Love on Landing by Heather Thurmeier Page A

notes also part of the custom here?"
    Crap.
    "No, but you should know I told her I wasn't interested." He wrapped her in his arms, careful not to spill her coffee and kissed the top of her head. "I have no intention of spending any time doing anything with Kerry. I swear."
    "You're sure? She was awfully pretty. And she seemed very into you. Were you guys members of the mile high club or something?"
    "Not quite and let's leave it at that, okay? There's really no sense in rehashing an old relationship that means nothing to me now."
    "A relationship?" Tali pushed out of his arms. "Wow. I had no idea your relationship was more than a fling. Should I be worried?"
    "Not at all. Kerry isn't my type anymore."
    "Oh? What is your type then?"
    Good question. He thought he knew, but as of last night, he wasn't so sure. Any day previous to this one, jealousy like Tali's right now would have been a real turn off to him. But now… now it gave him a little thrill that she would feel protective and territorial over him.
    He smiled and kissed her gently on the lips. The gesture wasn't enough to really stoke the fire, but it did spark the flame. "I have no idea, but I like what I see right now."
    She smiled back at him. "You know, I think sex turns you all soft and mushy. If this conversation had happened yesterday, you would have been full of smart-assed remarks."
    Gavin reached around Tali and slid his hand down the small of her back until he cupped one butt cheek in his hands, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Great, now I'm busy thinking about your smart ass."
    She giggled. "Lame, completely lame. Not at all your usually witty self. That settles it, sex makes you as tame as a little kitten."
    "Be nice. Come on. Let's get out of here. We're up early, the sun is shining, birds are chirping their little bird butts off and we're both free to do whatever we want until my bitchy—I mean beautiful—boss tells me it's time to fly her home. So what's on the agenda for today?"
    They wandered out onto the empty sidewalk together. The crowds from the night before were probably still sleeping away their shopping exhaustion. That's what they should've been doing too, but once Gavin was up and awake, he could never go back to sleep, no matter how tired he was. He was better off getting up and getting on with his day. Seemed Tali agreed.
    They strolled down the sidewalk in silence for a few blocks. Gavin enjoyed learning they could be in each other's company without having to constantly chatter about something. A shared comfortable silence could be really hard to find. Once again, he was surprised he'd found such unexpected qualities in Tali.
    Why wasn't she like all the other rich party girls he'd known before her? She wasn't the first girl he'd met from Meadow Ridge, but she certainly didn't act like the others. She seemed so much more thoughtful and inquisitive about things—about everything.
    They stopped at a corner, waiting for the light to change so they could cross the street. Down the block the banners for the Musée d'Orsay fluttered in the slight breeze. Gavin checked his watch. The time was shortly after ten, which meant the museum would be open to the public now.
    "Want to go in?" he asked, motioning toward the beautiful stone building.
    "Absolutely. This is one of my favorite places in Paris."
    Really?
    How was it that this girl could constantly surprise him? How was it this girl, who'd power-shopped the entire day before, was now content to wander through a museum? She was one big contradiction.
    As they meandered through the museum, Tali frequently stopped to closely examine some piece of art or another. One time she stopped at a sculpture of a woman lifting a veil away from her face. Tali looked at the sculpture with such careful consideration, he began to wonder if she could relate to it in some way. Did she feel like she was hiding behind something too? Did she long to be seen like this woman?
    Maybe she simply thought the sculpture was