Page 116 of My French Love Affair

The heat of her skin, the way she trembled beneath me, the way she fought me even as she surrendered so sweetly in the end.

I knew it would be good. Butfuck, it wasbetter.

Better than I even let myself imagine.

And I’d imagined.

Ever since I first saw her, since she stole my fucking car, since she sneered at me like I was the biggest inconvenience in her life, she’s been under my skin. A little too much.

Less than a week. That’s all it’s been.

And in that time, she’s done nothing but consume me.

Monaco is small, yes. A city of little more than two square kilometers. A place where youexpectto run into the same people.

But this?

This feelsdeliberate.

Like the universe has been having a laugh at my expense, throwing her in my path at every turn, dangling her in front of me like some cruel, impossible temptation.

And I fell.Hard.

I exhale sharply, rubbing my jaw, rolling my shoulders back as I refocus.

Later.I’ll let myself dwell on her later.

Right now, I have a different problem to deal with.

I push my way through the crowd, my irritation sharpening with every step.

I already know where Jacques is, and I already know who he’s with.

When I step onto the lower deck, I find them exactly where I expect.

Three men. Well-dressed, but not the kind of polished wealth you see in places like this.

Their suits don’t quite fit right. The watches they wear are almost convincing.

Almost.

They don’t belong here.

And yet, somehow, they’re on my family’s yacht.

I don’t know how the fuck they got on board. Everyone is supposed to be vetted, logged, ID-checked - but that doesn’t matter now.

What matters is resolving this mess.

Jacques stands at the centre of them, leaning against the bar like he doesn’t have a single care in the world.

He smirks when he sees me.

The men glance over, assessing me quickly, though their expressions don’t shift much. Not immediately, anyway.

“All right,” I say smoothly, rolling my wrist as I slide my hands into my pockets. “Let’s get this over with.”

One of the men tilts his head, dark brows lifting slightly.

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