Breaking Love Full Hearts 2 (7 page)

Luc smiled at Harper, knowing full well what she was up to. “Yes, I would be horribly offended if you just left me here alone to finish eating. I propose that you have lunch with me and I’ll take you to see whatever your heart desires.”

Megan looked from Luc to Harper, fully irritated by their satisfied smiles.

“Perfect!” Harper exclaimed. She leaned down to kiss Megan’s cheek. “Don’t be mad; this is for your own good,” she whispered in her ear. She discreetly dropped a condom into Meg’s open purse and gave her a little wink.

Megan grabbed Harper’s arm and pulled her in close. “I hate you, you bitch,” she whispered back, then gave her a big, fake smile as she released her.

Harper said her goodbyes and rushed out, leaving Megan alone with Luc again. She looked down at her soup, suddenly feeling too nervous to eat.

“We have clearly been set up,” Luc said with an amused grin as he tore off a piece of his bun and popped it in his mouth.

“Looks that way,” Megan answered. “Listen, you don’t need to play tourist with me, Luc. I’m sure you have many other things you would rather do.”

“Why are you sure of that? I thought I was clear last night that I wanted to get to know you.”

“Yes, and I was clear that there isn’t any point, remember?”

“Not everything has to lead somewhere, Megan. Not even to bed. In France, we take the time to pursue pleasure. It would bring me pleasure to show you around my city, so that is what I intend to spend the rest of the day doing.”

Megan bit her bottom lip, not sure what to say. She looked out the window, seeing that the rain had stopped and the sky was clear again. Nothing about this was a good idea. Megan didn’t know if she could control herself around him. She had never met a man who had this effect on her before. Everything about him—from his sexy hair to his hard body to his accent—stirred up feelings she hadn’t had in years.

Luc signalled for the bill as he spoke. “Megan, I’m not going to leave you alone in a bistro in the middle of Paris. Come with me. I promise, I will make sure you enjoy yourself.”
That’s the problem
, she thought.
I’m going to enjoy this too much
.

Megan smiled reluctantly at him. “Thank you, Luc. That is very kind of you.”

“Excellent. I need to make one phone call and then we can be on our way. Please excuse me for a moment.”

Luc got up and walked outside to place his call. Megan used the time to run to the ladies’ room. She stared at herself in the mirror while she washed her hands. She realized she looked fine—not overdone but good enough. She put on some rose-coloured lip gloss and ran a comb through her hair. When she walked back over to their table to get her coat, Luc was standing there already. He helped her into the new cream-coloured peplum jacket. Megan fastened the buttons and picked up her purse. Luc already had her camera bag slung over his shoulder.

“Ready?” He smiled warmly.

Taking a deep breath, Megan smiled. “I am. Where to?”

“I thought I would take you over to the Louvre first. We can wander around there for a while.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

* * *

For the next three hours, Luc and Megan explored the Louvre, lingering at Megan’s favourite exhibits. As they strolled along the expansive halls, Megan was surprised to find that Luc had a considerable knowledge of the museum as well as of art in general. He had many interesting stories about the various artists exhibited.

“How do you know so much about art, Luc?” Megan tilted her head so she could look at him as they walked side by side.

“My mother was a guide here for English-speaking tourists. She used to bring me along sometimes,” Luc answered.

“Did you enjoy it?”

“Sometimes, if there was a pretty girl with the group.” He laughed.

Megan grinned and rolled her eyes. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Turning to him, she wore a thoughtful expression. “Was your mom American?”

“Yes, actually, she was. She grew up in Vermont, of all places. She came over to Paris to study art as a young woman and spent the rest of her life here.”

“Really? So you’re half American, then.”

“Yes, I am, but only the good half,” he responded with a little wink.

Megan smiled at him. “Were you close to your mom?”

“I was. She passed away a long time ago now. Cancer.” He had a matter-of-fact tone but there was a hint of sadness under it.

“I’m sorry to hear that. I lost my dad a few years ago to a heart attack. I don’t think you ever stop needing your parents.”

“We have to though, don’t we?”

“Yes, I suppose. My mom is a big part of my life. She’s with my son while I’m here. I don’t know what I would do without her.”

“It’s nice that you have a good mother. Especially since you’re on your own with your son.”

“Yes, I’m very lucky,” Megan agreed. “Is your dad still alive?”

“Maybe. It doesn’t matter to me either way.” Luc shrugged dismissively and looked down at the floor. There was something in his tone that told Megan not to ask anything more.

Luc checked his watch and then turned to Megan. “It’s almost five thirty; they’ll start closing the exhibits soon. I have two more places I want to take you if you’d like to come with me. How are your feet?”

“They’re fine, actually. These boots are surprisingly comfortable. How about your feet?” Megan smiled at him.

“My feet are fine too. Let’s go. I have the perfect place to watch the sunset.”

* * *

They made it to the Eiffel Tower surprisingly quickly. Luc parked and then hurried around to open Megan’s door for her. He held out his hand gallantly to help her out of the car. “
Mademoiselle, bienvenue à la Tour Eiffel.
”

Megan grinned at him. “
Merci beaucoup,
Monsieur Chevalier,” she replied with a formal nod.

As they walked toward the tower, they observed a young couple clearly having a fight. The girl turned her back on the boy, folded her arms across her chest, then turned her head in his direction to display a world-class pout. The young man pleaded with her to forgive him.

Luc leaned into Megan’s ear. “He must have told her what to do.”

Megan let out a loud laugh, looking up him. “No, no. Nothing that serious. He probably just cheated on her.”

They tried to stifle their laughter as they passed by the pair. Strolling to the tower, Luc took Megan’s hand in his as though it were the most natural thing to do. The feeling of his strong hand covering hers somehow spread warmth through Megan’s entire body. She knew she should pull her hand away, but she just couldn’t. It was the most innocent form of connection and yet it awoke a deep sense of desire in her, a feeling that had long since been forgotten.

“Are you disappointed we didn’t see more of the museum?” he asked, looking over at her.

“Not even a bit. I’m just grateful I got to see it at all. And I can’t imagine a more knowledgeable tour guide. Thank you, Luc.” She smiled up at him.

“Thank
you
for letting me bring you. I’m having a wonderful time. I enjoy watching your expression when you see something you like. You are like a girl on Christmas morning.”

“Oh, no need to thank me. Honestly, I haven’t minded letting you show me around nearly as much as you might think,” Megan teased.

“What a relief. All afternoon, I’ve been trying very hard to think of a way to make this up to you.”

The pair laughed at his joke, their bodies moving closer to each other, shoulders touching now. Megan tilted her head back to look all the way up at the tower. She stood staring for a moment before speaking in a quiet voice. “I feel so small all of a sudden. I’m always baffled by man’s ability to create something of this magnitude.”

“It is incredible what we can do when we dream big and work hard, no?” Luc remarked as they reached the ticket counter.

“It is, isn’t it?” Megan agreed, surprised at this insight. She hadn’t thought of Luc as someone who had dreams. He seemed more the type to set goals and pursue them relentlessly. She took her wallet out of her purse. “I’m going to pay for the tickets. I don’t want you to start thinking this is a date, which it definitely isn’t.”

“You are mistaken,” he said, as they walked to the elevators, stepping through the open doors. “This is most definitely a date.”

“No, it isn’t,” Megan answered as she shook her head. “For it to be a date, both people need to have some type of agreement that they are trying each other on to see if they want a relationship. We’re not doing that.”

“You’re wrong. A date is just two people who are attracted to each other doing something they enjoy.”

“Who says I’m attracted to you?” Megan asked with a raised eyebrow.

Luc shook his head and gave her a teasing grin. “You did. Last night. Now, what was it again?” he asked, tapping his lip as if trying to remember. “That I have an incredible body and am some kind of sex god?” His eyes wore a playful expression as he looked back down at her. “Yes. That is what you said.”

Megan blushed, remembering her words. “Yeah, well, I was drunk, so it doesn’t count.”

Luc looked over at her and laughed. “In my experience, women are always more truthful when they’ve been drinking. It’s when they are sober that they hide their true feelings.”

“Well, not this woman,” Megan began. “She’s a
huge
liar when she’s been drinking. Huge.”

Luc laughed again as they stepped out onto the lower level and crossed to the next set of elevators, which would take them to the top. He found himself surprised by her answer. “You know, you are really fun when you relax.”

“Did your mom ever teach you about what Americans call a backhanded compliment? You say something nice at the same time you say something a little insulting?”

“If she did, I don’t remember it. But here in France, we call it the truth. You
are
more fun when you let your guard down a little. Some people are not fun even then. It’s a sincere compliment.”

Megan gave him a skeptical look. They crossed over to the next set of elevators and Luc pressed the button. He turned his face to her. “You don’t know how to take me. Just remember that I am exceedingly charming and kind,” he replied, gently bumping her shoulder with his.

“Right. And you remember that I’m smart and I’m onto your game.”

“And what game is that?”

“You’re a player, Monsieur Chevalier. You probably have different women in every city.”

“I don’t, but if I did it wouldn’t matter to you anyway. This is not a date, remember?” he replied, taking her hand in his again.

The elevator doors opened and a tour group got off, leaving the car open for Luc and Megan. They were alone as they began their ascent.

“You know, when I was a boy, this elevator ride took eight minutes. It felt like an eternity to me; I was always in such a hurry to get to the top. Now it takes just over a minute and I think it’s too fast. Part of the fun—the anticipation—has been lost.”

Megan gazed at him as he spoke. It was hard to picture him as an excited little boy; he was just such a
man
, so confident and purposeful in everything he did. She looked into his eyes.

“Is the anticipation the best part for you now?” The words came out of her mouth of their own accord. She knew how they sounded, but there was a part of her that wanted to be suggestive.

Luc raised his eyebrow at her and leaned down a little to let his mouth hover over hers. “Not the best part, but it makes it all so much better, don’t you think?”

Megan swallowed hard, looking at his mouth, her lips begging her to let them brush up against his again. She felt a little weak in the knees at the thought. She was saved by the elevator doors opening to reveal a view more incredible than she could have imagined. Luc pressed his fingers to the small of her back to steer her through the small crowd on the top deck.

“Come this way,” he told her, taking her hand and leading her to the north side of the tower.

“Wow!” Megan exclaimed, slightly breathless from both the view and his touch. “This is stunning. It’s hard for me to even believe I’m here.”

“I’m glad I could be here for your first time. One forgets how wonderful it is.” The sun was just starting to go down, creating the most spectacular scene. The sky was lit with oranges, pinks and purples, giving the entire city a soft glow.

Luc stood behind her and leaned his face close to hers as he pointed out what they were looking at. “The building with the large garden in front is the Palais de Chaillot. Much of it is a museum now, like half of Paris itself. The gardens in front are called the Jardins du Trocadéro. Beyond the city, to the left of the sunset, is Mont Valérien. Can you see it?”

“Yes, I can.” Megan could smell his intoxicating scent again and was having trouble concentrating on his words as he moved his body closer to her back. She shivered a little, feeling both cold and overwhelmed with desire. Luc wrapped his powerful arms around her and pressed his body to hers.

“Valérien is an important memorial of the French Resistance. A lot of history there. I wish there was time for me to take you to see it.”

They silently watched the sun sink in the sky behind the far-off hills. Megan was in awe of where she was and what she was experiencing. She felt like she was light years away from her normal life. Here she was, in Paris, allowing this sexy-as-sin man to hold her as though they were a couple, when at home this type of thing would have sent her running.

As Luc held her, he realized she had awakened something in him that he hadn’t known existed. Her slender frame felt so perfect in his arms, as though she had always belonged there. She was as beautiful as she was strong, as funny as she was smart. He breathed in the scent of her subtle perfume, knowing that once the sky had repainted itself in darkness he would have to let her go. He stood behind her, silently willing the sun to slow its descent so that he could stay in this tender moment as long as possible.

“I can see why it’s called the City of Light,” Megan said quietly.

“It is a place for love, no?”

“Yes, it is,” she sighed. She could feel his face so close to hers. If she just turned ever so slightly, her lips would meet his. Her heart thumped, terrified at the thought. She closed her eyes to allow herself to fully take in the moment.