Jeff stood on the terrace of his hotel suite looking out at the Eiffel Tower and the sparkling lights of Paris at night. He’d been here less than a day and had gotten two texts from Peyton. When they came in he was sure the first would be an angry rant for not taking her with him, and the second would be her telling him she was coming anyway.

The thought of the second sent his mood to the basement. Very telling. He’d agreed to use this week as a test run to see if he missed her—and he already had his answer.

But when he checked the texts, he saw he was wrong. No rant, no intention of coming here. Neither message said anything about wishing they were together. And certainly not about being sorry. She just needed to know where he’d put the extra remote to the garage door and complained that the dishwasher was broken.

Had it always been like this? Did Peyton see him as some weird combination of Daddy Warbucks and Santa Claus? Was that all he’d ever been to her? Why hadn’t he seen it? Had he been asleep?

Or maybe he’d been too impressed by her beauty and sharp wit and the thrill of finally encountering someone with a mind that could keep up with his.

Keep up? Got news for ya, buddy. You’re the one who can’t keep up. She’s been running circles around you.

His eyes roamed the suite he’d picked out and paid a bundle for: the king-sized bed against brocade wallpaper, the burgundy velvet sofa and chair in the sitting area, the antique walnut writing desk, the marble bath. Not once did he wish Peyton were here with him. And he’d fervently tried to conjure up tender feelings for her. But they were gone. Instead, more and more incidents, words, examples from their past kept popping into his head, making him realize Kendra had been right all along. The person he’d thought he loved didn’t really exist. How could he have been so blind?

A gentle breeze brushed his cheek and for some reason it made him think of Carly. Truth was, the minute their cab dropped her at that Airbnb address he’d started missing her.

Was he acting like a typical male turned around by the next pretty face?

Or could Carly be what he was longing for when he bought that house with extra rooms that would be perfect for kids? Rooms he now admitted would never be used if he married Peyton, even though she yessed him to death on the subject.

He hadn’t believed Peyton’s boss in the dermatology practice when he’d chatted with him at a party and the man told him how fortunate he felt to find a woman doctor who didn’t want children and wouldn’t be taking off for maternity leave every time he blinked. Jeff had told him they were indeed planning on children, and later when he asked Peyton about the conversation she lit into him, saying she had to lie to her employer or he would’ve taken on another doctor.

Now Jeff questioned what the truth was, as he thought back on all the little inconsistencies that he’d refused to see, refused to acknowledge, and wondered just how often Peyton had lied to him.

Well, I’ve been a fool for a woman who took me for granted, so why not be a fool for one who would never do that?

He walked to the velvet sofa and punched in Carly’s mobile, telling himself it was just to set up a lunch date for later in the week.

“Jeff?”

The sound of her voice woke up his lower regions, but he focused on his concern for her. “How’s the apartment?”

“Urgh.”

“That bad, huh?”

He heard her sigh. “The woman who owns it lives on the first floor, and when she came to the door she apologized and said she’d given the rooms to someone else. Then closed the door. I pounded on her door and she finally answered and told me if I didn’t leave she’d have me arrested.”

“What? Where are you?”

“I’ve been wandering the streets, ducking into cafes here and there as I call other places, but it’s the height of the season and I’m having no luck. Especially since I can’t pay too much and still need to get my deposit back from her.”

“Remember the card I gave you with my hotel? Get a cab and tell him to come here.”

“Didn’t you say your brother-in-law might know places?”

“Yes, but first we need to get you off the street. It’s late and, despite the beauty of Paris, it has its share of crime like any other big city.”

“Could I maybe sleep on the floor? It’s almost midnight, so I can’t really call any more places tonight.”

“I’ve got a sofa here that one of us can use.” A sense of relief and excitement filled Jeff. “I’ll go down to the lobby and wait for you so I can pay the—”

“I can cover the cab,” she said. “I see one now. I’m gonna run. Thanks, Jeff.”

Carly’s jaw must have stayed open during her walk through the majestic and opulent lobby. And Jeff’s suite, while small, was just as elegant.

“I’m so sorry about this,” she said again.

“Will you stop apologizing? I’m glad to have you here. I was going to order some food and it’s no fun to eat alone.” He seemed really happy about this mix-up. Was he as eager to see her as she was to see him? When he had given her his card in the cab, she’d agonized over what excuses she might come up with to call him and see him.

But that was when she had her own living quarters. This was a bit too much. She wasn’t a prude, but she didn’t make a practice of shacking up with men she hardly knew.

She dropped her bag—that she’d been carrying for hours—by the coffee table. “Is this the sofa I can sleep on?”

Jeff grabbed her bag and walked to the bedroom. “I’ll sleep on the sofa, Carly. You get the bed.”

“That’s not right. This is your room.” She followed him in and they argued back and forth, until they were both laughing. “Ohmigod, you have a view of the Eiffel Tower,” she exclaimed when she faced the French doors to the side of the bed.

He walked close to her, opened the door to the terrace, and the stepped out. As Carly stood next to Jeff looking out over the city, a gentle June breeze on the air, his warm hand on her back, she had this wonderful feeling of somehow being in the right place at the right time—and with the right person.

Jeff must have felt it too, because when she glanced up at him, he gazed back at her with a look that turned her to butter. He stared at her lips a moment, as if asking permission. She parted her lips, hoping. Then he lowered his head to cover her mouth with his.

Carly could have sworn fireworks went off over the city, because they were sure going off inside her.

She reached her arms around his torso and relished the feel of his solid frame. One of his hands clutched her hair at the nape of her neck while the other circled her waist. The kiss went on as his tongue demanded entrance to her mouth, and she gladly gave it, moaning as he deepened their kiss.

Carly had wanted this since she’d first seen him walk into the bistro and sit at the bar in front of her.

Suddenly he pulled away. “I’m sorry, Carly. I lost control and that wasn’t fair to you.”

Her eyebrows knit. “Did I act like I was complaining?”

His arm went around her shoulders and he pulled her close. “I just don’t want you to think I called you up here to seduce you. I was trying to take care of you, get you off the street at night.”

“If that’s the only reason, that’s not very flattering.”

Jeff threw his head back and laughed. Then he got serious. “Does it bother you being here with me when the breakup with my ex-fiancée isn’t quite final yet?”

Carly loved that he said “ex” but still had to ask, “Is your decision fifty-fifty?” Yesterday he’d sounded so sure about leaving his fiancée.

“No way. More like ninety percent final. But if that lingering ten percent bothers you—”

“Not if you’ll let convince you to make it final.” Carly brushed her fingers along his beautifully chiseled jaw. She wasn’t sure where her sassy courage came from, but something about Jeff emboldened her.

Maybe it was that she feared this might be her only chance with him. Most of the time when she got close to something she wanted badly, it slipped through her fingers. Carly had no idea what tomorrow would bring. Maybe he’d decide to go back to his fiancée and find a room for her elsewhere. But she’d fantasized having this man make love to her so many times that she wasn’t going to waste this chance.

Or maybe it was time to change the pattern of disappointment and broken dreams that shrouded her life. Maybe Jeff could be a new beginning.

Jeff hadn’t even realized he’d become a numb, lifeless man, but after kissing Carly, something inside him came alive again. Something that had died or gone dormant. But he didn’t want to think about it now. Not when Carly made it all too clear what she wanted tonight, sending his arousal meter off the charts.

He gently walked her back into the room, their mouths pressed together, hands gripping each other, raw desire rippling between them. Seeing her gray eyes glimmer with carnal need, he had to rein in his own to make sure he didn’t ruin what they began with clumsy haste.

His hands moved to her full breasts, and he could feel the nipples pebble through the soft material of her yellow print sundress. He slid the straps of her dress off her shoulder along with her bra straps and licked the smooth skin of her defined clavicle. After releasing the back zipper of her dress and unhooking her bra, he dropped both items to the floor, then lowered his head to feast on one breast and then the other.

Carly’s fingers threaded into his hair as his laved the rosy peaks, then sucked and gently bit. She whimpered and her hands moved to his chest and slid inside the open collar of his shirt, pushing it off his shoulders and down his arms. He stepped back to look at her as she stood before him wearing only small pink panties and her high-heeled sandals.

“You are exquisite, Carly,” he murmured and tugged her close, pressing his hard-on against her, devouring her mouth before she could respond in kind.

She reached for his jeans and helped him out of them as well as his boxer briefs and shoes. When she grabbed his erection, Jeff let out a helpless moan. He couldn’t remember ever being this excited in his life. He wanted this woman so badly.

Jeff dropped to his knees to do something he’d been dreaming of. He kissed her lady mound through her panties, then slowly slid them down her legs, his hands caressing her smooth, toned thighs. Then he dove in, using his tongue on her sensitive nub, her mewing sounds telling him she liked it as much as he did. And when he added two fingers, sliding them inside her, Carly came apart with an orgasm that nearly made him come just from watching her beautiful face in ecstasy.

Standing, he pulled back the bedspread to reveal the soft, rose-colored sheets, then scooped Carly up in his arms and lay her on the bed.

She looked up at him with a sly smile and toed off her sandals. “I hope you have a condom.”

“I always carry a few in my wallet, he said, as he fished it out of his jeans.”

“A few, huh?”

“Hey, if I like something, I believe in going back for seconds.”

Carly reached her arms overhead in a sensual stretch that had him panting as he hurried to put on the condom. He’d told himself he would tease her and draw it out, but when he crawled on the bed, she pulled him on top of her, saying, “Don’t you dare take your time.”

So he gladly gave in to his need to sink into her in one driving thrust. She gasped and then made sweet, high-pitched sounds, moving with him as he slammed into her again and again again, until they both soared over the edge together.

Carly awoke to see sunlight streaming in and the city of Paris right outside her window. But the most thrilling sight this morning was the naked sleeping prince beside her. Had she really spent the night with Dr. Jeff Rocklyn? She could kiss the batty woman who’d messed up her Airbnb rental.

After they made love the first time, Jeff had ordered a pot of chamomile tea and a tray of cheese and breads. Carly tossed on a short silk robe and Jeff hung out in loose gym shorts. They’d agreed it was too late for coffee because it might keep them up all night, but as soon as they had their snack they ended up back in the bed, the excitement of being with each other keeping them awake, exploring and touching and making love into the wee hours, neither wanting the night to end.

Now Jeff lay on his stomach, with one arm over her, as if preventing her from leaving. At least she liked the idea of seeing it that way. Who knew if they’d be awkward when he woke up?

She managed to wriggle out from under his arm and went to take a bath in the fancy marble bathroom. Halfway through, a handsome face peeked around the door, his sexy mouth in an adorable grin. How could she have missed those cute dimples he had? Hmm. Maybe it was because he seldom smiled when he would come in to have his two beers and go home.

Well, her question about the awkwardness was answered. After the sweet smile he gave her, Jeff strolled into the bathroom and joined her in the tub.

His strong but sensitive hands touching her all over, caressing her, he began washing her hair.

“I’ll bet you’re a wonderful surgeon,” Carly said, leaning against him and loving the way his fingers massaged her scalp.

“Yeah, I’m good,” he said with a cocky lift of his eyebrow.

She’d never felt so nurtured, so adored. He treated her like a precious jewel, washing her and intermittently peppering kisses on her shoulder, her forehead, his steady, focused attention on her alone.

When he finished and Carly started soaping up his chest, one thing led to another and soon he magically produced a condom and she straddled his lap, lowering herself onto his hard shaft, her legs wrapped around him. He held her butt and helped her move in what started as a slow rhythmic dance but escalated to a splashing climax that got water all over the floor.

“Don’t worry,” he said as they got out of the tub. “I’ll ask housekeeping to come in here while we’re out.”

“Want to go to the Eiffel Tower?” she asked, toweling off and running a comb through her hair.

“Not today. We’re going to the Musée de l’Orangerie to see that room of Monet’s Water Lilies that were on the top of your list. ”

“You remembered.” Carly couldn’t hold back a huge grin. “You love to do things that make other people happy, don’t you?”

He wrapped a towel around his waist and took her hand as they returned to the bedroom. “It depends on who they are.”

“And you’re the kind of person who won’t just guess randomly. You’ll give it some thought.”

“You’re right, but how do you know that about me?”

She gave him a peck on the lips, then turned to gather her clothes. “Let’s just say you peaked my interest, Dr. Rocklyn, and I’ve been observing you since the first time you showed up at the bistro.”

“And I kept showing up because, aside from your beauty, there was something about you that made me feel alive. I didn’t allow myself to think beyond that because of my—”

“Let’s not go there, okay?”

“Fine with me.” He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “I’ll just say there’s something about you that wakes me up.”

“Or maybe I just talk a lot. Sometimes my mouth runs away with me.”

“I love your mouth,” he murmured in her ear, then pulled the lobe between his teeth.

“I can think of something fun to do with it right now.” Carly turned in his arms and kissed her way down his chest to his flat abs. She released the towel and continued down, first gripping his hard rod, then tasting it, making him gasp. She took him into her mouth and began licking and sucking, as her hands stroked the base of his shaft and cupped his balls. But just when she thought he was about to explode, he pulled out of her mouth and turned her to the bed.

Bent forward, hands pressed onto the mattress, Carly heard him rip open a package before he grasped her waist and impaled her from behind. They erupted in a frenzy of heat that didn’t slow until they screamed out their climax in unison.

Flopping on the bed together afterward, they both burst into laughter. Jeff rolled onto his back and pulled Carly to him and she rested her head on his chest. She was in heaven. When she used to watch him at the bar, she had guessed having sex with him would be good, but there was something special going on here. She’d never felt like this before, so totally blissed out and yet wanting more. If Jeff suggested they just stay in the room and have sex all week, she’d say yes in a heartbeat.

A knock on the door pulled her out of her post-coital bubble.

“I forgot I ordered breakfast.” Jeff slipped out from under her, tossed a towel around his waist, and pulled in the bedroom door.

Carly heard him speaking in French to the room service waiter. She could hardly believe this place. Even many of the better hotels in the US no longer had that kind of service. She bet this room cost a pretty penny. How sad that the woman Jeff had planned it for didn’t appreciate him—but how lucky for Carly.

Oh, she could appreciate this man.

Carly usually wore running pants or jeans, but she was glad she’d brought a few dresses and skirts and decided she would look for a boutique where she could buy a couple more. Aside from the fact that everybody in Paris seemed to dress better than in the US, she could tell Jeff really liked her in a dress. The way he looked at her made her ego soar and what woman didn’t love that?

Today she chose a pale blue halter dress with a flared skirt and would carry a big silk scarf that she could tie around her shoulders if the museum air conditioning was too cold.

They ate a breakfast of croissants and omelets and coffee at the small table in the sitting room. As she watched Jeff across the table from her, Carly found herself pretending they were a married couple. Which scared the hell out of her.

She had dated a lot of guys, had a few that even made it to “boyfriend” status, but she’d never imagined spending the rest of her life with any of them. She and Jeff had barely begun getting to know each other. She reminded herself they hadn’t really done anything more than share one night of hot sex, and it might never become any more than that.

But no matter how much she warned herself against it, her heart already wanted this week with him to turn into a lifetime and this man to be hers for keeps.