Free Passion Sails at Sea (Diary of a Free Woman) by Diane Thorne

staircase.
    Nearing the end of the stairs, she lowered her head and stuffed the map in a side compartment of her bag where she could access it easily. After the last step, she turned the corner and stayed close to the rail. Two seconds later her right shoulder bumped into a solid object. She came to a quick halt and lifted her gaze.
    “Oh, my. I’m so sorry,” Gwen said immediately.
    She widened her eyes as she acknowledged the handsome man standing in front of her. He had to be one of the pieces of art. He was slightly taller than her and had an average build. His short black locks held waves and he had a thin layer of hair covering the lower half of his face. Dressed in a nice suit, he had a professional and prestigious persona. His blue eyes intrigued her and she couldn’t look away. It was as if they were inviting her to peer deeper into them, move closer and press her body next to his. He was pure man, handsome and definitely fuck-me quality. Her pulse accelerated as he spoke in French. The words made no sense since she didn’t know the language, but from the gentleness of his tone, she suspected he wasn’t too angry about her colliding with him.
    “I apologize. I should’ve been watching where I was going.” She took a step back.
    He tilted his head slightly and spoke again in the foreign language. The softness of his voice soothed her sudden anxiety from running into him. When he curled his lips into a smile, her body warmed. Dear lord, she was getting hornier by the second as she stared at him.
    “I don’t speak French. I’m sorry for hitting you. Please forgive me.”
    With a smile, Gwen walked away from the sexy stranger and headed up the next flight of stairs. She hurried to the top, her shoes clapping on each step.
    The image of him remained in her mind and kept her warm. As she debated if she should turn around to follow the Frenchman, she slid her sweater off her arms. Could she even look at old pieces of art now that she had a living gorgeous dark-eyed man in her thoughts? She doubted the artwork would provide the same kind of tingly and rousing sensation she’d felt in his presence. Yet, men would come and go. The world had plenty of fine specimens to fulfill her carnal needs. She had one opportunity to visit the Louvre and it was here and now. She decided to proceed with her exploration of the museum instead of pursuing the man.
    Reaching the floor, she then paused to survey her surroundings. Long halls on each side of her contained pieces of art. She tied her light sweater around her waist then withdrew the map from her purse. After a quick review, she turned and headed in the direction that would take her deep into the museum.
    Paintings in various sized frames decorated both walls. Immediately Gwen slowed her pace and moved closer to the left side. The centuries-old artwork was exquisite with vibrant colors. The artist’s precise attention amazed Gwen. She examined one picture after another and quickly scanned the information cards near the art. Eventually, she found herself in a room full of more canvases. She briefly checked out the self-portraits and those with food items then spent more time studying landscape drawings.
    From one gallery, she entered the next and continued on her journey. When she was gazing at a Baroque painting with a half-naked woman as the focal point, she heard the soft creak of the floor somewhere in the distance. She paid no attention to the others in the room and kept her focus on the artwork.
    “Beautiful,” said a deep, soft voice.
    It was one Gwen had heard before. The word was in English, but the accent was clearly French.
    Gwen swallowed and gripped the handle of her purse tighter as she tried to ignore the excitement stirring within her. “Yes. Beautiful.”
    Hearing gentle taps on the floor behind her, she twisted and looked over her shoulder. The sexy stranger she’d bumped into near the stairs came to a stop next to her. He tilted his head as if he