You're the One: a Contemporary Romance Novella Set in Paris (Bistro La Bohème) by Alix Nichols Read Free Book Online Page A

to be more precise, since he kissed her and she
let him. Enthusiastically, at first. Ooh, the bliss when she leaned into him,
melded her body to his, and parted her lips. A glorious kiss in every way,
except for the way it ended. When he pressed his lips to hers, the contact felt
so right, so necessary. She tasted of chocolate and Natalie—a heady mix.
No other woman he’d kissed before made him feel that way. Like savoring a small
piece of heaven.
    And
then she ran away. She was clearly conflicted, and he wanted to know why. He
had almost called her yesterday and again earlier today, but he wasn’t sure
what to say. Why did you take off so
suddenly? Didn’t you enjoy the kiss? Dumb questions. He was so good at chess strategy—and so helpless at
letting a woman know how much he liked her.
    Well,
now he didn’t have to sweat over this anymore. She’d contacted him first and
proposed a date to boot.
    Then
why was he so nervous?
    Adrien’s
heart began to race when he spotted Natalie approaching the Palmier Fountain.
They smiled at each other and said hello. No cheek kisses.
    “I
owe you an apology and an explanation,” she said.
    “Oh,
good. Because I was expecting a slap on the face.”
    She
smiled. “Well, that too. But given that I didn’t behave very well, I’d say the
slap is evened out.”
    “OK.
I’m all ears.”
    “Remember
how you asked me if I’d started coming to La
Bohème because I had moved into the neighborhood?”
    “Yes.
And you changed the subject.”
    “I
couldn’t give you the real reason.” She paused, looking away. “I was tailing my
boyfriend whom I suspected of two-timing me with a waitress at the bistro.”
    His
jaw tensed. “And was he? Was he two-timing you?”
    “Yes.”
    “So
you broke up?”
    She
shook her head. “He stopped seeing the waitress. It wasn’t serious.”
    “I
see.”
    Her
gaze remained trained on the fountain. “It was a slipup he bitterly regrets.”
    “You
took him back then, your strayed boyfriend?” He wondered why he’d asked her
that—he already knew the answer.
    “He’s
my fiancé now.”
    His
mouth compressed to a hard line. “Congratulations.”
    She
whispered thank you, still avoiding his eyes.
    He
would have left at that point, but there was something he wanted to know. “What
was my part in this romcom of yours, Natalie?”
    She
didn’t answer, studying her shoes as her cheeks and ears grew crimson.
    He
spoke again. “Was I handy entertainment? Surveillance work can be tedious, I’m
told. Or did you think of me as your plan B?”
    She
lifted her head and finally met his gaze. “Adrien, I’m really sorry. I didn’t
mean to use you. It was just so . . .easy, talking to you. You’re
funny and smart, and I—” She paused and pressed her hand over her
forehead. “I sound like Fred.”
    “That
would be your fiancé, I suppose,” he hissed, anger washing over him in
bitter-tasting waves.
    She
nodded. “Yes . . .And you deserve better than the crap I just
served you.”
    He
gave her a surprised look.
    “I’ll
try to be honest. At least as honest as I can possibly be. Because you are a great guy, and I owe you that,”
she said.
    She
took a deep breath. “I didn’t intend to flirt with you, but on some level I knew it was exactly what I was doing. I
was aware I was leading you on. But I continued anyway. Just because it was,”
she visibly hesitated about her next word, “lovely.”
    His
muscles relaxed. It was weird. She admitted to having used him, and he
mellowed. His anger was gone, leaving in its wake an acute sense of loss.
    “Don’t
be too hard on yourself. I was the one taking the initiative. And you were
being friendly. I wouldn’t call it leading on.” He smirked. “Except when you
kissed me back.”
    She
gave him a sad smile. “I’m really sorry about everything.”
    “Do
you love him?”
    “I . . .I’ve
been with him for three years.”
    “I’m
not asking how long you’ve been with him. I’m