Breaking Love (Full Hearts Book 2) (13 page)

Megan’s heart pounded in her chest as she hurried back to the ballroom. She was completely overwhelmed by what had just happened. She still couldn’t believe Luc was really there, in the same building as she was, at that exact moment. She thought of his hand on her waist, his kiss on her cheek and lips as he rescued her from Brad, his sad smile as he said goodbye. He had just driven all day in a horrible blizzard to get to see her for a minute and ask her out. How could she
not
give him another chance?

He is no good for you, Megan. One night with him and you were a wreck. Forget him now before you get hurt worse,
she told herself.

As she walked through the ballroom doors, she caught Quinn’s eye. The bride pointed impatiently over toward the cake, obviously annoyed that Megan had been missing in action. Meg immediately got back to work, trying to clear her mind of all thoughts of Luc.

Two hours later, she finally packed up her equipment to go home. She had taken dozens of shots of the guests dancing and visiting as the evening progressed. It was close to 11 p.m. as she walked out of the ballroom, her feet aching.

She put on her coat and checked her cellphone. There was a text from Harper.
I need to talk to you ASAP! Call me
.

She ignored it, knowing what was so urgent, and shoved her phone into the pocket of her coat. She walked through the lobby, passing the front desk without stopping. When she reached the revolving door, she stepped into it and made a full circle, then walked purposefully over to the front desk.

The woman behind the counter had been watching her with a slightly amused expression.

“I think there might be an envelope here for me? Megan Sullivan?”

“Oh yes. Right here,” the woman said, smiling as she handed it to her. “I had the luck of being here when he left it. I could have just listened to that accent all day.”

“Yes. He has that effect on women. Thank you.” Megan gave her a smile and walked back over to the doors, deciding to read the note when she got home. That would be the safer choice.

She waded through the now-deep snow covering the parking lot, cursing her dressy boots as she opened the trunk and gently put her camera bags in. Slamming the trunk closed, she hurried over to the driver’s side, getting in and closing the door to get out of the biting wind. Megan started the car to warm it up, then rubbed her frozen hands together and glanced over at the envelope poking out of her purse. What could be the harm in just opening it and seeing what he had written? It was probably just his cellphone number anyway.

“Damn it,” she said to herself as she tore open the envelope.

Dear Megan,

As much as I’ve tried, I cannot get you out of my mind. I hope you’ll decide to give me another chance. Please know that everything I said to you was true and that everything we did together was meaningful to me. You have a hold on me that I can neither explain nor deny.

I think I have come up with a perfect arrangement so that we can see each other without it interfering with your life with Elliott. I hope you’ll agree to meet me for dinner so we can discuss it. I’m in room 637 if you would like to come up, or you can call me on my cell number below.

Yours,

Luc

“Oh, fucking hell,” she muttered, jamming her hands back into her gloves and pulling the key out of the ignition. She slammed the car door behind her as she trudged back to the hotel lobby and stamped the snow off her boots and pant legs, then made a beeline for the elevators. She glanced over at the woman behind the counter, who smiled knowingly at her.

“I’d go too,” the woman said, nodding. “I’m impressed you even made it outside in the first place.”

Megan laughed a little at herself as she rode up to the sixth floor. Taking a deep breath, she walked down the hall and knocked very quietly on the door to room 637. It was late and she realized he might be asleep already. She waited for a moment and then heard the door being unlocked.

Luc smiled warmly at her as he opened the door. He was dressed only in a white towel and held another in his hand as he rubbed it over his wet hair. The room was almost dark, lit only by a single bedside lamp and the glow from the TV.

Megan could feel her body react to the sight of his almost nude, muscular form. She stepped inside and spoke quickly, before he could get a chance to make her knees go weak with his sexy voice. Her manner was brisk as she began. “So, listen, I appreciate that you drove all this way. It was really sweet. If I were going to get involved with someone, I would pick you, but it just won’t work out, Luc.”

He just nodded at her as she spoke. Even though he looked like he was sincerely listening to her, he tossed the towel in his hand back into the bathroom and took her purse off her shoulder, placing it on the console table beside them. He then pulled her gloves slowly off her hands, one finger at a time, never breaking eye contact, even as he put the gloves on top of her purse. Megan swallowed hard and kept talking, her words coming out a little slower, less convincing. How could the simple act of having her gloves taken off awaken her body like this?

“There is no way this can happen. We don’t even live on the same continent. I won’t be coming back to Paris anytime soon—maybe not ever. Nothing in my life has changed since I met you. We just have to accept that this is over, okay?” Megan said, gazing into Luc’s eyes.

“You’re completely right,” he answered finally. “It’s a horrible idea.” Luc took her chilly hands and warmed them in his.

“It really is. I came up here to tell you that,” she agreed, trying not to notice the muscles in his arms and chest flex as he rubbed her hands.

“You could have called, you know,” he said, with a trace of that smirk.

“I thought it would be more polite to tell you in person, especially since you came all this way,” Megan replied matter-of-factly.

There was nothing remotely believable about what she was saying. She had come up to his room because she needed to see him, and they both knew it. Her mind flashed to what was under that towel, causing her cheeks to grow hot. She could just hook one finger over it and pull, and he would be completely naked in front of her. She tried not to look down as she continued. “I also wanted to thank you for getting rid of that creep for me earlier.”

“You’re welcome. I wish I could always be there to get other men away from you. The thought of another man touching you makes me unreasonably angry.” He was still holding her hands in his.

Megan tugged her hands away from him and walked further into the room to get away from him before she did something she would regret. She took a deep breath and turned back to face him. “So, anyway, thank you, and I hope you find happiness, but it won’t be here.”

Luc cocked his head to the side and gave her a questioning look. “Are you in a hurry right now?”

“Yes, I should get home. It’s late.”

“You have to relieve your babysitter? She is waiting up to go home?”

“No, my mom is with Elliott. She’s staying over because of the storm.”
Why didn’t I lie just now?

Luc tilted his head thoughtfully. “Can you sit for a minute, maybe have a drink with me?” He gestured over to the loveseat on the far side of the room, near the windows.

Megan looked over at the furniture, her feet begging her to take her weight off them. “Just water for me, please. I need to drive home,” she replied, choosing the armchair beside the loveseat. There was no way she was going to sit close to him.

“Of course,” he answered, opening the mini-bar. He opened a bottle of water and poured it into two tumblers. Crossing the room, he gave her an appreciative look as he handed her a glass and sat on the loveseat. Megan took a sip, feeling the cool liquid flow down her throat. She suddenly realized that she was uncomfortably hot with her long coat and boots on, but she refused to remove them. Removing them meant she might stay. And she definitely wasn’t going to stay.

“You must be exhausted,” Luc said, propping his elbow on the arm of the loveseat and resting his chin on his fingers.

How can a man in nothing but a towel still exude power?
“I am. I cannot wait to crawl into bed right now,” Megan replied, then, realizing how that sounded, she quickly backtracked. “At home. I need to go home and go to sleep.” Why was she so nervous? They had already slept together and she was just here to end whatever this was.

Luc chuckled softly. “Of course. I didn’t drive here expecting you to get into bed with me. I came just to ask you out, remember? In fact, I wouldn’t sleep with you tonight even if you wanted to.”

Megan rolled her eyes. “Sure,” she said sarcastically.

“I wouldn’t. It would defeat the purpose of my trip. I wanted to show you that I want something more than just sex with you. This is not—what is that phrase?—a booty call?”

“Yeah, that’s the phrase.”

“I am here because I want
more
with you than that, and I know this could work. We could see each other around your schedule. Whenever I come to Colorado, I could come here for a day or two. We could spend some time with each other when your son is at school, or if you want to see me in the evening, you could get a babysitter. We could have a romantic relationship that leaves your life otherwise intact. Completely free from worry about Elliott getting hurt.”

Megan took another sip of her water. “So, I would be your sure thing when you travel to the US. I’m sorry, but that just isn’t all that appetizing to me.”

Luc shook his head. “No, you would be the person who I am with. Period. It would be a long distance relationship but real nonetheless. Exclusive. No other women for me. No other men for you.”

“This is the strangest conversation I’ve ever had, Luc. We aren’t even
dating
and you want me to commit to an exclusive relationship?”

“Yes, I do. I can’t stop thinking about you, Megan. Since you left Paris, I have been restless and frustrated and completely unsatisfied. Last night, I made a point of meeting a woman I know, to try to get you off my mind. I thought if I slept with her, I would be able to forget you. . . .”

Megan shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she listened. The thought of him trying to sleep with another woman stung, even though she had no right to be bothered by it. She stared down at her glass of water to avoid eye contact with him.

Luc continued. “But there was one big problem: I had no reaction to her in the usual way. Nothing was there, where there had always been something before. Do you know what we did? We ended up talking about you. I bored her to tears before she finally left.”

“I think you might be a little
too
honest, Luc. I’m not as comforted by your story as you might have hoped.”

“Ah, of course. Because I tried to. . . .” His voice trailed off as he nodded in understanding. “I can see how that wouldn’t make you feel better. But I saw her only because I couldn’t stop thinking about you, and I needed to do something, anything, to get you off my mind. Last night, I realized there is no point in trying—I cannot. For some reason, I need to be with you and I have to figure out why. What I am proposing could be the perfect arrangement for you. Romance, sex, friendship, but none of the worries of a typical relationship. No pressure for things to go further than what you want. We give it a try and if it makes you unhappy, we stop and I never bother you again.”

Megan looked around the room, trying to digest what he had just said. For some reason, her attention fell on the television. He had been watching Formula One racing. Something about that irritated her. She never would have thought he was a racing fan. She hated racing. It didn’t matter in the least, but somehow it highlighted the fact that they were virtual strangers. She shook her head. “This is nuts. I don’t know
anything
about you! Anything at all, really, and you want me to commit to a relationship with you? That’s not how things work in the dating world.”

Luc gave her a serious look. His voice was soft as he spoke. “But you don’t want to be in the dating world, and what I am offering is so much better. What you do know is that we are attracted to each other, that we have fun together and that the sex is incredible. The rest we’ll learn as we go.”

Megan just stared at him, refusing to say anything.

“I am offering you romance, a little fun, something to look forward to. I won’t ever expect you to move to France or to want to get married or even to introduce me to your son. Your life can continue as it is for the most part, only it will be more satisfying because you and I will have this to look forward to. Something beautiful and uncomplicated.”

Megan watched him as he spoke—his kissable mouth, his dark, smouldering eyes, his broad shoulders shifting as he turned his body toward her a little more. His offer was beyond tempting. It was exactly what she had craved for years without letting herself think about it. Here was an unbelievably sexy man who wanted to be with her on her own terms—or what her terms would be if she had allowed herself to have any.

“Can I think about it?”

“Yes, of course. I wouldn’t expect you to make a decision so quickly. What if I come back on Wednesday night? I’ll stay all day Thursday. If you’ll see me then, we can talk more. Have another chance at a day together. You can give me an answer after that.”

“Alright. I can meet your for brunch on Thursday.”

Luc smiled, relief showing on his face. His eyes locked on hers as though they were trying to say a whole lot of things he never could.

“Excellent,” he replied in a low, satisfied tone. “Can I pick you up or would you like to meet me somewhere?”

“I’ll meet you here, at the restaurant downstairs. Nine o’clock.” Megan couldn’t tear her eyes away from his. Her words came out slowly as she started to lose focus on what they were talking about. Her desire to wrap her legs around his waist was building.

“I’ll be waiting for you.”

“Well,” she said, standing up, “I’ll see you then.”

Luc stood and followed her across the room. Megan picked up her purse and gloves, then turned, not realizing he was standing so close behind her, and her hand grazed his arm. The feeling of his skin against her fingers sent a pulse of electricity through her body. Luc gave her that look she had been missing since she saw him last, the one that told her exactly how beautiful he found her. Megan tugged him to her by the front of his towel and kissed him hard on the mouth, dropping her purse onto the table beside her.