to have a coherent thought during that? I must not have been doing a very good job.”

My cheeks heated. “Trust me. You did a great, great job.”

He preened, and then folded the paper away and took off his glasses, more was the pity. “The day I called Tabitha—the day you quit your job—I was on screen. Tabitha had stepped away for a moment, but you came home, crazy, mad, spitting fire and throwing your high heels. Undressing. Seeing you … it was like someone suddenly plugged me in. And then you arrived, and we met. And I … I fought it. I fought it so hard, but I was drawn to everything about you. Your spirit. The way you were with Dauphine. The way you could make me laugh at something absurd. Even the way you knew how seeing my father affected me. I wanted to share everything with you. It was terrifying and addictive. And I know I was harsh sometimes. Pretending you didn’t affect me. Making sure you couldn’t see how much.”

“Oh, Xavier. And here I thought you hated me half the time.”

“No. Hated the way you made me feel like I could lose control. I pride myself on my control in every arena. And then suddenly it all meant nothing.”

Xavier folded the paper away, and then scooped his linen button down off the floor and held it out to me.

Holding the sheet to my chest, I sat up and took it gratefully. “Thank you.”

“Pleasure will be all mine, I can assure you. Come on. Dauphine waits.” He chuckled then leaned forward and pressed a lingering kiss to my forehead before jogging down the stairs. To my left, my jeans, shirt, underwear, and purse were all neatly on a chair.