Graduation and Gifts (Untouchable Book 8) by Heather Long (best books to read for beginners TXT) 📕

out of bed, brushed my teeth, and showered. Okay, I hadn’t expected jet lag to kick my ass quite so hard, but when I came back into the bedroom in a borrowed T-shirt, fresh panties, and damp hair, Archie waited for me.

“Come eat,” he said, holding out his hand. “Then more sleep. You’ll be great by tomorrow morning.”

I glanced at Coop, but Archie just shook his head as he ushered me out into the sitting room. Jake and Ian were sprawled on the sofa, a movie up on the TV that they’d paused. Rachel had nail polish out and was working on her toes. She shot me a grin, and I managed a yawn.

Honestly, my brain was so stuffed with fuzz, it wasn’t funny. It wasn’t fair that everyone else looked normal. I was pretty sure they’d talked and teased, but I basically ate mechanically anything they put in front of me, drank a lot of water, and then kissed everyone goodnight, including Rachel, before I wandered back into the bed and crawled in with Coop.

Jake followed, chuckling as he tucked me in, and then kissed my head. That was the last memory I had until early the next morning when I woke up refreshed and in desperate need of coffee.

The plan was ten days in Paris. Then we were going to go across to London to see Torched for their very last concert. KC was excited. I’d talked to her on the phone for five hours the night before. Coop hung out with me on the balcony long after the guys had gone to sleep, though he had his ear buds on and seemed more intent on being there for company than anything else.

A year ago, if someone had told me that Kaitlin Crosse would not only have my number and I would have hers, but that she would blow up my phone and my email, I’d probably have laughed my ass off. She was a good kid though, a little lonely, despite her best friends who toured with her. Though she said they were more family than friends now, so they didn’t count.

What she loved about me? I was ridiculously normal. The fact she enthused about my “normalcy” in the same conversation as demanding the details of our island escape and Disney World vacations prior to the private plane flight that brought us halfway around the world to the most romantic city?

Yeah, the irony was not lost on me, and it kept me cracking up all the way through.

When I finally got off the call, I leaned back against Coop, and he plucked one of his ear buds out and tucked it into one of my ears. The playful cadence of music washed over me, along with a French singer crooning.

“If you’re taking requests, songbird, I’d love for you to sing to me in French. The sultrier the better.”

“Mon dieu, qu’est-ce que je vais faire de toi, mon amour?”

His whole body shuddered behind me. “I know you said my god and my love, I’ll take it.”

Laughter swelled up through me, and when he tilted my head back for a kiss, I sighed against his lips. The French serenade just added to the sweetness, but I paid attention to the music selection. If Coop wanted me to sing to him in French, then I was going to sing to him in French.

Our third full day in Paris, Rachel and I left the boys to head to the Louvre. Jake loved the history of the city and the art as much as I did, but they were going out to scout some vineyards.

“Don’t let Archie buy them all,” I teased before they left, and Ian grinned at me.

“You mean you don’t want a manor house here in France in the heart of a vineyard where you could play out every romance movie trope ever?” The playful dare in his voice made me snort.

“You really know how to paint a picture,” I said as I tugged on the light jacket I’d picked out to wear. The weather called for rain on and off, so in addition to my umbrella, the jacket seemed prudent, along with the baseball cap and my hair pulled back into a braid.

“That’s not a no,” Ian pointed out, and I gave him a little shrug before leaning up to brush a kiss to his lips.

“No, it wasn’t.”

I winked before Rachel and I scooted out, and she laughed. “You’re getting used to them spoiling you.”

“More than a little,” I admitted. “It’s wonderful and frightening at the same time.”

“But you’re happy,” Rachel said as we stepped out of the hotel. A car waited for us, our one concession to the guys not following us was that Archie’s car service would pick us up and drop us off. “And I could get used to this traveling in style.”

I laughed and pinched her as I followed her inside.

The Louvre was a magical place. I stared at the glass pyramid, fulfilling a years-long longing I hadn’t even realized I’d possessed. Rachel said nothing while I gazed up at it. Some people called it a blight on the face of Paris, but I loved the design. I loved what it meant.

I just loved it, and more, I loved being here.

We took selfies together, then Rachel had me spread my arms, so she could snap a couple of me with the pyramid that she then fired off to the guys with the note that said, Our girl looks good, right?

Their immediate responses made me laugh. We snapped one more selfie blowing them kisses, and my phone buzzed with selfies of the four of them blowing me a kiss. I burst out laughing, and Rachel rolled her eyes playfully before linking arms with me and pulling me toward the main doors.

I didn’t know which one of us started humming a song from French class, but we were both singing it together as we made our way inside. I was