Free French Connection Vol. 3 by M. S. Parker Page B

me. I pressed my face against his bare chest, breathing in the scent of him.
    “I love you,” he whispered.
    Before I could respond, his mouth covered mine. Oblivious to the guard, Alizee or the sirens in the distance, he kissed me slowly, thoroughly. His tongue explored every inch of my mouth as if trying to memorize it. I responded with equal enthusiasm, wanting nothing more than to forget what had happened and lose myself in the man I loved. I'd come too close to losing him too many times. Never again, I promised myself. Never again.
     

Chapter 14
    Carrie
    We were still kissing when the cops showed up, but both of us refused to be embarrassed about it. It was Vincent who’d alerted them and I knew he had explained things when I saw the understanding look on one of the officer's faces.
    As much as I wanted to just leave everything for them to sort out while Gavin and I went back to our hotel, more explanations had to be given. I found a cop who spoke English and quickly gave my statement, as well as directions to the spare room where Pierre was still being guarded by Vincent.
    While I was talking to one cop, Gavin was talking to another, explaining in French what happened on his end. A paramedic and a cop were crouched on either side of Alizee and she was rattling away in French, her eyes throwing daggers at Gavin and I the entire time. I hated not knowing what she was saying. I promised myself that if we really did end up with a club in Cannes, I'd learn French.
    By the time Gavin and I were both cleared by the paramedics, Vincent had arrived. He walked past Alizee, not even looking at her as he approached Gavin and me. He embraced Gavin first and then me. Unlike before, I accepted the hug without reservation.
    “I wanted to see you both before you returned to your hotel,” he said. “I had to thank you for what you did. Thanks to you, my daughter will have her justice. I may not be able to see Alizee convicted of killing my girl, but she will at least have to stand trial for her crimes.”
    “I'm pretty sure she's going to spend the rest of her life in prison,” Gavin said. “Even if it's not for what she did to your daughter. She confessed that she was engaged in human trafficking and prostitution. She also attempted to set up Carrie for theft, tried to blackmail me into having sex with her and that she didn't care if I consented or not.”
    “So you will testify?” Vincent said.
    “I'm guessing we're not going to have to.” Gavin patted the pocket of his jacket and looked quite pleased with himself. “I recorded all of it.”
    “Thank you,” Vincent said again. His eyes were shining and I knew he was trying not to cry. “Go back to your hotel now. I will speak with you tomorrow about our plans for the club as well as a gift of gratitude for what you did.”
    “We don't need anything,” I protested.
    Vincent held up a hand. “But you will receive it nonetheless. Go, sleep. Rest. We will talk again later.”
    I looked at Gavin and he nodded. He said something to one of the cops. I assumed he was asking if we were free to go because when the officer nodded, Gavin reached over and took my hand, leading me out of the library and back through the house where the party-goers had become gawkers. It wasn't until then that I remembered the side of my dress was ripped nearly to my waist.
    “Um, jacket?”
    Gavin glanced down at me, puzzled until he saw the full length of leg and partial panties I was exposing. His eyes darkened and he immediately handed over the jacket. As I tied it around my waist, he spoke quietly, “Since it's already torn, does that mean I can rip it off of you?”
    A shiver of pleasure went through me. Everything we'd been through had my body flooded with chemicals and I needed a release. That sounded like an amazing way to start.
    “Yes please,” I responded.
    Gavin growled in the back of his throat and put his hand on the small of my back, guiding me the rest of the way out of the