Perhaps for her to be so certain that there was nothing that could come between her and the man that held her heart in a way that no one else ever had might be seen as foolish, reckless even. In the past, she may have been a skeptic, wondering what it was that he might want from her, so sure that once he had whatever that something was he would simply place her upon some pedestal to be looked at or dusted off every now and again. Back then, she would never have taken the chance. Had they been on that impeccable estate on the outskirts of Paris, there was little doubt in her mind that she would have considered him with the same regard as she had the other men if they wouldn't have grown up together, maybe even going as far as to think that he was just another one of her father's hollowed and deceitful puppets that would serve as a way to trap her in the one place that felt more like a prison than a home. She had been so full of distrust then, so guarded from the rest of the world, and it had only gotten worse after she'd discovered what Julien's real desires were. He hadn't loved her at all. She had just been something to be one, a wild spirit that he intended to try and anchor to the last place she would ever want to spend the rest of her days. When he had promised to show her the world outside those estate walls, it had been as empty as his heart she had thought to be different from the other suitors. How foolish she had felt, and how equally furious she became moments after hearing those words meant to stay between the two men she would always hold a loathing for. After that day, those walls around her heart only grew higher and stronger, safe eyes cautious and almost cold in a way. Her wild spirit became ever more wild and very nearly desperate to break free and never look back. Even had the nobleman said no to letting her live on her own and far away from the estate, she would have found a way with or without his "blessing". And the fact that he had said yes only to add that once she realized how difficult life would be outside those estate walls she would want to come home, it had only given her fierce determination to make sure that she never stepped foot within that dreadful city again a new strength even she hadn't expected. She would show him that there was nothing in this world that she could not take if she desired it deeply enough. She didn't need her parents to blaze her own path, and in time they would see that the moment they'd let her spread metaphorical wings, they had lost their one and only child.

Words did not exist to the knowledge of mankind that could bring to light just how much Taylor meant to her, how he had changed her world from how it had been. He came her life so unexpectedly, taken her heart that had once cautious and guarded, and broken down every brick that had been the thick and sky-high walls she once relied on to protect herself from the world she had been certain only sought to ground her when she wanted nothing more than to soar clear skies and chase the life she dreamt of. He hadn't tried to sweep her off her feet that night in the burlesque, hadn't attempted to try and win her over with pretty words she knew all too well could be just as empty as they were silken. And while she would have been able to fend the drunken man off eventually, or so the stubborn and defiant part of her had assured the dark-haired woman, he'd stepped in and saved the last woman that would have ever thought she might ever need someone to do so only to ask if she was okay before being escorted outside without so much as a single glance over his shoulder. In that moment and without her knowing, everything she thought she wanted out of life and her newfound freedom she was bound and determined to secure had changed completely. It was a moment in time that she so often replayed within her mind during those quiet moments when the bistro was calm or perhaps when she returned home and tried to settle herself into that large bed with a book. Ever since that night so full of passion and revelation, that bed of hers only seemed to become bigger. For the past two nights, she had wished for the warmth of his breath brushing softly against the skin of her neck and the comfort that found her as he held her in his strong arms. And the more that she dared to think of their future, of abandoning the luxuries she would happily leave behind to live here in this small yet comfortable and charmingly simple apartment, the harder it became for her to accept that she would have to return to Dupont Circle one way or another - no matter how much she didn't want to. Townsend would be okay on his own, wouldn't he? And it wasn't as though they would be parting ways forever, he just wouldn't be that ever-constant presence. She would even go as far as to think of the Englishman moving into one of the other apartments here at this same complex if he truly couldn't stand the distance that would separate the dark-haired woman and him. Yes, the logical mind of hers took no time in bringing her back to reality, reminding her that there was little to no chance the Englishman would be at all content or happy within these aged walls and residing in such close quarters with others. Rose and Reginald were used to having a yard to lounge around or romp in and taking that away from her beloved canine companions was hardly fair in every sense.

Furthermore, for her to think that the threesome would be fine here or even without her as they stayed there within that large home on the southern side of the city while she stayed here to the east was selfish, and yet the part of her that yearned to stay here with Taylor could not help but make attempt after attempt to convince her that there was a way for everything to work out that all parties could be content with. After all, with Adelaide, where there was a will, there was a way - and gods knew that the French woman had more than enough fierce will to make her own path in this world despite the odds that may not stand in her favor. She knew that as new as all this was, how wildly unexpected it was for both of them, she wanted her future to be filled with more unforgettable moments with Taylor and no one else. Despite their demons that haunted the shadows of their hearts, there was nothing that she wanted than to build a life with him because she knew that the life he also wanted aligned so much to her own. In the end, she would do whatever was needed to end up here with Taylor, if anything finding it endearing that through all the jesting about "roughing it" in his apartment she was almost certain he seemed to think that she could never see herself calling his home her own. She would happily rise to meet this unspoken challenge, and so when a smirk finds his handsome features and he makes a remark about turning the apartment into a man cave to see what she would think then, the impish smile that curls her dusty-rose colored lips into something coy and emboldened."You underestimate me, my darling Taylor. If you're not careful, I might just have to ask you for a key of my own", she replies in her lilted voice with her lips still wearing that coy smile, depths of sage glittering daringly while they lingered upon hunter greens as though they were wordlessly saying "is that a challenge?", a single brow rising in a mischevious expression. She almost hoped that he might dare to say it was, wondering if he truly were feeling so bold as to test her on such a matter. His chuckle in reply to her agreement is followed by tenor tones that had a smooth note of laughter tumbling over own lips then, her gaze remaining steadfast upon the rougishly handsome man as she slowly slides the leather jacket from her shoulders intentionally, her smile shifting into a sultry smirk of her own as she she sets the article or clothing over the back of the loveseat."That can certainly be arranged", she purrs suggestively to him then. If it was modeling that he desired, then she would happily oblige Taylor with a show he would undeniably enjoy.

Musing the idea for a moment, she had half a mind to take him back to the empty manor after dinner simply because there was no one there to stop them from having some... heated fun within the confines of her bedroom. Another time, she thinks silently to herself. For now, she wanted to pretend that this apartment was the only place that she returned to after a day of working at Beachside Bar and Bistro. She wanted to see how it would feel living with him, the one that she wanted to have beside her for the rest of forever. While it was not a promised thing, she knew somewhere deep within her that there would be another day for such moments. She was content to simply be as they were now, the excitement of what the following week could bring them both echoing in every beat of her heart. She moves into the kitchen after, giving her a passing smirk at her reply to his inquiry and she can feel that familiar warmth of desire stirring in her chest, unable to keep the kittenish smile from playing across her lips that he so easily coaxes with the roguish charm she could not help but fall deeper in love with. If only he truly knew how much she adored his honest nature, the way he could go from sheepish to bold, how he could grin and make it hard for her to see anything else other than him. He never tries to be anyone else, and it makes her adore him that much more. And as he holds her close when he turns to face her after tending to the meal, her slender fingers tracing lightly along his forearm, he chuckles before confirming what she had been quite sure of, then moving on to ask about why it was that she had no intentions of returning home before making a playful remark about making a pillow fort. That coquettish smile of hers lingers there as she moves to trail her fingers along his collarbone now, sage eyes remaining upon his own."Well, I'm certainly glad that you don't mind me staying. However, with Townsend on his way back to England...", she starts, her voice almost thoughtful although that impish glimmer does flicker across her gaze as she searches his own curiously."You and I have all week alone. I've made arrangements for the bistro, so I have nowhere else to be but wherever you might want to go. Consider this an early birthday gift", she continues on, accented words purring softly up to him in a whisper as though she feared someone else might hear a playfulness finding her gaze as if to say "did you think I would have forgotten?", remembering with perfect clarity how he'd mentioned his birthday was coming up soon one afternoon when he had been tending to the yard before the night they had professed their feelings for the other. There was no way in this world that she would have forgotten, and she was wondering if perhaps he might be surprised that she could recall something that had been spoken so fleetingly, like a passing thought that had been there one moment and was gone the next.

Hardly ready to move out of his arms, her smile softens to something tender and affectionate as she lifts herself up onto the balls of her feet and kisses him ever so gently and yet there was no lack of passion as she reveled in the taste of his lips once more. She lingers there for only a moment before lowering herself, that loving smile still remaining as she looks up at him from beneath long, dark lashes."Happy Birthday, mon amour", she whispers softly before she almost regrettably steps away from him to look at the meal placed neatly on the plates. The aromas were rich and only then is she reminded of her hunger that was lost amidst the thoughts that danced across her mind with anticipation."It looks delicious, Taylor. Thank you", she remarks before reaching for the plate she was sure he intended for her, the portions being smaller and yet she was almost fearful she might not be able to finish it all. She then turns to Taylor with an expectant look as she moves over to the couch where everything had happened two nights ago, fully expecting him to follow her there as she settles into the same place that she had before. Waiting for him to sit beside her, she smiles almost innocently when he settles as if she hadn't decided to surprise him with something she was fairly sure he would never had guessed at."So, I was thinking we could leave first thing in the morning? No road maps, no time constraints... Just you, me, and the Harley. What do you think?", she says to him then, unable to keep the excitement from trickling into her lilted words as sage eyes remain upon hunter green depths, wanting to see each and every feeling and thought that might reveal itself to her there. She didn't know where he would want to go, what he would want to do, but whatever or wherever it was, she wanted to feel every single moment of the time they had together. She wanted to see Taylor in a whole different light, already beginning to fantasize about the adventure awaiting them when the sun rose in the east tomorrow. There was no telling when there would be another chance like this, and she wanted to make the most of it. Even if he didn't want to leave the city, anything he wanted to do and anywhere he wanted to be was all that mattered. There would be no past to haunt them. For a time, they would be free to chase the sun, and she couldn't be more thrilled to be there with him, whenever "there" would end up being.