Jonas caught her to him and lowered his mouth to hers, claiming her lips in a greedy kiss that stirred her soul and left her weak and clinging. She felt herself responding; her arms slid around his neck. Their lips clung, and his tongue sought and found hers. Against her will, Stephanie arched against him, seeking to lose herself in his arms for all time.
Abruptly they broke apart, both of their own accord. Stephanie trembled from inside and out. She dared not look at Jonas. Neither spoke. For a moment they didn’t move, didn’t breathe. The world that only seconds before had been silent now burst into a cacophony of sound. Wind whistled through the trees. Car horns blared from a nearby street. An elderly couple could be heard arguing.
“Jonas, I...”
“Don’t say anything.”
She wouldn’t have known what to say. She was as stunned as he was.
“It was the wine, and this silly wishing business,” he said stiffly.
“Right.”
“I told you wasting your money on wishes was foolish.”
“Exactly,” she agreed, though not very strenuously. Their wishes had come true; now they both wanted to complain.
Stephanie noticed on the way out of the park that Jonas seemed to avoid being near her. His steps were quick, rushed. In order to keep up with him, she was forced into a half-run. The instant they hit the main thoroughfare, Jonas raised his hand and hailed the limo that drove them directly back to the hotel.
“Well, how was Paris?” Jan asked the first day Stephanie was back at Lockwood Industries. They sat in the employee cafeteria. Jan had purchased the luncheon special, and Stephanie had brought a sandwich from home.
“Fine.”
“Fine?”
“I was held captive in a stuffy, smoke-filled room for most of the four days. This wasn’t exactly a vacation, you know.”
“How’d you get along with Mr. Lockwood?”
“Fine.”
“Is that the only word you know?” Disgruntled, Jan tore open a small bag of potato chips and dumped them on her tray.
“I have an adequate vocabulary.”
“Not today, you don’t. Come on, Steph, you were with the man day and night for four days. Something must have happened.”
The scene by the fountain, when Jonas had held her and kissed her, played back in Stephanie’s mind in living Technicolor. If she were to close her eyes, she might be able to feel the pressure of his mouth on hers. She strenuously resisted the urge. “Nothing happened,” she lied.
“Then why are you acting so strangely?”
“Am I?” Stephanie focused her attention on her friend, trying to look alert and intelligent even though her thoughts were a thousand miles away in an obscure Paris park.
“You have been acting weird ever since you got back.”
“What did you expect would happen?”
“I don’t know, but the others thought you might have fallen in love with him.”
“Oh, honestly, Jan, you’re mistaking jet lag for love.”
Disappointment clouded Jan’s eyes. “This isn’t going well.”
“What isn’t?”
“This romance. The girls and I had it all planned. We felt it would work out a whole lot easier than it is.”
“How do you mean?”
“Well, in the romances, the minute the hero and heroine are alone together for the first time, something usually happens.”
“What do you mean, something happens?”
“You know, a kiss in the dark, an intimate dinner for two, a shared smile. Something!”
“We weren’t exactly alone; Adam Holmes was with us.” She avoided Jan’s eyes as she carefully peeled a hard-boiled egg. If Jan could see her eyes, she’d know all. The egg took on new importance as she shucked the shell off piece by piece.
“At any rate,” Jan continued, “we’d hoped that things might have taken off between you two.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint all of you, but the trip was basically a working arrangement and little else.” Stephanie sprinkled salt and pepper on the egg.
“Well, I guess that’s it, then.”
Stephanie returned the pepper shaker to the holder in the middle of the table. “What do you mean?”
“If Mr. Lockwood was ever going to notice you, it would have been last week. You were constantly in each other’s company, even if Adam Holmes was playing the part of legal chaperone. But if Mr. Lockwood isn’t attracted to you by now, I doubt that he ever will be.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Her heart contracted with a pang that felt strangely like disappointment. “Now can I get on with my life? I don’t want to hear any more of your corny romance ideas. Understand?”
“All right,” Jan agreed, but she didn’t look happy about it. “However, I wish you’d start reading romances. You’d understand what we’re talking about and play your role a little better.”
“Would you stop hounding me with those books? I’m not in the mood for romance.”