He was supposed to be riding the Pig Trail. Barrett never mentioned anything about Lucien coming all the way to New Orleans. Usually when the other Guardians crossed state lines, the other Guardians knew about it.
Unease settled in her gut.
She might be an old woman, but her instincts were never wrong. Lucien was in some trouble.
She reached for the brochure on the night stand and flipped through the pages. She needed a good reason to extend their visit. A reason Haley would agree to.
She smiled when her finger landed on the page of plantation home tours having a bridal expo. She ought to be able to talk Haley into going to get some ideas for her own wedding.
That would give her a reason to stay another day and give her a chance to do some investigating on her own.
Then she’d get to the bottom of whatever was going on.
***
“You scared me to death.” Catty pressed a hand to her fast-beating heart and sucked in a breath when she saw Lucien step out from the shadows of her apartment building.
“Sorry.” A slow smile slid across his face.
Her anger was quickly forgotten when his eyes darkened. Her stomach warmed, and her heart flipped in her chest.
She was such a goner when it came to him.
He opened the door and she hurried inside. He pressed her against the dark corner, and his mouth descended on her in a fiery heat.
She moaned and opened her mouth under his assault. She clutched his shoulders and held him tight.
When he finally broke the kiss they were both breathless. “Let’s get inside before I rip off your clothes.”
They hurried to her door. She fumbled with the key, her trembling hands trying to force it in. When it slid in and she heard the click of the tumblers giving, she breathed out a sigh of frustrated relief.
They stepped inside and he kicked the door closed. Without wasting any time, he picked her up. She wrapped her legs around his lean waist and panted as she pressed herself against his thick erection.
He pressed her against the wall and grabbed the hem of her T-shirt. He tugged it over her head and tossed it to the floor.
“All of this has to go,” he murmured as his mouth kissed her neck and his hands were busy getting rid of her bra.
Her nipples hardened as his hot tongue licked across the sensitive flesh. He pulled her nipple into his mouth and sucked.
“Oh, god.” She moaned and held his head to her breast. Her rhythm of her heart beat in her ears as her body pulsed with desire so thick she thought she would explode.
He walked over to her bed and laid her down. His fingers found the button on her jeans while his gaze stayed on hers. He pulled her jeans off and tossed them over his shoulder and then moved to her panties. Hooking his thumbs on either side, he tugged and tossed the lacy material to the ground.
His gaze moved over her nakedness, devouring her with his eyes. His chest heaved and his nostrils flared as he feasted upon her with his gaze.
She was used to men looking at her, but she wasn’t used to feeling like this. No one had made her feel like this. No one but Lucien.
She rose up on her elbows and met his gaze.
“You’re still dressed.”
“I can fix that.” In what seemed like two seconds, he’d peeled his clothes off his body. The street light spilled in through the window and illuminated his muscles like he was on display. A solid wall of strength and finely honed muscle stood before her. He was more beautiful than any male she’d ever seen before.
He climbed on top and lay between her legs. His eyes softened as he stared down at her.
The way he looked at her made her heart weep with joy.
He brushed the hair out of eyes with gentle fingers and then trailed then across her cheek. “You’re so perfect, Catty.”
“I’m far from perfect, Lucien,” she whispered into the night.
“For me. You’re perfect for me.”
She fell for him in that one moment, heart and soul. Before she could speak, he covered her mouth with his in a blistering kiss that had her arching up and rubbing her body to his.
His tongue tangled with hers, each tasting the other and reveling in the eroticism of the moment. His hand slid down and cupped her hip, and he ground his erection into her stomach. She tried to open her legs, but she was trapped under his weight.
“Not yet. I want to savor you for as long as I can.”
His deep voice sent tremors across her skin like electricity. She was no virgin, but the way he spoke to her, looked at her, was different. The pull to claim him was strong, and it pained her to think of him with another female. It only meant one thing.
He was her perfect mate.
She squeezed her eyes shut to still the tears behind them.
Lucien would never mate her. He was too perfect. And what was she?
A stripper.
Her heart sunk to her stomach as his mouth nibbled along her neck.