Sudden Legacy (5 page)

“Uh, Yes. Only just before bed now.” I smiled a half smile and smoothed an imaginary crease in the thin material of my pajama pants. “It’s more for me than for him. I think he knows how much I’ll miss it. The connection.”

He nodded in understanding, but didn’t comment further.

Suddenly I was very tired. All of the events and revelations of the past seven hours were quickly catching up with me. I couldn’t believe he was here in front of me. How many times had I dreamed that? How many times had I sat in the very spot he was sitting now, and cried myself blind with wishing he would show up on my doorstep?

I put my elbow on the back of the couch and rested my head in my hand. He shifted his position to more fully face me. He looked contemplative. Wistful.

“There are so many thoughts warring for dominance in my mind,
Chérie
. I feel as if I have stepped out of reality and have entered into a parallel universe.”

Tears sprang unbidden to my eyes. “Aptly put, sir,” I managed.

“Yet even with all this chaos, I can’t stop thinking about what you told me.” He was watching me closely, gauging my reaction. “How I was your first.
Ton premier amant
.”

What?
He’s just found out he has a son, there are disgruntled men keeping watch over his every move, and there are several unknowns yet to be plugged into our puzzle, and he is revisiting my virginity? Typical Julien. This man was made for sex, and I don’t remember ever complaining about that.

I sat up straighter and tried to look as sophisticated as my worn pj’s would allow. “My
only
.”

He shook his head in denial and replied earnestly, “I had no idea, Lara. My God, I think back to that night. The way I... the alley...” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “That was quite an introduction to the act of love, no?”

I smiled to show him I bore him no ill will. “It was what I wanted at the time.”

He shook his head again, this time with conviction. “How could you have known what you wanted? No. You deserved better.” He fell back against the back of the couch, running both hands through his hair, clearly agitated. “And the rest of the night - you must have been tender, but you never gave me any indication that you wanted me to stop...”

I cocked a brow at him and answered bluntly, “I
didn’t
want you to stop.”

That gave him pause. I could see him tense the slightest bit. He ran his hands from his hair down his face and sandwiched them between his thighs, shrugging the tension from his shoulders. “No, I guess you didn’t.” And just like that it was three and a half years ago. His smile was a time machine, and I was but a helpless traveller.

His eyes twinkled with a familiar glint. He was lost in time as well. “You must think all men to be insatiable beasts.”

I snorted a giggle in exasperation. “Don’t flatter yourself.” He chuckled lightly too. We were both quiet again for a moment, each no doubt thinking about the night in question. I wanted to ease his... his what? Guilt? Ego? I wasn’t sure. He was a very skilled lover, and surely he knew that without a shadow of a doubt. How could he not? I wanted him to know I had no regrets about our physical relationship; only that it ended too soon. I sobered and fixed him with a look of sincerity.

“Though I will admit to being surprised by how overpowering it can be...”

He turned in toward me again. The glint was gone, his tone serious. “It’s not always like that, Lara. Between lovers.”

I just smiled sadly. “I suspected as much.”

He moved his hand as if to touch me, but stopped himself. “There’s something between us, you and I. Something
innegabile;
undeniable. You can feel it too. I know you do.”

I forgot to breathe. I just sat there staring into his deep green eyes and willing him to kiss me. I could see him make up his mind. His pupils dilated and he slowly began to lean in.

“Lara,” came Pops’s deep voice from the doorway. We both jumped like a couple of teenagers caught making out in the basement. We looked up at Pops, matching blushes of shame staining our cheeks. “If you’ve seen to our guest’s comforts, I’d like a word with you before you turn in.”

We listened to Pops’s footsteps fade down the hall, the magic of the moment broken. I cleared my throat. “Uh, so, this is the couch that pulls out into a bed. It’s incredibly uncomfortable, and you’d probably sleep better on the floor, but it’s up to you. Extra blankets are in this chest.” I dropped my hand behind the couch and thumped the large steamer trunk that was nestled up against it. “There should be a few pillows in there as well.” I stood to go. He stood too.

“Lara, don’t.”

I took a step back before he could reach for me. “Don’t what?”

“Don’t run away from me.”

I tried unsuccessfully to look nonchalant. “I’m not. I’m just tired. We’ll talk tomorrow.” And with that I turned on my heel and high tailed it out of there before I let myself remember the incomparable allure of his embrace.

Pops was in his study. I stood meekly in the doorway, waiting for him to notice me. He yawned loudly and looked me over carefully before saying, “It’s been quite a day, hasn’t it?”

I nodded mutely, waiting for the other shoe to drop. He didn’t keep me waiting long.

He sighed wearily and took his reading glasses off, massaging the indentations they left on the bridge of his nose. “I’m not the smartest man on the planet, Missy, but I know enough to understand there’s nothing I can say or do right now that’s going to stop your little heart from racing when that boy looks at you that way.”

I did not like the direction Pops was heading. I decided to play stupid. “What way would that be, Pops?”

He glared at me from under his brows. “Like he wants to eat you. Don’t play coy with me young lady. He’s been here all of eight hours and already I catch you playing mouse to his cat.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but he silenced me with another glare. “Don’t waste your breath and my time trying to deny it. Even a blind man would know it by choking on the pheromones flying around the room. Like I said, I’m not fool enough to think I can change any of that. It’s simple biology. I’ve yet to hear of any mortal that could outsmart Mother Nature at what she does best.”

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “Then doesn’t that make what you’re about to say a moot point?”

Pops narrowed his eyes... Oh shit. Never poke a tiger with a stick.

“Don’t sass me, Missy. And don’t presume to know what it is I am about to say.”

I lowered my eyes, chastened. “Yes, sir.”

“I’m not going to tell you to stay away from him. God knows that seems to be the surest way to guarantee the opposite will happen. If I live to be a hundred and ten I don’t think I’ll ever understand the inner workings of the female mind.” He cleared his throat and continued. “That being said, I’d like to point out that you are a grown woman now. A mother, even, with grown woman, mother responsibilities. And I am respectfully asking you to remember that fact when you start feeling all mooney-eyed. You need to protect yourself, if not for you, then for your son.”

Oh God please don’t let this be what it sounds like. Please do not tell me my grandfather is lecturing me on safe sex.

Pops took notice of my nuclear blush and shook his head in exasperation. “ Your
heart
, Lara. I want you to protect your heart. Need I remind you of the sorry state you were in the last time? Moping around the house for months, crying enough tears to end the drought...” He couldn’t hide his amusement at my look of relief. He waved me away in dismissal. “Go on, get to bed.” I gratefully turned to go up to my room, but not before Pops flinched and called out, “And protect your other parts too, for crying out loud. Have we learned nothing from past transgressions?”

My room was across the hall from Alex’s. My windows faced the back of the house, and if I pressed my face against the glass I could just catch a glimpse of the southern most part of the solarium below and to the right of me. It was dark. Julien had turned off the lamp.

Was he asleep?

I climbed into bed and slumped against my pillows. I didn’t expect to get any sleep. My brain was overflowing with thoughts of our unexpected visitor. How had he not known about Alex? What were his plans now that he did? Was he going to stay? I snuffed out the flame of hope that sprung from that thought. I wasn’t a strong enough person to let myself fantasize about happily ever after scenarios. The facts were the facts; Julien was a hedonistic playboy. Playboys didn’t make good parents - they were practically children themselves.

“You are traveling alone
Chérie
?”

We were lounging on a secluded stretch of white sand beach. The yacht was anchored towards the middle of this small cove. We had come ashore alone. It was mid morning and all the other members of our party were still abed.

I shaded my eyes from the glare of the sun. Julien sat up taller so that the shadow of his head fell across my face, blocking the sun. He was backlit in a glorious halo.

“Of course not,” I answered. “I have Gus with me.”

Julien looked surprised. “Gus?”

I shifted my weight a bit, reaching around to the waistline of my pants. I unclipped the latch by feel and held Gus up for inspection.

Gus was a very worn handmade bear. He was small enough to fit easily in the palm of my hand. He was attached to a carabiner clip for ease of securing him to baggage or clothing.

“
Bonjour, Gus. Comment faites-vous, monsieur?
” Julien said to the little bear. “He looks well traveled.”

“He is.” I studied Gus closely, though I knew every stitch by heart. “My mother made him to accompany her on her first European adventure. I thought it fitting I should bring him with me on mine.”

Julien took Gus in hand and held him up to his ear, pretending to listen intently. He answered agreeably in French, “
Ah, oui, oui. Il est le plus beau de cette période de l'année
,” then let Gus have another turn to speak. This went on a few more times before Julien handed Gus back to me with a look of approval.

“I imagine he has proved himself most useful. He knows a great deal about the area.”

“Does he?”

“Oh yes. He thinks I should show you
intérieure l’anse.”

My heart skittered at the unknown word. It’s true what they say; French is most definitely a sexy language. He could have just said he wanted to show me a landfill, but the way he said it he made it sound like paradise.

I looked down at my clothes. I was wearing my trusty khakis and a tank top. “Am I dressed appropriately for ...lonce?” Not that it would have made a difference if I weren’t. I had packed extremely light, and much of my wardrobe was on par with my current outfit. He made a big show of assessing my ensemble, cocking his head first left, and then right. “Hmmm, we can deal with your wardrobe when we get there,” he said cryptically. He stood and held out his hands to help me up.

L’anse
turned out to be a small inlet that divided the cove’s beach in half. We followed the mini stream into the lush vegetation. The greenery was too thick to allow for walking on the edge of the stream, so we plodded through the shallow water, enjoying the feel of the silty sand on our bare feet.