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Funny, how their relationship had basically started here, on this piece

of furniture, when he‟d arrived with his cousin Deke last summer for a

seductive ménage that had quickly morphed into an explosive pairing when

Luc‟s cousin left. Would it end here, too?

“Do you want something to drink?” What was on his mind? She

needed to know . . . yet feared it.

“No, thank you.” He pulled a thick, folded document from his jacket

pocket and handed it to her. “This is yours, regardless of what happens.”

The gravity in his tone crashed to her hollow stomach. She took deep

breaths. With shaking hands, she unfolded the crisp white papers and

scanned.

“It‟s . . .” She blinked once, twice.
Seriously?
“A custody agreement?

You‟re giving me sole custody?”

“If you decide to proceed with the annulment, I‟ve asked for one week

a year and either Thanksgiving or Christmas. I think it‟s important for any

child to know his or her father. There‟s a financial support agreement as

well. I took the attorney‟s recommendation for an annual sum and added

fifty percent. I hope you think it‟s fair, but we can talk if you need more. I‟ll

never tell you how to parent. I‟ll never get in your way. I‟ll never ask you to

share more of the child than this and an occasional phone call.”

Tears came again. Not just tears, but sobs. The foundation of her life

was falling out from underneath her, crumbling, and the pain was

paralyzing. Luc was letting her go and giving her control over the life they

had created together—the child she knew he wanted more than anything.

“Why?” she managed to get out.

He closed his eyes, jaw clamped, as he fought his own tears.

“Because I love you, and I want you to know that no one will ever be more

important to me than you, not even our child.”

“But you‟ve wanted a baby for years and—”

“I have, so badly I manipulated people I love, deceived them—without

even thinking how they would be affected. And I regret that so deeply. I

never want you to believe that I married you only for the child. I was stupid

when I didn‟t tell you that I believed the baby to be someone else‟s. I can

only say I‟m sorry. I know better now.” He sighed. “I realized I wasn‟t

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lacking a baby, but someone to share my life with. Someone amazing and

strong, smart, ambitious, and wonderful. My other half.”

Alyssa sobbed harder. He meant her? He wanted her
more
than their

child?

Luc eased off the sofa and onto one knee at her feet. “I need
you
.”

“And you‟re willing to give up custody of the baby to prove it to me?”

He nodded, and the agony on his face hurt her in return. “No strings

attached. I want to stay married to you more than anything and be a family

in the true sense of the word, but not if you‟ll always have doubts about

how important you are to me.”

Oh. My. God
. Never in a million years had she expected him to give up

the child he‟d sought and schemed for. And to do it for her.

“Think on it,” he commanded softly. “If I don‟t hear from you before the

annulment is final in the next few months, then this may be the last time

you see me. And I‟ll miss you like hell. I‟ll love you. Always.”

He kissed her mouth gently. It lasted for only a heartbeat, felt like a

gossamer breath, but it impacted her heart like a battering ram. Then he

was gone.

ALYSSA paced her living room, wringing her hands.
Any minute
. . .

After Luc‟s departure Friday night, she‟d longed to call him back

immediately. The scared girl-woman inside her shouted for caution and

prudence. She‟d stayed up late and read the entire custody agreement he‟d

proposed—and signed—then left in her hands. He‟d been more than

generous and left himself minimal rights, save those he would exercise in

the event of her untimely death. He‟d also added a clause for reversion of

custody in the event she remarried to someone who turned out to be

abusive.

The fact he‟d taken her experience to heart touched her.

She‟d spent a sleepless Friday night knowing she had only two

choices: End the marriage and raise the child alone, always wondering if

she‟d made the biggest mistake of her life by leaving the man she loved, or

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embrace the future and do everything in her power to ensure their marriage

grew strong.

Luc said he loved her. Since he‟d handed her this custody agreement,

Alyssa finally more than hoped—she believed—that was true. She loved

him so much, getting through a day without him felt unbearable. Nights

were even more hellish.

Still, experience had taught her to be cautious. She‟d spent all day

Saturday thinking about her options . . . and coming back to the same

conclusion. How bleak would her future be without Luc? He couldn‟t have

apologized more eloquently, been more contrite. It wasn‟t as if she‟d never

screwed up.

Besides, she‟d gone into the marriage tentative and afraid. Failing at

lifelong commitment was inevitable without giving both heart and soul. She

hadn‟t done that. Yes, Luc had withheld his “sterility” from her, but she‟d

withheld her past with Joshua. If Luc hadn‟t accidentally scared her, would

she have ever told him her secret, ever?

She winced. Probably not.

Didn‟t she owe it to them to try this marriage for real, holding nothing

back?

She‟d called him early this Sunday morning and asked him to come

back to Lafayette. He hadn‟t asked questions, and she hadn‟t offered

information. They both knew that whatever had to be said should be done

in person.

The chime of the doorbell interrupted her musings, and she smoothed

a hand down her black wrap-around blouse, holding a palm to her

trembling insides. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.

Luc stood on the other side, expression pensive. “I‟m glad you called.”

Alyssa nodded, trying to calm her runaway heartbeat. “Come in.”

When she stepped back, he entered. But his eyes never left hers, as if

he hoped to read her decision on her face. She looked away and walked

into the living room. Luc followed, and Alyssa could feel him at her back, so

achingly close—yet still so far away.

Please God, let this turn out happily
.

On the table beside her rested two documents. She picked up both.

“I‟ve read your custody document.”

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He hesitated; then disappointment crashed over his face. He clenched

his jaw and finally nodded. “Do you have any objections?”

“Have you read the annulment papers?”

“Yes.”

His tone gave her more hope. “You spit that out like a bad word.”

Luc anchored a hand around her waist, then brought her closer to him.

Their bodies nearly touched . . . but not quite. Then he lay his forehead on

hers, his breath tightly controlled. “It is. Ending our marriage is the last thing I want.” He took a deep breath and stepped back. “But I‟ll respect your

decision, whatever it is.”

He left everything to her, put the power in her hands. If he cared only

about himself and his chance to become a parent, he‟d never do that. Ever.

He‟d push and coerce, threaten, cajole . . . anything but let her make the

ultimate decision.

“I love you,” she whispered.

The next split second of silence terrified her, especially as both hope

and disappointment mingled on his face. What was he thinking?

“I love you, too. So much I . . .” Luc sighed and cupped her cheek. “I‟m

empty without you.”

To others, it might sound like a greeting card, but she knew exactly

what he meant. He‟d helped to heal her past wounds, fill in her tomorrows.

Luc had made her whole. If she did the same for him, she‟d rejoice and

hold him close for the rest of her days.

“Ending this marriage is the last thing I want, too,” she confessed.

To prove her point, she gripped both the annulment petition and

custody papers, then ripped them both in half. She dropped them to the

ground between them.

Luc glanced at the torn documents, then up at her. His eyes flared,

burning fiercely, as he grabbed her and kissed her as if nothing would ever

mean more to him.

Not opening to him was impossible, and he sank deep into her mouth,

the burn between them his own brand of possession. Though it had been

less than a month since she and Luc had shared a bed, the ache racing

through her after this one kiss made her feel as if it had been forever. She

needed this, needed
him
.

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Shayla Black

Tears burned her eyes as his lips worshipped her. There would be

important events in their lives together undoubtedly, their coming child—

and maybe others someday—but Alyssa knew deep in her gut that nothing

would ever mean more to her than this moment and their love.

When he lifted his head, she looked at him and melted.

“I need you,” he admitted hoarsely. “To love you. As much as you‟ll

give me. I need to feel that you‟re really mine. Please say you want that,

too.”

Alyssa nodded. “I do.”

Caressing his cheek, she pressed her lips to his and swept into his

mouth. When he rewarded her with a slow kiss full of devotion, she

trembled.

Not even lifting his head, he laid her across the sofa, her back warmed

by the buttery leather as he covered her body with his own, wrapping his

arms around her. She felt safe, loved, as she sighed against him, desire

growing. He compelled her to touch him in return—his face, neck, taut

shoulders and back.

Soft demand filled his next kiss, seeming to reach deep inside of her to

embrace
all
of her, even the broken parts. Luc brought light to the places in her soul that had been dark since Joshua‟s attack. He made her whole

again.

His next kiss started like gossamer, then grew more urgent with every

brush of lips, every swirl of his tongue, until it was deep, hard, burning.

Alyssa couldn‟t breathe, couldn‟t think of anything but Luc and the silent

promise of devotion between them. She opened to him and gave him

everything inside her, secure that there were no more secrets between

them.

Drowning in Luc‟s hungry kisses, she trembled as he slowly removed

her top, her jeans, her frilly under things, then spread kisses all over her

body. He sucked her aching nipples, palmed her hip, stroked her needy clit.

She burned. Luc always had that effect on her. From the moment they‟d

met, Luc had impacted her as no man had.

Alyssa was dying to have the same effect on him.

With a gentle nudge, she persuaded Luc to roll onto his back. Without

a word, she removed his shoes, his shirt, his pants, and everything

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beneath. Then she was staring at his gorgeous, naked body, masculine

shoulders, rippling abs, and hard, imposing cock. She shivered, and her

mouth watered.

Kneeling beside him, she threw her hair over one shoulder and bent to

him. Luc tensed. When her tongue curled around his dick, she tasted him,

harsh and hot and so salty male. Then she took him deeper with a moan.

“Sugar, yeah,” he hissed, filtering his fingers into her hair and

anchoring against her scalp. “Damn, you‟re incredible.”

So was he.

Alyssa savored him, reacquainting herself with his body and the

pleasures of feeling him hard in her mouth. He arched his hips, sinking his

stiff flesh deeper, and she gladly took every long inch of his urgent thrusts,

loving the fact she could make him so hot.

Moments lapsed into long minutes. His need grew, and he began to

shuttle into her mouth with deeper, faster strokes, writing, moaning,

needing. He pulsed against her tongue.

Then suddenly he cursed and stopped.

“No.” He lifted her away from him suddenly, and his expression told

her that he refused to take pleasure from her, but insisted on sharing it. “I

want to be inside you, sugar.”

Yes. The sooner, the better
.

When he rose to his knees and eased her to her back, she went more

than willingly, parting her thighs for him without hesitation. Luc groaned,