Chapter Sixteen

The cold breeze of Paris filled the air as they arrived. A Chauffeur waited for them at the exit of the airport. He wanted to keep a low profile, so he didn't bring all his guards.

Pedro was asked to stay behind and take care of his family. So he only bought two of them, whom he later sent back to Colorado after they landed in the country.

Ava couldn't keep her eyes off the windows as they drove to their hotel. She occasionally smiled and took selfies of both of them. It was already late evening, but the pictures she took still looked amazing.

"Years in the modeling agency with a camera constantly clicking at my face has paid off," she said as she uploaded the pictures to her snap story.

When they got to the grand hotel, it was already 8 pm, and they walked inside.

"Bonjour Madame et Monsieur. Bienvenue au champagne. Est que vous avez fait une réservation?"

Translation: Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Welcome to Champagne hotel. Have you made a reservation?

"Yes, our reservation was made yesterday," Ava answered.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry, I had no idea you speak English," she apologized immediately in a thick french accent.

"Name of reservation," she asked as she inputted some numbers into her laptop.

"Faustino," Noah said, already growing impatient. The receptionist's eyes widened as he mentioned his name.

"Ava Faustino and Noah Faustino?" she asked, and he nodded his head, amused by the name Ava was given.

Immediately, she grabbed a blue key from the safe. Then she beckoned at one of the escort ladies to accompany them to their room.

"Ava Faustino?" she asked the moment they entered their room. And Noah just shrugged and pretended not to know anything.

"So, is it just one bed?" she asked.

"Yes," he said as he took off his blazer.

"Oh...o-ok," she stammered.

"I'll take the couch if it makes you uncomfortable," Noah said as he stood shirtless in front of her.

"No, it's fine. Sharing is caring. Truth be told, I haven't shared a bed with anybody. So it's kinda awkward." She laughed nervously, and she ran her eyes over his body.

She gulped hard.

"Are you okay?" He realized the impact he had on her.

"No, turn around. I need to change," she ordered, and he obeyed.

There was a mirror reflecting her every movement, and Noah watched her as she took off her dress and stood there in just a bra and panties.

He unconsciously licked his lips, and he traced her curves in the mirror. She took off her bra, but he couldn't see her front because her back was the one that faced him.

She put on her nightshirt and trousers.

"Turn around. I'm done," she announced as she put up her hair in a ponytail.

Then she saw her reflection in the mirror.

"Pervert!" she screamed, and he laughed at her reaction.

"I like your tattoo. I didn't know you had one," he said as he dipped his hands into his pocket.

"I got it because of a bikini shoot. Here," she said as she grabbed her phone to show him the pictures.

"Bikini shoot, you say? Yet you wouldn't allow me to see you undressing. Touchè," he remarked, and she ignored his comments.

She swiped through the pictures, and he stared uninterested and filled with jealousy. But his attention was caught when she swiped to a picture of her and a man. He was holding her tightly.

"Who's that guy?" he asked with a frown on his face.

"That's my best friend, Louis," she replied with a smile.

"How do you know him?" he asked as he turned her to him.

"Calm down, I met him at a shoot in China. He was there for me. He even stayed with me even after you broke up with me," she said slowly.

They both stayed in silence as she moved away from him. He watched as she left the room to the balcony.

He hesitated first too, but then he proceeded to follow her.

"I'm sorry," he said as he wound his hands around her waist. Then he gave her a soft kiss on her cheek.

"I'm not angry at you anymore. I'm just sad. After he stayed with me, he left and never called. I knew he was a busy person, but I really thought he'd call. But he never turned up," she said as she placed her head on the cold metal, bending her backside to him.

His tone was filled with jealousy when he asked, "He slept in the same house with you? What kind of job does he do?" He let go of her.

"Yeah, he comforted me too. He's sweet," she said, smiling. She was purposefully making him jealous. "And he even held me all—" She stopped as he interrupted her with a kiss on her lips.

"Don't talk about him anymore. He is not here," he said.

"Are you jealous?" she called after him as he walked away.

He slammed the door, picked up her phone from the bed, and then stared at the picture again.

His picture reminded him of somebody, but he couldn't seem to put his finger on it.

Then he felt warm hands around his body.

"Stop thinking about him. He's just a friend. And about his job, I don't know. People always suspected that he was a drug dealer or something. His occupation was always unknown to us. He also said he was in the army. So I dunno."

"And you let him stay in your house?"

"C'mon, Noah, stop being a butt. Besides, he wouldn't have been there with me if someone didn't end his relationship," she said as she crossed her arms.

"You need to get some rest tomorrow is going to be a long day," he said in dismissal.

He laid on the bed and beckoned at her to join him. She rolled her eyes, but later she accepted and joined him.

He stared at the lavender eyes on the bed. They made him forget about his worries completely. He occasionally stared at her lips as he battled with the urge to kiss her.

The aura that left her body was enough to drive anybody crazy. Including himself. There was a limit to his restraint, and Noah had already exceeded it.

He placed himself on top of her and kissed her smile. He dominated her completely. His lips went to her neck, and her hands found a way into his hair. But she jerked the moment he pressed onto her.

"I'm sorry, I can't," she said as she moved from underneath him.

"Are you okay?" he asked her as she sat up.

"It's just those flashbacks that are still there," she said as she pulled her legs up to her lower face. "I'm sorry," she apologized again. "I could book another room," she suggested.

"Don't bother yourself. We can share the bed," Noah answered.

The lights from the window shone brightly on the couple on the bed. Noah's hands were around Ava's waist as she snored lightly. They both slept in the position of a child in the womb. Their peaceful sleep was interrupted by a loud knock on the door.

Immediately Noah shook awake. He was a mafia lord, and he was triggered by the smallest noises because nobody knew when the enemy would attack.

The second knock on the door made Noah stand up from the bed. With his shirt off, he opened the door to check who it was.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, sir," she said with a bowed head. "A message arrived for you this morning, and we were strictly ordered to deliver it now," she continued after the pause, lifting her head.

She brought the white envelope out of her pocket and handed it over to him.

"Thank you," he acknowledged before she took her leave.

He closed the door and opened the envelope.

ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY. WE WILL MEET SOON ;)

He reread the letter before scrapping it and throwing it inside the bin.

He wasn't going to let anything spoil his day.

He grabbed his towel and entered the bathroom to shower.

The handwriting was the same as the note he was sent on his birthday. He had to send those letters to Pedro to scan. They could be used to find more out about the person stalking him.

He finished up and rushed back to the room.

***

Her hands moved across the bed, and she felt nothing but emptiness. She opened her eyes to check, but he was not there. She sat up and stretched out.

Then the door to the toilet opened up wide, and Noah stepped out with a towel around his waist.

It was just like in the movies when a male character emerges from the shower. Handsome was an understatement. He was sexy and hot as the water dripped from his hair down his entire body.

Ava stared at him as he bent down to pick up a crumpled paper. As she stared at him, part of her wanted his towel to fall off his waist, and she bit her tongue as the thoughts kept on coming to her head.

"If you keep on biting your tongue provocatively like that, I don't know what I'll do to you," he stated, and her face became red in embarrassment.

She looked down at his towel unconsciously, and thoughts of what it looked like tormented her.

"I know you want this towel to fall off my waist," he pointed out.

Ava, be more decent, she scolded herself mentally. And Noah chuckled.

"I'll make your fantasies real," he said dangerously low.

Before she could think twice, his towel fell from his waist and she fed on the view.

He saw her swallow deeply as he changed. When he was done with his torture, he kissed her lips softly and snapped her out of her trance.

"We have a long way to go today," he said as she stood up from the bed.

Later on, room service came in with their breakfast. It was a popular french breakfast. After they spent half of the day bickering and arguing before they finally decided to tour Paris and visit the famous Eiffel tower.

"Wow, it looks so beautiful in real life," she said with her hands in her pockets. "You know, the last time I came here, I couldn't even leave the hotel. I only came out for the fashion show, and that was all," she said as she remembered that day.

They confined her to that room and wouldn't let her tour the city. For a whole week, she was denied contact with humans. The manager kept on insisting she was going to get kidnapped.

Now she was able to visit any place she wanted to. For the first time in a long time, she felt free. Even if her initial plan was different, this was also better for her.

"They say the Eiffel tower looks prettier in the dark of night. Its lights shine bright. It's a sight to kill for," she said as she beamed happily.

She felt as his hand slid into her coat pocket, brought her palm out from its warmth, and kissed it, and she stared at him.

"I'm really glad you are happy," he said as he curled his fingers into hers. "I really want you to keep smiling and never cry. Because it breaks my heart every time I see you cry," he added.

"Then make it official," she said with a wide grin on her smooth face.

"How?" he asked, utterly confused.

"I don't know. That's the point," she said playfully.

She knew love had always been a tough thing for Noah. Because as he grew up, he'd watched many relationships fall apart. His mother's, his grandfather's, and many more. So love was a long-forgotten feeling in his heart. Only the love his sisters offered him.

To her greatest surprise, he knelt down with a rose in his hands.

"Oh my God, you're crazy," she said, tucking her hair behind her hair with a blush.

He rose from his feet and kissed her forehead.

"I'm willing to give love a second chance," he said before he kissed her again.

Then his phone rang in his pockets.