Lucian broke.
He didn’t know what part of what she said did it. Maybe it was all of it. Maybe it was the fact that she came back, she was standing here in front of him, fighting for him—for them, when no one in his entire life had truly ever done that for him.
Whatever the reason was, it didn’t matter.
Julia was his.
And he was hers.
Lucian sprang forward, closing the distance between them. He grasped her cheeks as his mouth came down. “God, Julia. I’m sorry. I love you. I’m so fucking sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“It’s okay,” she said, grabbing a hold of his shoulders. “I love you, Lucian. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I’m going to be here. We’ll figure it out.”
“I don’t deserve you, but fuck, I love you.” His lips slammed down on hers. He tried to be gentle, to slow it down. He tried to hold back, but he was broken wide open.
Words he’d never spoken spilled out of him. He told her how he felt when he came into this room, how torn apart he was over his sister. He spoke to her about his fears of ruining her. He did this all between kisses, between unhooking the button on his jeans and undoing the zipper. He told her how it killed him to send her away as he gripped the stretchy black pants she wore, tugging them and her panties down, helping her step out of them. Lucian told her over and over that he loved her as he took her to the floor of his father’s bedroom, parting her thighs and thrusting in so deep, so hard, it was like he was trying to fuse them together.
Julia clutched at him as things spiraled madly out of control. Her legs were wrapped around his plummeting hips, one of her hands digging at his hair and the other holding on to his arm. She anchored herself to him as his body pounded into hers, and she took it—took him, furiously whispering against his mouth her love, her forgiveness that he didn’t deserve but he would damn well honor for the rest of his life.
And that was what he’d do. He’d honor Julia. He’d cherish her like the fucking light in his life that she was, and nothing—not his family, not him—would ever come between them again.
This was them.
This was forever.
His hand slammed into the floor beside her as she cried out, her body spasming tightly, clenching him. Release powered down his spine and he lost all sense of himself. Sweat beaded and dripped off him. The sound of her wetness, of their lovemaking filled the room. Their mouths clashed together and he tasted the salt of her tears—of their tears, because fuck, he might’ve been crying.
He might’ve been redeemed right there.
Lucian came brutally, her name a ragged and rough burst of air from his lips. His weight came down on her. He tried to stop it, but couldn’t, and in the end, he realized it was okay, because she could handle him—she was handling him.
Panting, he dragged his sweat-slick forehead over hers. Her body twitched around him, her breathing fast and shallow. For several moments neither of them spoke. They just held each other, their bodies still connected, their hearts slowing down.
It was Julia who broke the silence. “I think we might’ve broken some floorboards.”
He chuckled hoarsely as he eased out of her and shifted so that most of his weight was on his side, on the floor. “Did I hurt you?”
“No,” she whispered. “But I don’t think I’m moving anytime soon.”
“Neither am I.” His gaze traveled down her length, over her rucked-up shirt, bare lower half and her glistening thighs. “Ms. Hughes,” he murmured, lifting his gaze to her. “I’ve made a mess of you.”
Her cheeks flushed such a pretty pink. “You’re terrible.”
“I am. Really, I am.” Serious now, he smoothed his hand over her cheek. “I’m sorry. I should’ve never sent you away—said those things. You belong here. You’ve always belonged with me.”
“Stop. I know. It’s okay.” She clasped his jaw in her hands. “There’s nothing to apologize for. You’re going to be okay—”
“We’re going to be okay.” He dropped his forehead to hers again. They needed to get off the floor and go somewhere that wasn’t filled with a lifetime of bad memories. An idea occurred to him just like that and immediately it was all that he wanted.
Lucian lifted his head. “We’re going to move.”
Her brows knitted as she stared up at him. “What?”
“We’re going to move out. We’re going to find a new place—maybe in the city. You’d like that, I think.” He nodded. Nothing felt more right. “We’re not going to stay here.”
“Maybe ask me if I want to move in with you?” she said, clearly teasing.
“You came back. You’re kind of stuck with me now.” He pecked a quick kiss on the tip of her nose. “But seriously. I don’t want to stay here. Not anymore. We’ll take our time. Find the perfect place, but we aren’t going to live here.”
She slid her hand to his chest. “I think that’s a brilliant idea.”
It was. “Fuck this house.”
A small smile formed on her lips. “Screw this house.”
“Yeah,” he murmured, searching her eyes.
The smile on her face grew. “I mean, besides the obvious, it would be great to live somewhere where I don’t have to worry about being pushed down the stairs by vengeful ghosts or the house mysteriously burning down all around me while I’m sleeping. So I’m totally down with all of that.”
“We’ll make sure the next place isn’t haunted.”
Julia laughed as she folded her arms around him, holding him tight to her, and that laugh went a long way to chasing out some of the darkness crowding his soul, his heart. It was just a laugh, and he already felt a little lighter, a little brighter.
Lucian kissed her, pouring everything he felt for her into the kiss as his hand slid up, fingers curling into hair. Julia was right. So was he.
He was going to be okay.
And they were going to be more than okay.
As long as they were together.
Chapter 35
Two months later
Lucian woke before Julia, like he did every morning. Well, except for that weekend she’d gone home to tell her parents she was staying in Louisiana, staying with him.
And like every morning, he rose onto his elbow and stared down at her, still not quite believing that she was here, that this was their life and that he’d found himself in love and was loved in return.
Honest to God, he never expected this—expected her.
Which was probably why the moment he woke up, he always found himself checking her out, almost like he was making sure she was real and that she was there.
The last two months had been heaven.
And they’d been hell.
He hadn’t even begun to work through the shit. Maddie’s betrayal and her death was still too raw. Sometimes he and Julia talked about it. Not often. His brothers never brought it up. The same could be said for their father and the truth of who his paternal children were. It wasn’t discussed, because what was there to say, to dwell in?
Besides, Gabe had his own shit to deal with, and based on the shouting from last night and the odd, highly suspicious silence the followed the slamming of one door afterward, he knew his brother had his hands full.
And Dev?
Who the hell knew what was going on with him? He’d grown more remote and emotionless than before, and shit, Lucian hadn’t believed that could be possible.
Something was changing in his eldest brother.
Something not good.
Lucian didn’t want to think about any of that right now. Today was a big day. Both of them needed to get their asses out of bed and get moving, but first . . .
Soft sunlight crept in under the blinds, seeping toward their bed. Julia was lying half on her side, half on her belly with one hand under the pillow and the other curled loosely by her bare breasts. His gaze tracked over the rosy, pebbled peaks and then over the dip of her stomach, to the flare
of her hip, and finally the beautifully curved ass. His hand followed his gaze and he grinned when she murmured in her sleep, her back unconsciously arching as he palmed her breast.
Lucian kissed the smooth skin of her shoulder as he dragged his hand from her breast, over her soft stomach. He was on the move, blazing a hot, wet path of kisses down the line of her spine as his hand dipped between her thighs, cupping her.
Spreading her legs, Julia moaned into the pillow as he slipped a finger deep inside her. “Morning,” she murmured, her fingers splaying across the bed as he pressed down with his palm, right on the spot he knew she liked.
“Morning.” He lifted his head, nipping at the sensitive skin of her neck.
Julia shifted slightly, tipping her hips back against him. “Do you have something for me?”
“Always.” He grinned against her skin as he settled a hand on her hip.
A second later, he was sinking deep into her warmth. Her moan was lost in his groan. Bodies moving together, he took his time, bringing her to the brink of release over and over until he couldn’t hold back any longer. She came before him, crying out as she ground her ass against him. Those tight tremors dragged him right over the edge, and he was lost in her—lost in a way he never wanted to be found.
Somehow, Julia ended up on her back, one arm loosely wrapped around his neck as she lifted her head, kissing him on the cheek and then the mouth, lingering there for a few moments. “You’re my favorite kind of alarm.”
He chuckled as he eased on his side beside her. “I’m your favorite everything.”
“True.” She rolled so she was facing him. “What time is it?”
“Almost time for me to get down on my knees in the shower and make sure you spend the rest of the day thinking how talented I am with my tongue.”
She giggled. “You’re ridiculous.”
“You won’t be saying that in about ten minutes.” He brushed her hair back from her face. “But seriously, we do have to get moving. We need to be in the city by eleven.”
“And we need to get to the airport,” she reminded him. “My parents’ flight arrives at three.”
“We’ll be there.”
Julia tipped her head back and grinned up at him. “I hope you’re ready. Mom and Dad are excited to meet you.”
He kissed her cheek. “They’ll love me.”
“Because you’re irresistible?”
“Well, yes, but that’s not the reason.” He kissed the bridge of her nose. “They’ll love me, because I love their daughter.”
Not entirely surprising, they were late leaving the house and getting into the city to meet the Realtor friend of Lucian’s. Not that Julia was complaining. She so enjoyed the time spent in the shower.
Looking over at him as he easily navigated the slightly less crowded streets of the Garden District, her breath caught in her throat. Months and many, countless hours with him, and her breath still did that. Just as her heart would sometimes swell like there was a balloon tethered in her chest.
He was concentrating on driving, but he was holding her hand, his thumb idly gliding back and forth over her palm. He’d been quiet since they left the de Vincent mansion, and she knew where his mind had gone.
Over the weeks since that night on the rooftop, Julia had learned to recognize when he was getting stuck in the past and swept up in all the things he couldn’t change. In the very beginning, it was several times a day. Now there’d be a couple of days in between those moments he made her heart ache and bleed for him and all the answers he would never have.
But Lucian was moving past it, and she was helping and would continue to be there. That was what today was about.
Julia squeezed his hand, and he glanced over at her. One side of his lips kicked up. “What?” he asked.
“Nothing.” She brought his hand to her lap, holding it tight. She couldn’t wait for him to meet her parents. He didn’t appear nervous about it at all, but she was because, well, she was Julia. She still got nervous over stupid stuff. Like the fact she was applying for nursing jobs and she was worried about the interviews.
Lucian was totally supportive of her going back to work, going as far as offering to set up interviews with several of the clinics and hospitals. With the de Vincent name, he could guarantee her a job, but she made him promise to not get involved. She needed to find and obtain a job on her own.
But she had thoroughly enjoyed the little vacation.
They hadn’t spent every day at the mansion. They’d traveled, Lucian taking her to places she’d never in her life dreamed of.
Sometimes she couldn’t believe that this was her life—that this was her. That happened a lot.
“We’re here.” The car slowed and then turned, pulling between two stone pillars. A gate was already opened, welcoming them.
They still had a couple of hours before they met her parents at the airport and one very important thing to finish first.
Julia was hopefully seeing their new house for the first time.
He’d already been here a few times, scoping out the upgrades and whatnot, making sure it was “good enough” for her to see. It passed his inspection, and so here they were, in the historical, beautiful Garden District.
The pavers of the driveway led right up to one of the most beautiful homes Julia had ever seen. The moment the car stopped, she was throwing the door open and climbing out.
With wide eyes, she took in the wrought-iron fencing, the courtyard and polished, white columns. The antebellum home was nowhere near as large or overwhelming as the mansion. From the outside it still looked spacious and she loved the bushy ferns hanging from the second-floor porch.
Lucian was coming up behind her as she walked toward the porch. The Realtor opened the door, waiting for them. She looked over her shoulder. “I love it.”
He laughed. “You haven’t even been inside yet.”
“I don’t care,” she insisted. “I love it.” She paused as she looked to where the Realtor stood. “Just as long as it’s not haunted.”
“Well . . .” Lucian folded his arms around her from behind. “It is New Orleans. You can never be too sure.”
“Don’t tell me that.”
He kissed her cheek. “Why don’t we get inside first before you make up your mind? And if you don’t like it, we’ll find another place. We’ll find something.”
She had pretty much already made up her mind based on what she saw of the outside, but she didn’t say that as she leaned into Lucian’s embrace. Julia wasn’t even thinking about the house at the moment or anything that had happened with his family. They could move into this house or stay at the mansion. They could leave Louisiana or decide to stay here. None of that really mattered.
As she closed her eyes and breathed deeply, inhaling in the sweetest of the flowers blooming in the courtyard, she was more than ready to admit that she’d been so wrong after her marriage ended.
Julia had believed that love couldn’t be enough, but she knew that with the right person, and Lucian de Vincent was definitely the right man for her, love was enough.
Acknowledgments
I want to thank Kevan Lyon for being always being there to support whatever story idea comes to mind and working with me every step of the way. I cannot thank Taryn Fagerness enough for getting my books into as many countries and readers as possible. Because of you, I have an entire wall of books representing so many different languages. Thank you to my editor, Tessa Woodward, who decided to bring the de Vincent brothers to life, and the wonderful team at HarperCollins/Avon Books.
A huge thank you to Stephanie Brown for helping keep my life on track and making me laugh. Without Sarah Maas, Laura Kaye, Andrea Joan, Stacey Morgan, Lesa Rodrigues, Sophie Jordan, Cora Carmack, Jay Crownover, and countless other amazing friends I would’ve probably lost my mind by now. THANK YOU.
None of this would be possible with you, the reader. Because of you, I get to write another book, bring another world to life. Thank you.<
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Announcement page to Moonlight Seduction
Discover more of the de Vincent family’s secrets in
MOONLIGHT SEDUCTION
Available from Avon Books
Summer 2018
About the Author
Author photograph by Vania Stoyanova/VLC Photo
JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT (also known as J. LYNN) is the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Wait for You and the Young Adult Lux and Covenant series, among other books. She writes steamy and fun New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name J. Lynn. She is published with Entangled Teen and Brazen, SHP, Disney/Hyperion, and Harlequin Teen. You can find her on Twitter @JLArmentrout or at her website, www.jenniferarmentrout.com.
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By Jennifer L. Armentrout
The de Vincent Series
Moonlight Sins
Coming Soon
Moonlight Seduction
Till Death
Forever with You
Fall With Me
Stay With Me
Be With Me
Wait for You
The Covenant Series
Daimon
Half-Blood
Pure
Deity
Elixir
Apollyon
The Lux Series
Shadows
Obsidian
Onyx
Opal
Origin
Opposition
Gamble Brothers Series
Tempting the Best Man
Tempting the Player
Tempting the Bodyguard
Copyright
Moonlight Sins Page 36