Lucien (18 page)

“Lucien,” she screamed, then shimmered and shattered around him. Gripping her hips, he drove into her, giving himself up to the binding, white hot release, then followed her into paradise with her name on his lips.

Luc collapsed, dropping his head into the crook of her neck and shoulder, and gasped for his next breath, drawing her scent in with every breath. Jumbled fragments of rational thought skipped through his mind and he gave up trying to organize them. Logical and brilliant thoughts after the best sex of his life was inconceivable. He was lucky he was still alive to feel his wife’s breasts crushed against his chest and her nails tracing idle patterns along his back.

“Tell me I’m awake and that wasn’t a dream.”

Luc smiled and kissed her shoulder, then raised his head to do the same to her luscious mouth. “Darlin’, that was no dream.”

Elise sighed with a tremulous smile. “That explains why it was so much better.”

He chuckled and braced himself on one elbow to brush back a wisp of hair from her cheek. Concern and tenderness welled up inside him and his amusement faded. “Elise?”

“Hmm?”

“You were a virgin.”

“Yes, but no longer,” she replied sleepily.

Luc sighed and slid out of her. She was exhausted. His questions could wait until later. He rolled off her and sat up. She was a mess, a glorious mess. Hair splayed across the pillow, her eyes closed, and a sweet smile played at the corners of her mouth. He stood and pulled down the covers, then lifted her to put her under the blankets.

He took one look down at himself, then at her and went into the bathroom for a hot washcloth. He gently cleaned her, then attended to himself and slid into bed next to her.

Luc gathered her close and pressed a kiss to her forehead which was rewarded with a contended sigh. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

Elise pillowed her head on his chest, draped her hand across his waist, and they both were asleep in a matter of seconds.

Elise stretched luxuriously underneath the blanket. She felt gloriously relaxed and warm with Luc’s body curved around her backside in spoon-fashion. Muscles she hadn’t known existed ached in a way which could only be described as pleasurable pain. Opening her eyes, she glanced at the clock.

Seven-thirty. Ah, well, all good things must come to an end. She pushed back the covers and started to lift his arm which was draped over her waist.

“Stay,” he murmured, dragging her back against him. “You feel too good to let go.” He buried his face in the crook of her neck and she snuggled closer, hugging his arm across her stomach and pillowing her head on the arm under her cheek.

Elise smiled, her heart nearly bursting with joy and love for him. “It’s seven-thirty.”

“We’ll go in later. Much later.” He kissed her neck and she shivered. “How are you feelin’?”

“Wonderful,” she gasped as he hugged her to him, slithering a hand up her front to cup her breasts.

“Mmm. Do you hurt?” He fondled her gently, his breath teasing her ear and sending goose bumps all over her body.

“Ache.”

“Where?” His hand skimmed down her stomach to cup her. “Here?”

“Mmmm.” Any discomfort she’d felt disappeared with the heat emanating from his palm. She was tender, but he was careful with her, teasing and touching her like she was a delicate flower.

“Mind telling me why, up until last night, you were a virgin?” His voice was a low rumble, caressing her with tender concern.

“Later,” she half stated and asked. He knew exactly where to touch her and melt her in all the right places. She would have gladly moved against him, but he held her firmly against him.

“Move your hips and it’ll all be over with, darlin’.” His hand stopped its tender ministrations, but remained between her thighs. “The sooner you tell me why, the sooner…,” he trailed off suggestively.

Elise whimpered in frustration. “Why couldn’t I have a more amenable husband?”

She felt him smile against her neck. “Take your time, darlin’. You’ve got the nicest back and the firmest bottom. I could stay here all day. Did I mention the splendid view of your front side,” he added when she heaved a great sigh. “And so warm and… wet.” He stroked her sensuously. “Like I said, I can stay here all day.”

“Lucien, you are evil.”

“Yeah, but you love it.”

More than you know
, she replied silently. “Do you remember what I said that day in your office?”

“The first time you kissed me senseless?”

Elise smiled. She’d been the one kissed senseless. “Yes.”

He pushed himself up on his elbow and hovered over her. “You remained a virgin because of Moonbeam’s free love philosophy?”

“Yes.” She rolled over on her back and gazed up into his confused gray eyes. “Luc, you have to understand. My mother loves men. She sort of… collects them.”

His eyes narrowed. “Collects them? How?”

She sucked in her bottom lip and chewed on it while searching for the right way to explain her mother’s habit. “Okay. My father is a novelist, right?” Luc nodded and she continued, “Not just any novelist, but a bestselling author. He’s one the best in the horror business. Apollo, Raven’s father, is beautiful. And I mean beautiful. Adonis has nothing on that man. When Moonbeam met him, he didn’t have a chance. She charmed the pants off him—literally—and, exactly nine months later, Raven was born. Then there was Deke, the cowboy Moonbeam met during a retreat in Oregon. Or was it Montana? Whatever. He was the rodeo champ or something like that.”

Elise ticked off names on her fingers. “There was Allen. He was the smoothest talking lawyer with the prettiest set of green eyes Moonbeam had ever seen. Sam and his piano. He claimed Moonbeam was an inspiration and wrote a ‘Tiptoe through the Moonlight’ for her. Then there was Hadji. He had what Mom called panache and was the only man, in her opinion, who could wear Levi’s right. Oh and how can I forget her ethnic period. Let’s see, there was John who was Cambodian; Kazi who was Indian; Adi—which was his nickname, apparently his real name is too complicated for a mere female like me to pronounce—was visiting from Saudi Arabia.” She sucked in a deep breath preparing to delve into the next list.

“There’s more,” Luc asked, incredulously. 

“Oh yes,” she answered, nodding. “There are plenty. Like I said, Moonbeam loves men. She can’t get enough of them. She collects them according to the spectacular things they have. Sometimes it’s physical. Or intellectual or… a trait or ancestry. She enjoys variety.” Elise grimaced. “She loves all of them and gives each about two months, then ends the affair. She only tied herself to Apollo and Dad because they were the most extraordinary of all. With Apollo, Mom got Raven and you have to admit that he is more than just handsome. With Wyndemere, she got me.” Elise smirked. “I was supposed to be a successful writer like him. Daddy blew Mom out of the water when he told me to do whatever I wanted and let my mother’s dreams of immortality be damned.”

“And you didn’t want to be like your mother,” Luc murmured in a daze.

Elise shrugged. “Her passionate flings were, in my opinion, meaningless. Don’t get me wrong. My mother respects herself more than anyone I know. But her lifestyle isn’t for me. Wasn’t for me. Raven and I talked to Mom about it and we made a deal. Raven and I wouldn’t interfere in Mom’s love life if she wouldn’t interfere in ours.”

Luc surprised her by dropping a quick, hard kiss on her mouth. “I’m glad you waited.”

“Are you now?”

“Oh yeah,” he answered with a smug grin. “Very glad.”

“I see,” she said, slipping her arms up and around his neck. “Now, have I answered your question to your satisfaction?”

“Most definitely,” he replied, pressing butterfly kisses over her face. “But before I lose myself in your sweet, little body again, I have one more question.”

“And that is?”

He paused and pulled back, looking down at her with a troubled expression. “Do you regret it?”

“Oh, Luc.” Love for the impossibly insecure man bubbled forth and warmed her more than any fantasy ever could. Elise brushed back strands of his golden, chestnut hair and caressed his stubbled jaw. “You foolish, foolish man. Last night was… what I wanted. I could never regret it.”

The tension in his muscles eased and his grin was adorable. “Does this mean no more separate bedrooms?”

She stifled a teasing grin and tsked him. “You had your one question. Now get over here and please me.” She pulled his mouth down to hers and lost herself in her husband’s loving.

A long time later, Elise was a deliciously exhausted, purring heap on Luc’s chest with his hand idly stroking her hair down her back.

“Luc?”

He smiled down on her. “Yes, darlin’?”

“Were you… very surprised last night?”

His hands paused and he considered her for a long moment then pulled her back into his arms, clasping her securely against his chest. “Surprised, shocked, humbled, thrilled, ecstatic. All of the above.” His arms tightened reflexively as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I think I always knew, but didn’t think it was feasible.”

“Feasible,” she inquired with a slight chuckle.

“Yeah, feasible,” he replied cheekily. “A beautiful, confident woman with a body I thought existed only in my fantasies is a virgin? A passionate little time bomb who rocks my world is a twenty-seven year old virgin? Darlin’, when you said you were old fashioned, your surprise didn’t seem feasible.”

Elise idly trailed her forefinger across his chest, thinking out loud with, “I should have told you.”

He caught her hand and stilled it, flattening her palm against him. “To be perfectly honest, I’m glad you didn’t.” She heard the smile in his voice as he added, “Your surprise stopped me from leaving you way behind. You’re a little, wild woman making me almost lose my head.”

“You? Lose your head? Never.”

Luc laughed. “That was before you got your hands on me.” The phone rang and he groaned, reaching out to grab it. “What do you want to bet that it’s Ben, wondering where we are?”

Elise peeked at the clock and said, “I’m not betting anything. He’s probably been in the office since sun-up.”

Luc grunted and answered. “Mornin’, Ben. This better be good.” A slight pause, then, “No. I left it all in the case. Uh-huh. Well, damn. Yeah, we’ll be there in a little bit. Oh and Ben…? Check in the conference room. We might have left it in there.” He hung up and swore softly.

Elise raised her head. “Problem?”

“A minor one.” He flipped her hair over her shoulders and sighed. “Darlin’, as much as I’d like to stay under you… we have to go.”

“In that case,” Elise bent down and dropped a chaste kiss on his mouth, “I call dibs on the shower.”

He smirked and let her roll off of him. “You think so, huh?”

Elise glanced over her shoulder and took one look at his wolfish expression, then darted for the bathroom, laughing the whole way. Luc chased her down and cornered her inside the steaming shower, wielding the soap like an implement of pleasurable torture. They stayed underneath the water until the hot water disappeared, then bundled up in towels and went off to their respective closets.

Elise—dressed in a short blue skirt and a sleeveless, cream colored silk top—walked into Luc’s room, adjusting her earrings. “Luc?”