LaCasse Family Series

by Ju Ephraime

  Foxx and Wolfe sat in silence on the verandah, each busy with their own thoughts, until Foxx asked, “Wolfe, did you have a hard time making up your mind about Daphne when she came back to you from the U.S.?”

  “Good God, no! Not for a moment,” Wolfe replied with a brief smile.

  “Why not? After all, she did put you through hell,” Foxx reminded him.

  “Don’t you think I know? But I loved her too much to hold that against her. We were both stubborn in our own way.”

  “I don’t see how that has anything to do with it.”

  “Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong. It has everything to do with it. Here I was, in my arrogance, asking a woman who is able to take care of herself financially and who had just been through a traumatizing experience in a relationship to drop everything and change her entire life just to be with me.”

  “I still don’t see the problem if she loved you as you no doubt loved her,” Foxx rejoined.

  “You still don’t see it? What was I giving up to be with Daphne? Nothing. Was I changing anything in my life for her? No. Do you see a pattern emerging now?”

  “Now that you put it that way, yes. I never looked at it from her point of view. But then, I’m a man. What do you expect?”

  “I expect you to learn from my experience and not make the same mistakes I made.”

  “That’s easier said than done,” Foxx replied.

  “How much longer do you intend on stringing Therèse along? I like Therèse, and I believe Daphne likes her, too, and I have an odd reluctance to see her get hurt.”

  “You didn’t feel that way about her before.”

  “I admit, I didn’t like her at first. Your relationship with her was too fast, too intense, but now that I’ve met Daphne, I realize there’s such a thing as love at first sight. So I’m sympathetic to her cause, and if you intend to have your way with her and then walk away, I urge you to reconsider.”

  Foxx gave him a warning glance. “I beg you not to interfere...”

  “Take it easy, Foxx,” Wolfe said defensively. “I don’t intend to mess up your plans. I fully expect you to do that all by yourself.”

  “What exactly do you mean by that?”

  Wolfe walked over to the bar and poured out two drinks. Turning, he handed one to Foxx before he answered him. “What I mean is I’ve never seen you so taken with anyone as you are with Therèse. As a matter of fact, I think you’re still in love with her.”

  “So what if you’re right? What does that have to do with anything?”

  “A lot! If you hurt her, you’ll only be hurting yourself in the final analysis. So I would think long and hard if I were you before you do anything to cause her pain.”

  “Now that your life is going as smooth as a storybook romance, you’re very free with your advice, but I intend to do this my way. I don’t intend to show my hand until I’m certain what’s between Therèse and me is real. I just can’t afford to be wrong twice.” He knew he couldn’t survive another rejection.

  “Okay, don’t expect any sympathy from me when things backfire on you.”

  “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it, but for now, I see no reason to change my plans.”

  “All right. And what exactly are your plans again?”

  “I’ll not commit to her, and I’ll make no promises either. I’ll be cautious and play it by ear.”

  “But how is that hurting her?” Wolfe wanted to know. “Maybe that’s all she wants. Have you thought of that?”

  “I don’t think that’s all she wants. Don’t misunderstand me. I care for Therèse. I’m just not going to ask her to marry me like I did before. Neither will I ask her to remain here. So far as I’m concerned, she is a free woman.”

  “Is that so? I’ll see how far that goes when another man starts sniffing around her,” Wolfe replied.

  “I’ll not allow anyone within ten feet of her, not if I can help it. Not while she’s here.”

  “Oooh, that’s how it’s going to be. Good luck with that, brother. Be careful of the hole you dig; you may just be the one to fall into it.”

  “Like I said, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Now leave me the hell alone, Wolfe, and stop trying to get into my business.”

  “I’m not trying to do anything to you. You’re doing a fine job all on your own.”

  “Well, let’s drop this conversation for now,” Foxx reiterated.

  Hopefully, Wolfe didn’t know how much he really wanted Therèse. He was working very hard on trying to keep up this front. If Wolfe couldn’t see through it, then maybe Therèse couldn't either.

  chapter

  NINETEEN

  The temperature cooled as it normally did on the island in the evenings. Walking out to the verandah with Daphne, Therèse couldn’t hide the shiver. Immediately, Foxx walked up to her.

  “Are you cold?”

  “Not really, but I should have brought a jacket because this fabric is more suited to the heat of the day than the cool of the night.”

  Without saying anything to her, he removed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. And then he went back to continue his conversation with Wolfe.

  Hugging the jacket closely around her, she couldn’t stop herself from inhaling the scent from his garment deep into her lungs. Looking around, she saw Foxx was still standing at the far end, talking to his brother, but his eyes were on her. She had no doubt he had witnessed her almost sensual reaction to wearing his jacket.

  Leaving Wolfe, he walked over to her. “Are you ready to call it a night?”

  “Only if you are.”

  “I am. I was just telling Wolfe that we should be heading home. Come, let’s say our goodbyes to Daphne.”

  Placing his arm around her, he walked her over to Daphne and Wolfe.

  “Daph, we’re getting ready to hit the road. We’ll talk with you guys tomorrow.”

  Taking her cue from him, she did the same and took her leave of Daphne and Wolfe. “Thanks for a delicious dinner. I enjoyed it very much; it was a wonderful evening.”

  “Don’t mention it, Therèse. It was good to see Foxx and to finally get to meet you. We must do this again soon,” Daphne told her.

  They had to take the elevator from Wolfe’s home down to the garage. It had struck her as weird the first time she visited Wolfe’s home to see that it had to be accessed via an elevator, but Foxx had told her his brother had designed his own home, and this was what he wanted.

  She walked into the elevator with Foxx’s arm wrapped around her. No sooner had the door closed behind them than he reached for her blindly, as if he had been holding himself back all the time they were in his brother’s home. She didn’t deny him, as sensation, vicious and wild, gripped her, and she went to him eagerly. Therèse loved the subtle scent of aroused male, which seemed to surround him permanently.

  Between the two of them, desire was thick in the elevator, intoxicating her, blurring her sense of reasoning, until the door to the elevator opened to the foyer and Wolfe’s voice came over the system, telling them to go get a room.

  “You shouldn’t be spying on your guests, brother; that’s bad protocol.”

  “Oh, really? You came on my monitor, creating enough smoke to blow the damn thing up. You’re lucky I didn’t set the dogs on you.”

  “You have dogs? Why didn’t you introduce us?”

  “My dogs are special. Get on with you. Go home.”

  “I’m trying to do just that if you would stop talking.”

  Therèse was very grateful to finally be getting into the vehicle. She didn’t comment, only hugged the jacket more snugly around her and didn’t look again at Foxx until they had pulled onto the highway.

  The ride back to the hotel was done in silence. She was thinking about Wolfe and Daphne and how this could have been her life if she hadn’t so foolishly listened to her friends.

  By not following her heart and listening to them, she had wasted two long years. She knew Foxx still had feelings
for her, but she couldn’t tell if it was love or lust. He certainly seemed to desire her just as strongly as when they were first together. But she had learned things were never as they seemed. Ever since that exchange with Wolfe at the elevator, Foxx had remained strangely silent. She was reluctant to disturb his thoughts, but she needed to know if they were going to her hotel, as she had requested.

  Turning slightly, she glanced covertly at Foxx. He also seemed deep in thought. She wondered if he was thinking the same thing. She was feeling a bit melancholy. Part of her wanted to go back to her hotel, and part of her wanted to go home with Foxx.

  Feeling torn was a new phenomenon for her. She’d never been so indecisive before. She was usually able to make up her mind about most things, but when it came to anything to do with Foxx, she seemed to have lost all sense of reasoning.

  The route they were traveling was not familiar to her at all. She had to question Foxx. She could no longer remain silent.

  “Are we going to my hotel or to your home?”

  “Is going to my home an option? If I recall, you asked to be taken to your hotel. That is where I’m taking you, unless you’ve had a change of heart. I don’t want to pressure you in any way.”

  “You are not pressuring me, Foxx. I thought it would be a good idea to go to your home, but if you don’t think it is, that’s fine with me.”

  Turning fully to look at him, Therèse could see his lips were set in a severe line, which had caused two deep lines to form at the sides of his mouth. She wanted to kiss those lines away. She tried to clear her mind of those thoughts by making herself look away from the sight of his gorgeous mouth.

  Forcing her mind back to the present, she answered him in the same tone he’d used to address her. She didn’t know what had upset him to make him lash out at her, but she didn’t intend to be his punching bag.

  “Are we going to play this game, Foxx? I’m not in the mood. I want to go back to the hotel, but if you have something else in mind, I’ll leave the decision on whether you take me to the hotel or to your home up to you.”

  “No, you don’t want to do that. You were the one who accused me of having a one-track mind. So by leaving this decision up to me, it’s a foregone conclusion where we’ll be heading.”

  She debated about answering him, but her curiosity got the better of her because she was aware he hadn’t changed course but continued driving on the same route.

  “So what will it be, Therèse? I’m only going to ask you this once, and then I’ll make the decision for you. And for the record, as much as I love waking up with you in my bed, if you want to be taken back to your hotel, I’ll respect your wishes and do as you wish.”

  “Foxx, you know I love sleeping with you, too, but I don’t want you to feel you have to spend every night with me. After all, we have to exercise some control.”

  “Why do we need to exercise control? I like you out of control. It suits me just fine.”

  “Well, I don’t like being out of control, but to answer your question, yes, you can take me to your home.”

  No sooner had she spoken those words than the atmosphere in the vehicle immediately changed, as if someone had waved a magic wand. She didn’t know whether to be pleased about the fact that she’d been correct in thinking he was waiting for her to admit she loved sleeping with him or angry with his attempts at manipulation.

  Men! She didn’t have time for this game of cat and mouse. Why didn’t he just come out and ask her instead of behaving like a spoiled kid? Therèse realized she had her work cut out for her in gaining his trust, but a girl could do only so much.

  Having already constantly berated herself about her senseless move in leaving the way she had, Therèse didn’t need him adding to her self-humiliation. She needed to think of something else because she didn’t want to tip this precarious balancing act they were engaged in.

  “This is a different route from the one I’m used to. Is it quicker?

  “Yes. Not only is it quicker but it’s also a much smoother drive. This stretch of highway is fairly new. It was built in the last year and a half. Why do you ask? Are you that impatient to get home?”

  “Who said anything about being impatient? I just didn’t recognize the landmarks, and you continued on the same route when I agreed to go home with you, which makes me question whether we’ve been on route to your home all along.”

  “I didn’t know you were so distrustful of me, Therèse. Why would I connive to take you to my home against your wishes? Have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?”

  “Come to think of it, no. But I’ve grown very distrustful lately. I’m sorry I doubted you.”

  “Just to set things right, I’ll show you where I intended to turn off had you insisted on being taken to your hotel.”

  “I’ve already apologized for doubting you. What more do you want from me? What do you want me to say, Foxx?”

  “I don’t want you to say anything. I want your apology in blood. I’ll let you know when I’m ready to receive it.”

  “You are too much. I’ll ignore you and pretend I didn’t just hear you ask for my apology in blood. What are you, a bloodthirsty vampire?”

  “You’ll find out in time.”

  “If you’re trying to scare me, you’ll have to try harder and come up with a different line.”

  “You’ll soon be singing another tune. Just you wait.”

  Therèse held her tongue as they continued driving through the cool night. The wind caressing her face held a hint of rain. Foxx’s handling of the vehicle was poetry in motion. His transition from sixty to twenty was so smooth she wouldn’t have known he had slowed down had she not been looking at the speedometer.

  Glancing around, she saw they were approaching the busier part of the town. His hair whipped off his face as the wind increased, and the car purred, sleek and powerful, over the now familiar road. They were almost at his house.

  She couldn’t help from getting excited the closer they got to his home. Her body was pulsing with need. She didn’t know what he had planned for her, but she was ready.

  Twenty minutes later, he brought the car to a silent stop in the garage underneath his house. Unlike at Wolfe’s house, they had to take the stairs from the garage up to the main level.

  This was only her second time visiting his new home, and like the first time, she was struck by the ultramodern atmosphere of the place. It was as if Foxx had decided to surround himself with beautiful things, all with an Asian influence. She wondered, not for the first time, who his designer was.

  Was it someone he’d had a relationship with? Had he designed the place with her in mind? It was just so gleaming and square. Yet there were still hints of a feminine touch here and there. The entrance foyer made her want to take off her shoes and bask in its tranquil atmosphere while she listened to the muted sound of the waterfall, which occupied an entire wall.

  The air of peace and tranquility was very evident in the space. And just when she thought the feeling could not be real, her eyes were drawn to the opposite wall, which was made up of a huge aquarium with at least a hundred fish of varying hues swimming about merrily. The entire room was a magical place.

  The family room was appointed in a blue-gray and silver color scheme, which gave it a light, airy feeling. The formal living room off the main entrance was black and cream, with more of the silver and black accessories. She followed him into the kitchen when he went to get a beer from the refrigerator.

  This was the one room where she saw something of Foxx because it was very masculine in appearance, with over-sized commercial appliances and stainless steel everywhere. The master bedroom and bathroom she had seen the previous night. Those rooms also had a bit of a masculine touch, but not as much as the kitchen.

  He turned away from the refrigerator to ask her, “What would you like to drink?” All the while, he was undoing the buttons on his shirt as he came toward her. She went into a meltdown at the sight of his muscled male beauty.
r />   “I’ll have a beer,” she said.

  Taking the beer from him, she couldn’t stop herself from glancing again at his supple flesh, which glowed with vitality in the overhead light. The fierce power of his magnificent body was on display for her. Sinewy flesh covering muscled shoulders and abs she couldn’t wait to take her tongue to. Her eyes deliberately followed the thin line of hair that disappeared into his pants. Her eyes traveled back to his face.

  Foxx looked at her with heavy-lidded eyes, a wicked grin on his face. “See anything you like?”

  She felt her face getting hot. The heat had nothing to do with shame but with the reaction of her body to his, and of course, he knew. He liked playing with her, like a cat with a mouse. Tonight, she was going to pretend he was not having this effect on her.

  Taking a deep swallow of her beer, she closed the distance between them as she maintained eye contact with him the entire time.

  “What would you do if I saw something I liked?”

  “Why, I’d give it to you, of course. I wouldn’t like to see you want for anything that’s within my power to give you. Come here.”

  She stood as if contemplating the exact opposite and pretended to turn away from him. The next thing she felt was his hand in her hair at her nape as he brought her body flush against his. She could feel the jutting length of his penis against her belly. A ripple of pleasure went through her in anticipation of having him inside her, impaling her with all this magnificent manhood.

  Oh, how she loved this man, so much it hurt.

  With his gaze on her mouth, he commanded her. “Kiss me.”

  Bringing her hand to his face, she caressed his jaw while she traced his lips with her fingertip. Pausing, she lingered on the fullness of his bottom lip. Foxx moved to bring her closer to his aroused body.

  “Stay still,” she told him, leaning in until they were breathing from each other’s mouths. Yet still, she didn’t make the final move that would bring their lips together.