They had to dash to the waiting limo because Lucy panicked when she couldn’t find her phone. Conor had offered to buy her a new one but she’d freaked out; her whole livelihood was on that phone.
Finally, phone found under a pillow, they’d set off for Angelina, one of Conor’s favorite pastry shops.
It had begun to disturb Conor how connected she was to that device. Her focus was always divided. It was a painful reminder of his family life—parents who expected he’d be fine on his own, checking in only regarding the financials. Never really connecting.
Did people not know how to connect anymore? Did he?
“I never imagined I’d get to visit Paris,” Lucy said as they strolled the bustling pavement lined with the high-end shops of the Champs Élysées. “The croissant and hot chocolate were beyond. And that Lamborghini store was amazing. I can’t believe the owner knew you by name! But what I love most is talking to you. You must have seen it all. Done it all. Right?”
“Hardly.” He gave his dark sunglasses a tap. “Reclusive, remember? I was a party boy for a bit, but that got old fast.”
“I imagine you’ve had many gorgeous girlfriends.”
“None so pretty as you.” Wait, surely he couldn’t be calling her his— He interrupted her thought as he pulled her from the pavement to stand under a tree, away from the crowd. Conor pushed her hair from her cheek. “You’re real, Lucy. I like that.”
“I must say, you’re different than I expected of a trillionaire. Down-to-earth. Amiable. Not a corporate raider always on his phone.”
“I keep my phone tucked away. I only use it during office hours. But your office hours seem to be constant…” He gestured to her phone.
“I’m trying to go viral. It would increase my income and allow me to travel.”
“Nothing wrong with ambition.” But still, that divided attention…
He knew how to solve that, knew how to win her whole focus. He steered her toward a jewelry shop and she cooed over all the sparkling booty. When she lingered over a diamond bracelet, Conor immediately bought it. But when he went to put it on her, she flinched. It felt like a gut punch.
“Lucy?”
She nodded and held out her wrist for him. “It’s so lovely. I was just…admiring it. Thank you.” She kissed him.
Something about that thank-you felt forced. And he didn’t know why.
“We should call it a day,” she offered. “At least with the shopping.”
He owned a mansion in the Sixteenth Arrondissement, set on le Lac Inférieur. He’d not taken her there last night because…propriety.
They arrived as the sun was setting. A crew of employees greeted Lucy, handed her lemonade and offered slippers. Conor led her to the terrace that faced the tree-framed lake, where a meal waited.
She spun on the terrace before sitting down. Everything about her was free and sweetly sexy. The bracelet glinted under the chandelier hung from an iron frame, and she touched it, going quiet.
Why did she seem so bothered by a simple gift? He didn’t know whether to be offended or— Had she never been given fine things? He could spoil her. And he wanted to. But, thanks to his gran, he knew that wasn’t the way to a person’s heart. Or at least, not a person like Lucy, who valued things beyond money.
Did he have the skills to navigate Lucy’s heart?
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