Breaking Love (Full Hearts Book 2)

by Summers, MJ

Finally the couple seemed to relax as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Rodney lowered his mouth to Quinn’s and they shared a long kiss. Megan breathed a sigh of relief. The day was about to get much easier.

  * * *

  Luc dialed Harper’s number and hit the hands-free button on his cellphone.

  “Hello?”

  “Harper, it’s Luc. How are you?”

  Harper’s voice was flat as she replied, “Fine. What’s up?”

  “I need your help, actually. I’m on my way to Boulder to see Megan, and I don’t know how to reach her.”

  “What do you mean? You’re going to fly there today?”

  “Oh, no. I was in Aspen and I rented a ridiculously huge vehicle and started driving. I want to ask her out for dinner.”

  “Are you serious? Have you lost your fucking mind? That’s an insanely long drive just to ask someone out for dinner. She can’t go, anyway; she’s working at a wedding all day. I don’t even know if she’ll want to see you, Luc. She felt pretty upset about what happened.”

  “I know. I feel terrible about it and I can’t stop thinking about her. I was hoping we could start over.”

  “Start over? With what? It was a one-night thing, Luc, and she made it pretty clear that it’s over. I think you should turn around and go back to Aspen.”

  Luc sighed. “Listen, Harper, I can’t. I’m about one hour out of town. I just have to find out if she’ll see me, okay? I’ve been fucking miserable since she left.”

  “It’s not really about you, Luc. Megan doesn’t want you in her life, or anyone else, for that matter. I don’t think you’ve thought this through. It’s not going to go anywhere. You don’t even live on the same continent.”

  “I haven’t thought it through at all, to be honest. But it might actually work very well. I could come and see her whenever I’m in the country and treat her the way she deserves to be treated, but I wouldn’t interfere with her life otherwise. It might be the perfect arrangement for her.”

  Harper considered this for a moment. “I don’t know, Luc. If you just show up at her house, she is going to be exceedingly pissed at you. The last thing she would want would be to expose Elliott to whatever is going on between you.”

  “Shit. I didn’t consider that. I just started driving. Maybe I should forget trying to see her.”

  “I think that’s a good idea, Luc,” she said softly. “Tell you what—I’ll call her and tell her what you did and that I told you to turn back, okay? That way the ball will be in her court.”

  Luc sighed, hating to give up when he was so close, but Harper was right. Megan would be angry if he just showed up at her house. “Alright. I won’t try to see her, but I can’t drive back right now. I’m in the middle of a blizzard. I’ll have to stay at a hotel in Boulder for the night. Maybe if you get in touch with her, you can give her my number and she can call me. I’ll be in town until ten o’clock tomorrow morning.”

  “Listen, I’m going to call Megan for you. But so help me God, if you fuck her around, I will hunt you down and chop you to pieces with a butcher knife, starting with that huge cock of yours. You got it?”

  “She told you that about me?” He grinned.

  “Dead, Luc. I will kill you dead. The last thing Meg needs is someone who is going to screw her over. She’s a good person and she’s had her share of disappointments.”

  “I know that, Harper. I would never hurt her.”

  “Okay, Luc. I’ll try.”

  “Thank you. Goodbye, Harper.”

  “Bye, Luc.”

  * * *

  An hour later, Megan was sitting at the back of the ballroom, changing camera lenses, when she noticed the light on her cellphone was flashing. She saw that she had missed calls from her mom and Harper. She walked down the hall toward the hotel lobby so she could get away from the noise of the music. She called home and Helen picked up.

  “Sorry I missed your call, Mom. How are things going?”

  “Great. Elliott’s just getting his jammies on and then we’re going to read in his room for a while before bed.”

  “Oh, good. I’m glad.”

  “Remember this morning when you told me not to be afraid to try something new? I figured out what you meant, you little monkey.”

  Megan laughed. “So, did Charlie come by?”

  “Yes. I agreed to go for a coffee with him. Now listen, I know you’re busy. I just wanted to tell you to be ready to try something new. If it’s good for me, it’s good for you. If you meet a nice man tonight, be open to it, okay?”

  “No.”

  “Well then, I’ll call Charlie and tell him I can’t go out with him.”

  “Oh, nice, Mom. You’re blackmailing me using my kind widowed neighbour’s emotions as collateral?”

  “Yes. It’s called hardball.”

  “Grr. Okay, I promise that if the right guy shows up, I’ll hop straight into bed with him. Does that make you feel better?”

  Helen laughed. “That’s my girl. Listen, I think I might stay here tonight, okay? The roads are getting much worse and I’m tuckered out. I might just go to bed after I get Elliott to sleep. That way, you can sleep in tomorrow morning and I’ll get up with him.”

  “Thanks, Mom! You really are the best, even if you drive me nuts most of the time.”

  “Good night, sweetie. Get home safely!”

  “Will do. Bye.” Megan ended the call and smiled to herself. She wanted her mom to be happy, and even though she had no intention of following through with her own promise, it wasn’t a lie. You never know, Ryan Gosling might be in town for some reason.

  A voice interrupted her thoughts. “Megan, it’s been a while. You look hot.”

  She looked up to see Brad, the appetizer-penis-photo guy, standing beside her with a slimy smile on his face. Megan tried not to shudder as she looked back at him.

  “Oh Brad, hi. You know someone in the wedding party?”

  “Rodney’s my cousin. Great wedding, especially when I realized you were here.”

  “Yes, a very nice day. Well, I better get back in there. I think they’re going to cut the cake pretty soon.”

  Megan started to walk away. Brad touched her arm. “Hang on. You’ve got a minute for me, I’m sure. You never called after our dinner. I just wanted to know why. I thought we had a real connection.”

  Megan turned to him, pulling her arm away from him in the process. “Really? You couldn’t figure that one out yourself? You sent me a picture of your penis—such as it is—during dinner.”

  “I thought it would be sexy. You know, a little taste of what was coming?” He raised his eyebrows at her.

  “A ‘little’ taste is an accurate description, actually. Maybe some woman somewhere would like that, but I don’t know who she might be. And on a first date, it’s just plain creepy.”

  Brad looked embarrassed for a second. “Damn it. I’m sorry. I wish I could take that back. My buddy told me it was a good idea.”

  “Let me guess—he’s been single a long time too, right?”

  Brad laughed at her observation. Moving in a little closer, he gave her his best attempt at a sexy grin. “Listen, do you think we could go out again? Maybe start over with a clean slate? I promise not to do anything like that again.”

  Megan backed away from him. “I really don’t think so. I’m actually with someone now and it’s pretty serious.”

  Just then, she felt a hand on her waist and lips brush up against her cheek. She flinched and turned, only to see Luc standing behind her. He gave her a firm kiss when she turned and said, “Mon ange, I’m sorry that I’m late. The roads were awful getting here. Who’s your friend?” Luc narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw at the man as he wrapped his arms around Megan. Brad had backed up slightly already.

  “Luc, this is Brad,” she managed to say as she stared at Luc in disbelief. How could he possibly be here at this very moment, looking so gorgeous and holding her so casually?

  “We’re old friends. I bett
er get back to my table,” Brad said as he walked off.

  “Yes, you should,” Luc called after him.

  Megan turned to Luc. “How did you . . . ? What are you doing here?”

  Luc smiled down at her. “I came to get rid of that guy. He seems like a slimeball.”

  “He is.” Megan laughed. “But seriously, how are you here?”

  “I was in Aspen and I wanted to see if you would have dinner with me.” Luc looked into her huge green eyes, feeling that overwhelming yearning come over him again.

  Megan put her hands up in front of her, palms out. “Wait—you flew here to ask me out for dinner?”

  “I drove, actually, but that’s beside the point. I spoke to Harper on my way here, and she helped me realize I couldn’t just show up at your house. I asked her to get a hold of you and give you my number so you could contact me if you wanted to. She told me you were working at a wedding today, but I can’t believe it’s at this hotel! I just picked this place randomly. If I believed in fate, I would say that it had taken a hand in this.”

  “I was just about to call Harper back,” Megan answered, feeling completely shocked to have Luc standing right in front of her. She had been one hundred per cent sure they would never see each other again. “You drove all this way, in this storm, to go out for dinner?” She stared at him in disbelief.

  “Not for tonight. I would never expect you to go out on such short notice. I can come back. I will be in Colorado until Thursday. I was hoping we could go out one night this week, if you have time.”

  Megan gave him a hint of a smile and shook her head. “You’re a little bit nuts, you know that?”

  “So I’m discovering. In every other area of my life, I assure you that I’m in full control. For some reason, you can make me do stupid things like renting an enormous vehicle and driving for seven hours in a blizzard just to see you for a few minutes. I can promise you I’ve never done this before for anyone.”

  Megan stared up at him. He was standing close enough for her to kiss him if she wanted to. And she wanted to. He looked amazing as he smiled down at her with that slightly unsure look, waiting to see what she would do next. But she couldn’t let this happen. This was her real life now and she had no room in it for a man like him.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea, Luc,” she said quietly. “I have to go. They’re going to cut the cake soon and the bride is going to lose her mind if I’m not there.”

  “I don’t want to interfere with your work. I’ll leave my cellphone number in an envelope at the front desk for you in case you change your mind.”

  “I won’t, Luc. I’m sorry you came all this way.”

  “I’m not. I got to see you again.” He smiled at her, but his eyes were sad as he reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “You know, Megan, sometimes we have to take a chance on something that isn’t logical but feels right. Everything about being with you feels right to me.”

  “I have to go. Goodbye, Luc.” Megan reached up and gave him a peck on the cheek then turned back to the ballroom. Luc leaned against the wall and watched as she walked away.

  FOURTEEN

  Megan’s heart pounded in her chest as she hurried back to the ballroom. She was completely overwhelmed by what had just happened. She still couldn’t believe Luc was really there, in the same building as she was, at that exact moment. She thought of his hand on her waist, his kiss on her cheek and lips as he rescued her from Brad, his sad smile as he said goodbye. He had just driven all day in a horrible blizzard to get to see her for a minute and ask her out. How could she not give him another chance?

  He is no good for you, Megan. One night with him and you were a wreck. Forget him now before you get hurt worse, she told herself.

  As she walked through the ballroom doors, she caught Quinn’s eye. The bride pointed impatiently over toward the cake, obviously annoyed that Megan had been missing in action. Meg immediately got back to work, trying to clear her mind of all thoughts of Luc.

  Two hours later, she finally packed up her equipment to go home. She had taken dozens of shots of the guests dancing and visiting as the evening progressed. It was close to 11 p.m. as she walked out of the ballroom, her feet aching.

  She put on her coat and checked her cellphone. There was a text from Harper. I need to talk to you ASAP! Call me.

  She ignored it, knowing what was so urgent, and shoved her phone into the pocket of her coat. She walked through the lobby, passing the front desk without stopping. When she reached the revolving door, she stepped into it and made a full circle, then walked purposefully over to the front desk.

  The woman behind the counter had been watching her with a slightly amused expression.

  “I think there might be an envelope here for me? Megan Sullivan?”

  “Oh yes. Right here,” the woman said, smiling as she handed it to her. “I had the luck of being here when he left it. I could have just listened to that accent all day.”

  “Yes. He has that effect on women. Thank you.” Megan gave her a smile and walked back over to the doors, deciding to read the note when she got home. That would be the safer choice.

  She waded through the now-deep snow covering the parking lot, cursing her dressy boots as she opened the trunk and gently put her camera bags in. Slamming the trunk closed, she hurried over to the driver’s side, getting in and closing the door to get out of the biting wind. Megan started the car to warm it up, then rubbed her frozen hands together and glanced over at the envelope poking out of her purse. What could be the harm in just opening it and seeing what he had written? It was probably just his cellphone number anyway.

  “Damn it,” she said to herself as she tore open the envelope.

  Dear Megan,

  As much as I’ve tried, I cannot get you out of my mind. I hope you’ll decide to give me another chance. Please know that everything I said to you was true and that everything we did together was meaningful to me. You have a hold on me that I can neither explain nor deny.

  I think I have come up with a perfect arrangement so that we can see each other without it interfering with your life with Elliott. I hope you’ll agree to meet me for dinner so we can discuss it. I’m in room 637 if you would like to come up, or you can call me on my cell number below.

  Yours,

  Luc

  “Oh, fucking hell,” she muttered, jamming her hands back into her gloves and pulling the key out of the ignition. She slammed the car door behind her as she trudged back to the hotel lobby and stamped the snow off her boots and pant legs, then made a beeline for the elevators. She glanced over at the woman behind the counter, who smiled knowingly at her.

  “I’d go too,” the woman said, nodding. “I’m impressed you even made it outside in the first place.”

  Megan laughed a little at herself as she rode up to the sixth floor. Taking a deep breath, she walked down the hall and knocked very quietly on the door to room 637. It was late and she realized he might be asleep already. She waited for a moment and then heard the door being unlocked.

  Luc smiled warmly at her as he opened the door. He was dressed only in a white towel and held another in his hand as he rubbed it over his wet hair. The room was almost dark, lit only by a single bedside lamp and the glow from the TV.

  Megan could feel her body react to the sight of his almost nude, muscular form. She stepped inside and spoke quickly, before he could get a chance to make her knees go weak with his sexy voice. Her manner was brisk as she began. “So, listen, I appreciate that you drove all this way. It was really sweet. If I were going to get involved with someone, I would pick you, but it just won’t work out, Luc.”

  He just nodded at her as she spoke. Even though he looked like he was sincerely listening to her, he tossed the towel in his hand back into the bathroom and took her purse off her shoulder, placing it on the console table beside them. He then pulled her gloves slowly off her hands, one finger at a time, never breaking eye contact, even as he put the gloves on top
of her purse. Megan swallowed hard and kept talking, her words coming out a little slower, less convincing. How could the simple act of having her gloves taken off awaken her body like this?

  “There is no way this can happen. We don’t even live on the same continent. I won’t be coming back to Paris anytime soon—maybe not ever. Nothing in my life has changed since I met you. We just have to accept that this is over, okay?” Megan said, gazing into Luc’s eyes.

  “You’re completely right,” he answered finally. “It’s a horrible idea.” Luc took her chilly hands and warmed them in his.

  “It really is. I came up here to tell you that,” she agreed, trying not to notice the muscles in his arms and chest flex as he rubbed her hands.

  “You could have called, you know,” he said, with a trace of that smirk.

  “I thought it would be more polite to tell you in person, especially since you came all this way,” Megan replied matter-of-factly.

  There was nothing remotely believable about what she was saying. She had come up to his room because she needed to see him, and they both knew it. Her mind flashed to what was under that towel, causing her cheeks to grow hot. She could just hook one finger over it and pull, and he would be completely naked in front of her. She tried not to look down as she continued. “I also wanted to thank you for getting rid of that creep for me earlier.”

  “You’re welcome. I wish I could always be there to get other men away from you. The thought of another man touching you makes me unreasonably angry.” He was still holding her hands in his.

  Megan tugged her hands away from him and walked further into the room to get away from him before she did something she would regret. She took a deep breath and turned back to face him. “So, anyway, thank you, and I hope you find happiness, but it won’t be here.”

  Luc cocked his head to the side and gave her a questioning look. “Are you in a hurry right now?”

  “Yes, I should get home. It’s late.”

  “You have to relieve your babysitter? She is waiting up to go home?”