Lucien (10 page)

Seemingly satisfied, Raven turned on his heel and left.

Luc sat at the table for a long time after Raven’s exit and pondered his soon-to-be-brother-in-law’s words. The longer he thought about it the harder he worked to convinced himself that he’d made the right decision not to tell Elise everything about the deal with his grandfather.

The questions rolling through his mind had nothing to do with Raven and his threat. While Raven’s technique was impressive, Luc wasn’t intimidated. Instead, his thoughts were travelling along another vein all together.

If Elise had an ulterior motive for marrying him—something he really,
really
hoped she harbored, because it’d make his life just that much easier and all the more pleasurable in the long run. But ignoring that delightful potential twist to his future, which would hurt Elise the least?

Telling her
before
the wedding or finding out
afterwards
that he was required to do his duty and beget an heir on her?

It was a conundrum and not one easily solved sitting in a dingy bar peeling the label off the warm beer bottle in his hand. No, what he needed was more data from his wooing tactics. And time to figure out the best path to achieving his goals. All of them.

And preferably without breaking his personal creed of
not
destroying the fairy tale princess’s dream, or her heart, in the process.

The afternoon before the biggest day of her life, Elise sat on the front porch of a Victorian manor house, nestled in the heart of the city’s posh but sleepy and very affluent neighborhood, and wondered if she’d fallen down the rabbit hole. Because she’d definitely stepped through the looking glass into a life she barely recognized as her own.

“Oh-my-freaking-word,” she whispered to herself. “He gave us a house.”

Lucas Masters—Luc’s grandfather—had given them a house as an early wedding present. But not just any house.
The
Perfect House. Complete with everything she’d ever dreamt of having in her dream house. It was even the right color. Yellow with white scrollwork trim. Dark hardwood floors. Smooth, not stippled, ceilings that could be painted. Thick walls, solid doors.
Oooh
and window seats in all the best rooms and… the staircase?

La, it was exactly the staircase that every girl dreamed of descending on prom night when her date stood transfixed in the foyer, gazing up at her intoxicating beauty.

Her shoulders lifted with yet another hopelessly romantic sigh. The house even came with a white picket fence and a garden in the back. What more could a girl hope for?

It was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

The screen door opened behind her and Luc came out. “Is that everything?” He sat down next to her and offered her a cold bottle of water.

Elise yanked her fingernail out of her mouth and took the bottle. “For today. Raven will arrange for the rest of my stuff to be moved over before the end of the month.”

“You sound worried. Do you not like the house?”

Not like the house? Was he completely obtuse? How could he have missed her oohs, aaahs, and squeals of delight. Or the fact that she’d practically molested him with kisses and hugs in every room during the first walk through.

 “I don’t want you to feel pressured, darlin’. If you don’t like the house, we don’t have to stay here. Gramps gave us the house because it’s his subtle way of hinting that he wants us close by so he can maximize his interference.”

“No,” she said more forcefully than she meant to. “No, the house… it’s perfect.” How could she explain it? “It’s just that…,” she trailed off, lost in thought.

It was all
so
much. Everything was happening
so
fast. And it was all going perfectly—almost too perfectly. Like a script that was straight out of the happily ever after fairy tale she’d been saving herself for all these years.

“Just what,” Luc prompted in a quiet voice.

Gracious, how could she explain it and make sense? One word at a time and hope he understood. “You, me, the house, the wedding, the dress, Texas… it’s all so…
much
.”

“But is it what you want?” He looked tense and nervous as he waited for her response.

“What I want? I hardly know what I want any more,” she answered with a shaky laugh. “It’s all just happening so fast.”

Luc seemed to relax some as he took her left hand in his. He ran his thumb over the ring on her finger before he lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the ring. “It doesn’t have to be that way.”

“Lucien, the wedding is tomorrow. We can’t cancel it. Your mother will kill us and your sisters would lose everything they hold dear.”

Another kiss and he laced their fingers together. “True, but it’s
your
wedding.”

“No, it’s
our
wedding. You get a say in this, too.”

“Darlin’, the wedding isn’t for me.” He gently urged her closer. “It’s for you. Since you said yes, it’s been for you and only you.”

“But your grandfather—”

“Elise, eleven days ago, I hated where my life was headed. The highlight of my days and nights were coming to work and being with you. But I’d made a commitment and I couldn’t walk away from it. No matter how much I wanted to. Then,” she heard the smile in his voice as he bowed his head and continued, “Moonbeam worked up a super-duper, whammy of a money spell and everything I dreaded went up in smoke right along with your computer.”

 “You didn’t seem too happy about that at the time,” she reminded him.

“I wasn’t, but things change. Besides, it was magic from one pissed off pagan goddess. How was I supposed to react? Mother Nature was anything but subtle that day.” He raised his head, looking out to the street then back at her. “Darlin’, this is
your
wedding—
your
life. Make it be whatever you want it to be.”

“But what if—”

“No what ifs. No regrets. No cold feet. If you want the magic, then claim the magic. Gaia delivered that lightning bolt for you. Take it and make the most of it.”

Elise considered his words for a split second before she blurted out, “Why do I get the feeling you’ve had this talk before?”

“With three older sisters who struggled to get their way against an overbearing, over protective grandfather?” A bark of laughter and then he admitted, “Yeah, you could say I’ve had my fair share of delivering motivational pep talks on following your heart.”

There was something in his voice. A bitterness that was deep and well hidden. “But what about you? Who gave you the motivational pep talks on following
your
heart?”

He was silent for a long moment. “Lucy did,” he answered in a resigned, somber voice that made her heart ache. Before she could push him into explaining more, he cleared his throat and reached across her for the water bottle, then promptly changed the subject. “What time am I supposed to have you back for your bachelorette party?”

Ten days ago, Elise would have deemed his abrupt change of conversation as an attempt to keep her away, or worse, run from the depths of his own emotions. But after having watched the way he was with his sisters and, in particular, how gentle and doting he was with Lucy… she couldn’t push. When she’d first met Lucy, Elise had thought her kind, gentle nature was just that. But after spending time with her and listening to how devoted she was to the abused women’s charity she chaired, Elise suspected there was more to Lucy than anyone knew. And if she were a betting woman, she’d wager a year’s salary that Luc felt guilty for whatever hellacious event happened to Lucy.

But one day
, Elise thought to herself,
he would realize that Lucy wasn’t a delicate wilting flower
. Then he would see for himself that fairy tale princesses possessed a rare and special kind of backbone of steel that may bend some when pushed, but didn’t break. And there wasn’t a doubt in Elise’s mind that Lucy’s wasn’t broken. Bent, yes, but broken? Oh no, far from it.

But until Luc was ready for that particular lesson in fairy tale lore, she’d let him off the hook. “At eight. When are you meeting Raven and Ben for the bachelor party?”

He paused in the act of drinking to glance at his watch. “Around nine.” He handed her the bottle, then leaned back on a step, putting all his weight on one elbow. “Who planned the party?”

“Lucy took care of the food. Moonbeam and Eleanor arranged the entertainment. Cindi is taking care of your grandfather.” She took a sip, then recapped the bottle and set it behind them on the porch.

There was a long stretch of silence as they watched a couple walk a dog down the street. “Did they hire a stripper?” he asked.

Elise brushed her hands on her jeans. “I… probably. Did they hire one for your party?”

“No. We’re probably going to a strip club.”

“Oh.”

“Does that bother you?” He picked up her left hand and idly played with her engagement ring.

“Should it?” she asked shakily. It did bother her a little, but she wouldn’t tell him that—especially not when his touch was making her toes tingle and jumbling her thoughts. It was hard enough to deny him as it was. Luc didn’t need any encouragement.

“Probably not.” He laced their fingers together and the corner of his mouth quirked up into a smile. “But it’d be nice.”

Elise suppressed a smile. He wanted her to be jealous. “Does the possibility of a stripper at my party bother you?”

He didn’t look at her as he answered, “I’m not exactly comfortable with it.”

“I see.” Hope blossomed inside her like a spring flower and she decided it wouldn’t be
all
disastrous if she were to give him a
little
encouragement. “I may be bothered a little.”

That got his attention and his head came up, a slow grin crinkling the corners of his eyes. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Would it make you feel better if I said that I’d rather spend tonight with you?”

“Maybe,” she answered, feeling suddenly shy. 

He raised her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles, then murmured against her skin, “And you could share some of your magic by doing a strip tease for me?”

“Lucien,” she cried on a laugh and attempted to reclaim her hand.

“What?” He pulled her closer. “I’d promise not touch. I’ll even slip money into your—”

“You are horrible.” She shook her head, smirking. “Incorrigible. All you think about—”

Luc tugged on her hand and one second she was sitting on the step, the next she was draped across his lap, trapped in his arms. “All I think about is this.” Then his mouth slanted across hers and she experienced a complete meltdown. Her entire body tingled and… ached by the time he pulled back. “I brought you a present.” His voice was rough and ragged.

She blinked, trying to clear her mind and find a rational train of thought to latch onto. “A present?”

He nodded, his eyes glowing with heat. “It’s in the truck.”

“It is?”

“Yeah. It is.” Luc looked like he would kiss her again, but he eased her off his lap and pushed himself to his feet. “I’ll get it.”

Elise licked her lips as she watched him walk down the sidewalk. She wondered if he knew just how badly she wanted to shred his t-shirt and rake her nails down his broad chest. If she thought he looked good in dress shirts and trousers that hung in all the right places, he was positively scrumptious in jeans and a muscle hugging black shirt.