*Shelby*The beds at Le Bristol Paris are unbelievably soft. We arrived well into the evening, and the afternoon sun was streaming in the open doors that lead out onto a private terrace. The lulling sounds of the street below barely reached the room. I felt in the bed next to me and found it empty. I slipped out of bed, wrapping a hotel robe around my body. Luckily, I didn’t need pajamas the night before since I hadn’t packed anything for the trip.Michael was sitting alone on the balcony, sipping a cup of coffee as he silently watched the movements of the city below. “Good morning,” I said softly so I wouldn’t startle him. “How’d you sleep?” Michael asked, turning to look at me.“Like I was on a cloud. I think that bed probably costs more than my entire first apartment,” I joked.Michael laughed softly. I noticed the sheen of sweat on his forehead, and for the first time, I realized he was in his workout clothes; he must’ve spent the morning at th
*Shelby*The first night in the castle felt like a dream. Michael hired a private chef to stay at the guest house on the property and cook every meal for us. We dined in the formal dining room, which had a large set of french doors opening onto the large courtyard pool.We talked, laughed, and drank the local wine until the late hours of the night. The master bedroom was located directly above the dining room with a private balcony overlooking the pool and beyond to the acres and acres of a well-tended garden. We left the large windows open as we slept, letting in the cool breeze and the earthy smell of the vineyard. I spent a leisurely morning in the old clawfoot tub, which sat right below one of the open windows. I watched the wind blow through the trees as I soaked in the warm water.Breakfast was an extravagant affair. The personal chef made an amazing three-course meal, and when we were finished eating I felt as though I may not be able to get out of my chair
*Shelby*I woke up to light butterfly kisses along my cheeks. My eyes fluttered open to the very dim light of our master suite. The breeze was softly blowing through the open balcony doors, and I felt Michael’s fingers brush strands of hair away from my face.“What time is it?” I asked, not yet wanting to move.Michael continued playing with my hair as I struggled to keep my eyes open.“It’s still early. I wondered if you wanted to take a walk with me. There’s a beautiful spot just over the hill, and I thought we could watch the sunrise together,” he said softly.I slowly sat up in bed and smiled. “I think that sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime kind of memory. Let’s go.”Within a few minutes, I was dressed and walked down the stairs slipping my arms through a jacket. Michael stood in the foyer waiting for me, carrying a basket with a blanket nestled on the top.“Are you ready?” he asked.“Yes, I am. What’re you bringing with us?” I asked, pointing
*Shelby*“Of course, I’ll marry you, Michael! I love you so much,” I said.He stood and wrapped me in his arms. I stood on my tippy toes to kiss him, and he slipped his hand up to cup the back of my head. His kisses were as soft as a kitten's but steadily grew in intensity as his hands wandered down my back. My hands gripped the front of his shirt, pulling him closer to me.In a flash of movement, Michael grabbed my thighs and hoisted me into the air. I felt as though I was hanging off the side of a cliff, supported by nothing more than his strong hands, but I didn’t care and kissed him harder.Michael eased us both onto the tartan blanket, where just minutes ago, we had been eating our picnic breakfast. The scratchy wool teased the inch of exposed skin at my waist as my shirt wandered its way up my torso.Michael’s hand explored my body as though determined to memorize every inch of my figure. His hands slipped in the small gap under my shirt and slipped it ov
*Shelby*The last day of our vacation came far too early. I’d be happy never leaving the castle if I was honest with myself. Instead, it felt like a dream of spending the past ten days with Michael alone in such a seemingly magical place.The diamond on my ring finger felt increasingly heavy as our trip came closer to an end. However, I loved the way it caught the light sending down rays of sparkles in all directions. I smiled to myself as I folded the last shirt hanging in the closet and put it in my suitcase, placing my ring hand facing up so I could admire my engagement ring."Are you ready to go?" Michael asked me, poking his head into the room."I don't know if I'll ever be ready to go," I said with a laugh."I know what you mean; maybe we could plan a trip together. As soon as you're out for the summer, we could just look at a map, throw a dart, maybe, and go," he said, rubbing my arm."I like the sound of that," I said, reaching up on my tippy toes
*Michael*“Billionaire Playboy Settles for a Nobody”I shook my head at the recent headline that Reggie had dropped off on my desk. We’d been seen in Paris the night before we flew home, and in the three days following our return, the magazines and gossip tabloids were having a field day with the news of our engagement. Under the headline was the picture of us at dinner. My hand was reaching out and brushing Shelby’s lip. I had to admit that she looked incredibly stunning in the picture. Of all of the pictures that could’ve leaked, this was the best one. I couldn’t help but stare at the way her lips closed in a perfect cupid’s bow.She had to fly back to Cambridge for the start of her classes after our spring break vacation. I’d been cooped up in my office since returning, trying my best to catch up on the work I missed while we were gone. Also, a larger part of me liked being in the office and away from the prying eyes of the paparazzi. With the leaked story
*Michael*“It seems he knows where to find your half-brother,” Lou Carmine said.Lou’s voice seemed to echo through the phone as the wheels in my brain appeared to slow as if they were running through peanut butter. I sucked in a breath. I thought that Blaine would stay on the run now that he was wanted for murder, but if the Carmine family knew where he was, he must not have stayed away for long.“That is big news,” I answered.“Leon wants to know if we should… take care of Blaine for you,” Lou said.Being responsible for Blaine’s arrest was one thing, but being responsible for his murder was a completely different ball game. A part of myself, a dark and deeply hidden part of myself, wanted to say yes, and wash my hands of it all entirely. However, that small part of me scared me more than the thought of spending my life in prison, which I almost did for this exact situation. If I let that part of myself take hold, I feared I’d turn into someone just lik
*Shelby*“How did you find all of these articles?” I asked Lin. “I searched Michael’s name instead of yours. Not all of the articles list you by name, probably so they won’t get sued for slander, but you know the internet. If people want to find out who you are, they will,” Lin answered.I scanned over the pages and pages of search results that popped up. All of which didn’t sound as though they were painting me in a very positive light. I clicked on an article titled “Astor's Secret Mistress Goes on a Drunken Ride.”The article had a picture of me right after I’d fallen off of my bike and was wandering into the little village below the castle rental. I was clearly bleeding in the photos, which were followed by a picture of me in the small cafe drinking wine. They painted a picture of me getting drunk on purpose, which caused the bike wreck. When in reality, I fell and then had a drink to calm my nerves. The entire article portrayed me as someone who was comm