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Shayla Black

had for Luc. The next morning, she‟d awakened aching for him again . . .

only to find the bed empty.

Deep in her heart, she‟d hoped that their astounding night might lead

to something more. So she‟d be lying if she said his desertion hadn‟t hurt.

She‟d also be lying if she said it was unexpected.

For weeks afterward, she‟d tried to think of something to lure him back,

hoping that the memories of their amazing sex would give her a foundation

to build on. But she‟d seen him again only when she‟d forced him to live up

to his obligation. The fact he‟d resisted her advances and had a new

girlfriend had been an ax to her heart . . . but instead of giving up on Luc,

she‟d seduced him—only to realize he assumed she was fucking Tyler and

thought her little more than a whore.

So despite Luc‟s “explanation,” his insistence on this marriage still

didn‟t make sense. She was the same person with the same occupation

and the same bouncer Luc believed was her lover. The only difference?

She was pregnant. Yes, he‟d claimed to miss her in the weeks they‟d been

apart . . . but enough to marry her?

And now she was in deeper. Last night, with his passion and

tenderness, he‟d shattered her. No other way to describe it. He‟d begun

tearing away the walls she never let anyone behind, destroying her

defenses. Whether he‟d meant to or not, he‟d made her irrevocably his.

Alyssa hoped that, maybe, at least in part, Luc was hers, too.

“You‟re thinking too hard,” Luc murmured and rolled to face her.

His inky hair tumbled over his shoulder, the ends flirting with his

pectorals. His bedroom eyes looked black and smoky in the shadows. Her

pulse picked up speed.

It would be so easy to fall into his arms, and let whatever was going to

happen between them simply happen. But she‟d never had the luxury of

wearing rose-colored glasses. Alyssa needed to know why Luc had married

her. Asking why had gotten her nowhere. If she wanted to know if he‟d

married her simply for the baby or the sex, she had to change tactics.

“A lot on my mind,” she answered finally.

“Yesterday was a big day.”

She nodded. “Getting married is huge, and we really haven‟t known

each other long. I mean, we‟ve spent, maybe, five days together total.”

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Luc brushed the hair back from her face. “It doesn‟t sound like a lot,

but . . . somehow, between us, it is.”

Alyssa understood exactly what he meant. Every moment had been

full of discovery and gravity, bringing them together when they were at their

best, pitting their tempers against each other when they were at their worst.

“I need—” God, her stomach revolted, and it had nothing to do with

pregnancy hormones. What if Luc laughed or scoffed or became angry at

her question?

Then you’ll know
.

“Need what?” he prompted, tracing his fingertips over her bare

shoulder. She shivered.

“How do you feel about me?”

Her question clearly surprised him. Luc hesitated, then resumed his

brushing caress. “That‟s a direct question, but I expect that from you.”

“I‟m pragmatic.”

“That, you are.”

She bristled. “I‟ve had to be.”

As he cupped her cheek, his face softened. “I‟m not judging you. In

fact, it‟s part of what I admire about you.”

That warmed her a bit. “So you admire me?”

Like a child caught with a hand in the cookie jar, Luc smiled.

“You‟re smart and tough and tenacious. Jack told me the way you

rebounded after Peter‟s attack even impressed the hell out of him.”

Great, but none of that added up to love. Though she hadn‟t expected

more, disappointment caved in on her.

Alyssa fought off the feeling. Maybe her love would be enough for both

of them.

Then she sighed. She knew nothing about relationships, but doubted

one-sided devotion would work. After last night, she needed to pull back,

do her best to rebuild the walls around her heart.

“Thank you,” she muttered, rolling away.

He grabbed her arm and turned her back to him, fitting their bodies

together. “Where are you going?”

“Get dressed and get to work. I left Bonheur a mess after yesterday.”

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He pressed her back to the mattress. “The restaurant has been

cleaned from top to bottom—dishes, linens, the works. Today‟s food is

already prepped for tonight‟s opening.”

Her mouth gaped open. “Who did . . . ? How do you know?”

“I called a few people and took care of it.”

Like he‟d taken care of everything else. She just kept falling over and

over for Luc, with no end in sight. “Thank you.”

He was so thoughtful, good at anticipating her needs and seeing to

them. Did that mean he maybe more than admired her? Or was she letting

stupid hope talk her into making more of the gesture than she should?

“You work too hard.” His thumb traced the arch of her brow as he

stared down into her face with an expression she couldn‟t read. “Like I said,

I admire you, but I worry.”

“Admiration in a marriage . . .”
Isn’t enough
. She choked the words

down. “It helps, I‟m sure.”

Luc took her face in his hands. “I didn‟t say that was all I felt.”

Alyssa‟s heart skipped a beat. His arm encircled her waist, and he

urged her thigh over his hip, opening her to him. He pressed a kiss to her

mouth, nibbled at her neck, breathed in her ear. Tingles and goose bumps

skittered across her skin. Her body snapped to attention, as if it knew its

lord and master, and readied itself in anticipation of his possession.

But the way he looked at her made her breath catch. His expression

said she mattered. Very much.

“Oh,” she breathed.

“Now that we‟re married, we must be honest. Communicate better.” He

slanted his mouth over hers again, and Alyssa had to fight to focus on his

words when he pulled back enough to whisper. “The truth is, I‟ve never felt

for any woman as deeply as I feel for you.”

More than Kimber, even?
Thump, thump, thump
. Her heart threatened

to jump from her chest.

“You look shocked.”

“I am. I know you‟ve been in relationships before . . .”

“They‟re behind me.” He propped his head on his palm, his gaze

delving deep. “How do you feel about me?”

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So ridiculously in love it scares the hell out of me
. “I care, too. More

than I thought possible after a few days.”

Alyssa didn‟t dare confess to more than that. Telling him too much,

being too open, she knew from experience gave a man exactly what he

needed to make her vulnerable and drop her to her knees—right at his feet.

“Good.” Luc smiled, his expression so intimate in the dark, her toes

curled. “It‟s up to us to make this marriage work.”

And what did she know about that? “Agreed.”

“What do you need from me?” he whispered. “What are you seeking in

a husband?”

In truth, she‟d never given it any real thought. “Someone who likes and

respects me, who understands what makes me tick. I‟ve enjoyed the fact

you‟ve taken care of me these past few days, but I don‟t expect it. I need

you to believe that I can stand on my own two feet.”

He brushed a thumb across her lips, then took possession of them in a

lush but brief kiss that melted her even more. “I believe you can do

anything you set your mind to.”

Pride filled her. “Thank you. I‟m not always good at sharing what I‟m

thinking. I‟ve lived and worked alone for too long, I guess.”

That, and barely surviving the ultimate betrayal of her feelings and

trust. But he didn‟t need those gory details.

“Don‟t be surprised if I ask you a lot of questions. I like knowing what‟s

going on with you and being involved in Bonheur or anything else you have

going on. I‟ll help however I can. You have only to ask. I won‟t step in the

middle of your business unless something seems dangerous or wrong. I

know you‟ve managed just fine for many years without me, and I‟d never

presume to think that‟s changed.”

God, just when she thought the walls around her heart couldn‟t

crumble anymore . . . “Thank you.”

“If you think I‟ve overstepped, we‟ll talk. In return, I‟ll ask only three

things of you.”

Was this the catch she‟d been looking for? “What?”

“First, no more stripping. The male population of Louisiana doesn‟t

need to see my wife naked anymore.”

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“Done.” The last thing she wanted to do was take her clothes off for a

bunch of drunk, slobbering strangers again. The fact he cared about who

saw her body warmed her heart.

“Good. Second, I need your trust. After Peter‟s attack, it became clear

that someone once raped you. I don‟t need details today or tomorrow. But I

want you to know you can trust me with whatever you want to tell me.”

She‟d figured he‟d come to some fairly accurate conclusions, but the

fact he wasn‟t going to push her? Her relief was almost tangible. She‟d

heard enough from the other dancers whose cavemen husbands thought a

piece of paper entitled them to know everything to be afraid. Alyssa didn‟t

think she was wired to share herself that deeply again.

“I appreciate that.”

“Hmm.” Luc exhaled across her shoulder and pressed his mouth to her

collarbone. “I appreciate your skin.”

As his palm drifted down to her breast, she caught his wrist and

stopped him. Yes, she wanted him again, feeling him deep and strong and

demanding inside her. She was a glutton where Luc was concerned. But

this conversation was too productive to stop now.

“And third?”

He froze, except for the clenching of his jaw. “Complete fidelity.”

Stinging as if she‟d been slapped, she yanked away. “You still think I‟m

a whore.”

Luc was right on her, curling his arm around her waist and dragging

her closer. “No. You don‟t turn tricks or fuck customers. Before I got to

know you as a person, I believed the stereotype, that a woman who‟d shed

her clothes for money would also be willing to spread her legs for it. But

that‟s not you.”

Alyssa pushed back tears, the relief was so profound. Then she

noticed that her husband‟s carefully crafted reply hadn‟t included Tyler.

She‟d given Luc a dozen reasons to assume that she and her bouncer

were lovers. Tyler touched her openly in public, had a key to her house,

saw her naked often . . . In Luc‟s shoes, she‟d assume the same thing.

Insisting again that Tyler was only her friend was counterproductive. Luc

would learn the truth soon enough.

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“I don‟t know a lot about marriage, but I believe fidelity is important. If

you‟re going to demand it of me, I want the same in return. When you go to

Los Angeles to tape your shows next week, don‟t imagine it‟s okay to hook

up with whatever brainless starlet plops in your lap.”

Luc laughed. “Not interested in brainless starlets plopping in my lap,

bed, or anywhere else. I‟m completely enthralled by you, and being with

you, inside you . . .”

His voice lowered an octave, his gaze turning dark and forceful. Intent

narrowed his eyes, and before she could think or breathe, Luc probed

between her thighs and pushed inward.

His penetration seared her swollen folds. Not surprisingly, she was wet

for him. Her nipples beaded. He took one in his mouth and nipped with a

stinging pleasure-pain as he forced his cock higher inside her. Alyssa

parted her thighs wider and lifted her hips, desperate to have him as deep

as he could go. He pressed at her walls, straining her ability to take him.

Accepting all of his length and girth in one stroke was impossible. The ramp

up to feeling him deep inside her was deliciously maddening.

Her flesh stung, and the burning behind her clit nearly drove her

insane. Luc continued to work her nipples. They were already slightly sore

from last night. Now they stood up hard and straight and responded to the

smallest lick, even to the feel of his breath on them. But when he sucked

them in his mouth and bit gently as he plunged the rest of the way inside

her . . .

She screamed.

“Yes,” he purred. “Being inside you, making you take every inch of me

in this tight, hot pussy. I love sex with you. I‟m addicted.”

He withdrew slowly, so slowly, she whimpered. As he lingered, his

thumbs brushed her tight nipples before he bit at her neck and plunged

deep and hard to the hilt, making her gasp again.

“When I don‟t get to fuck you, I‟m shaky and strung out. I ache.

I can‟t think about anything but getting you naked and working my cock

inside you, all gripping and scalding. And bare. Always bare. I don‟t ever

want anything between us.”

Condoms had always been a way of life for Alyssa. She‟d never

allowed any man to have sex with her without adequate protection, but

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what Luc did to her . . . God, there was no description. Even his words

made her hot to take him constantly and deeper.

“Your worry, sugar, shouldn‟t be what I‟m going to do when I‟m not in