PINPOINTS OF LOVE

CROSSED IN LOVE

was dating at the moment, they didn’t come close to comparing to Marcus.

He’d always be her first love. Regardless of their convoluted past.

“Isabel, please.” He was giving her that look. The look. But she wasn’t going to give in. Was she? Isabel forced herself to turn her attention to her MacBook just as the server brought her creamy coffee and gingerly placed it onto the table, the clatter of the porcelain cup and saucer barely audible over the surrounding chatter. After what seemed like forever, Marcus spoke. “If you change your mind and want to grab a drink, here’s my card. Call me anytime. I’m in Paris for the next five days.”

If she was being really honest with herself, she had forgiven him sometime last June for what happened. But was that enough reason to start something up again? It wasn’t that she didn’t trust or forgive him—she was simply scared of losing him again. Once she had him, she knew she would never let go. And for a self-sufficient woman like Isabel, that was terrifying enough.

“I still love you.” Marcus turned to leave.

Only when Isabel heard the jingle of the door and was absolutely sure that his back was turned to her did she glance up from her computer screen. Except he wasn’t gone. He was standing there, studying her. Her lips parted slightly in anticipation. She knew was coming next—she’d seen it in every romance movie ever but never thought it would be happening to her, especially in the most romantic city on Earth. She waited expectantly. Her palms sweated and her knees felt trembly. She stood up.

As if on cue, Marcus crossed the café and cupped her face with his steady hands, enveloping her lips in a delicate, sweet, lingering kiss. When she finally unhooked her mouth from his, they were in a lavish suite at Hôtel de Crillon, naked except for the sugar-white sheets that wrinkled around them. They had made love, his weight reassuringly comfortable on top of her and his lean silhouette moving in tandem with her dampened skin. She wanted to remain like this all afternoon. She wanted to remain like this forever.

“For the record, I still love you too,” she told him unnecessarily.

Marcus kissed her long and hard. Isabel’s body responded with raw, habitual desire. They remained knotted together, intertwined in every possible way for countless hours, until the sky darkened and the Eiffel Tower performed its nightly show. This second chance at love was even more appetizing than the first time around and Isabel was determined to savour every bite with rapture. She didn’t know what would happen once they left the blissful contentment of the hotel, but for now they had five days in Paris. And room service.