Lucien(45)

“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?”