LaCasse Family Series

by Ju Ephraime

  She was taken by surprise. “Oh, Damon, we’re getting married today?”

  “Yes, I’m not spending another night like last night.”

  Franchesca was pleased that he wanted her so much he couldn’t wait. She was beginning to realize that, once Damon made up his mind about something, it was impossible to get him to change it. He was also excellent at getting things done.

  Well, he had the money to get things done. As they entered the church, she looked around and was overjoyed to see her family there to witness their union. Raymond and his fiancée, Wolfe and his wife, Foxx and his wife, her sister, Cecilia, and her husband, her brother Brian and his wife, and of course, her parents were all sitting in the pews waiting for her. How had he pulled this off? The priest was waiting at the altar. She looked back at her family to give them a wink, and her dad was standing next to her, taking her hand, and Raymond was standing next to Damon. The entire thing was so surreal.

  Franchesca suddenly felt overcome with love for her soon-to-be husband and her wonderful family, who were always so supportive of each other. She looked up at the handsome man at her side and felt tears flood her eyes.

  “Don’t cry, darling, you’ll ruin your makeup.”

  That elicited a smile from her. He knew just what to say to stop her from making a fool of herself.

  Lovingly, he raised her hand to his lips then drew her down to kneel beside him while they pledged their vows.

  The priest solemnly charged Damon. “Will you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to live together after God’s ordinance in the state of holy matrimony, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, keeping thyself only unto her, as long as you both shall live?”

  Damon squeezed her hand before answering, “I will.”

  Franchesca thought her heart would burst. Now the priest turned to her, and it was her turn, but he added two more questions to the vows. “Will thou obey him and serve him?”

  “I will,” Franchesca answered.

  Damon waited until Raymond presented him with a beautiful diamond white gold band. Taking the ring, he removed her engagement ring and slipped the ring onto her finger. “With this ring, I thee wed, with my body, I thee honor, and with all my worldly goods, I thee endow.” Then he slipped the engagement ring back on to her third finger.

  She didn’t have a ring to exchange with him. She had not come prepared for this, but she need not have worried. Her mother was there, handing her a plain wedding band in the same white gold as the set she was wearing. “With this ring, I pledge my love to thee from now until eternity and beyond.” She slipped the ring on to his finger, surprised it fit, as she heard the priest pronounce them husband and wife, and then she heard the usual closing, “You may kiss the bride.” She lifted her head and offered him her lips, which he took in a gentle, endearing kiss. It was perfect.

  She felt her husband’s arm slip around her waist, and they walked into the vestry to sign the register to record their marriage. He turned to her with a smile after he’d signed and watched as she signed, Franchesca Dumont. Then they turned as one to greet her family who had surrounded them, offering well wishes and welcoming Damon into the family.

  “Darling, today is the happiest day of my life.”

  “It is for me too, darling. You couldn’t have made me any happier.” She stood on tiptoes to brush her lips against his. “I love you from now until eternity.”

  “I’m sorry my parents weren’t able to make it to the ceremony, but they are coming on Wednesday in time for Raymond’s wedding. We’ll renew our vows then. I just couldn’t stand not sleeping with you for so many nights. I’d be fit to be tied by the time Thursday rolled around.”

  “You are insatiable, admit it.”

  “I admit it. I’m insatiable for you.”

  With arms entwined, they made their way out of the church, followed by her family. He swept her into his arms and carried her to the limousine. They drove to one of the top hotels on the island where they were treated to a wonderful dinner. She couldn’t tell what she ate. She was riding on cloud nine.

  They took leave of her family and retired to the suite of rooms he had reserved for them. He undressed her, and she undressed him. Then he lifted her and placed her in the center of the bed. He came over her, gazed at her, and whispered lovingly, “I want our wedding night to be all about you.”

  Then, without the normal lust that seemed to drive him whenever he got her naked, he made sweet, passionate love to her, cherishing, worshiping, and honoring her with his body until she was caught up in a rhapsody of molten fire and surrendered her heart, body, and soul into his keeping.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  He kept her in bed for two days straight, only getting out of bed when their bodies demanded a different type of sustenance than the one he’d fed her without pause. Franchesca lost count of how many times he brought her to orgasm. She knew that two days had passed because nights on the island were very noisy with the sounds of crickets and other night creatures coming through the windows she had opened to let in the cool breeze.

  Damon made love to her as if it was the last day of their lives. He whispered sweet nothings in her ear, telling her how he couldn’t get enough of her… how sweet it felt to be buried deep inside her. How he loved to kiss her mouth. When he finally allowed her to go to sleep, she’d wake with him buried inside her as he brought her fully awake with shallow thrusts that had her crying out in wrenching pleasure.

  The sunlight streaming through the window woke her on the third day. She yawned and stretched, wincing uncomfortably as her body remembered the workout Damon had put her through. His body was warm at her back, one hand flung across her waist as he held her to him.

  Propping herself up on one elbow, Franchesca realized that she’d never had the opportunity to observe him without them being engaged in some form of sexual activity.

  So she set about looking her fill, and as her gaze traveled down to his hips, she was surprised to see the sheet moving until it had formed a perfect tent where his penis was pushing at it. She couldn’t stop the smile that covered her face.

  “I knew you were feigning sleep.”

  “No, I was not. I was deep in sleep having an exciting dream when I felt your hungry gaze ogling my man bit.”

  “Me, ogle your man bit? You don’t have a man bit. The word bit signifies something small, and that you aren’t. And, for the record, I don’t ogle.”

  “Yeah, here, let me show you what you were doing.”

  Franchesca made no protest as he rolled her onto her back, his head lowering to her breasts. They were tender from the thorough attention he had given them the past two days, which made her gasp when she felt his hot mouth close over a nipple. His tongue swirled around her nipple, and the teasing suction caused her to arch her back as her body became heated and wet. Then she remembered what day it was.

  “Damon, we can’t,” she said suddenly. Her gaze shot to the clock on the nightstand. “God, we have to hurry. We can’t miss Raymond’s wedding. I’ve to get my hair done and my clothes ready. Damon, stop.”

  “Okay, okay. Go on, get ready. I’ll wait here until you are dressed. That way, I’ll get ready when you are done.”

  “Thanks, darling,” she said, giving him a kiss on the lips.

  “Don’t start anything you can’t finish, sweetheart. I don’t want you to miss your brother’s wedding.”

  Damon lay on his side as he watched her leave the bed and bend to pick her robe off the floor. “This festivity is going to take all day. I’ll have a difficult time keeping my hands off you for that long.”

  “Then you’ll have to use your creativity—” Franchesca broke off and inhaled sharply as she stood up, holding the robe against her body.

  “What’s the matter?” he asked, leaping off the bed.

  Franchesca blushed and averted her eyes. “I’m sore in places I did not know I could be sore in.”

  Damon understood immediately. A mortifie
d grin touched his lips, and he hung his head in an unconvincing effort of repentance. “I’m sorry. I’m just greedy where you’re concerned. I’ll try to control myself. I’d come and bathe you, but I don’t trust myself, so I’ll remain here until you are fully dressed.”

  They had to race to get to her parents’ home, where she and Damon parted ways. She had a lot of errands to run. Her dad dropped her off at her sister’s home, where the two of them went to get their hair done, and she picked up a surprise gift for her new husband.

  “How does it feel to be married?” Cecilia wanted to know.

  “Won-der-ful!”

  “Girl, you are just as crazy as when you left. You have not changed one bit. I like your husband, and he appears to be besotted with you. I wish you a good life.”

  “Thanks, sis,” she said, giving her a big hug.

  They made it back just in time to get dressed for the wedding. Foxx’s wife, Therèse, was the maid of honor for Raymond’s wife, Gabrielle, and between her and Wolfe’s wife, Daphne, they had her ready well ahead of time.

  Franchesca had only met her briefly at her wedding, so this was the first time she’d really get to know her. Therèse and Daphne she knew, Daphne more than Therèse. Of the three women whom her brothers had chosen as their wives, Daphne had been the first to join the family.

  *****

  The wedding of Raymond and Gabrielle went off without a hitch. The bride was beautiful, and Raymond made a handsome groom. Every member of her family was there. Her mom had outdone herself in the preparation.

  After the couple finished exchanging their vows, it was Franchesca and Damon’s turn to renew their vows. They were worried because his parents’ flight was late, but they walked in just in the nick of time and were there to witness their only child tie the knot. It was a wonderful moving ceremony, and this time Damon’s dad stood up as his best man.

  To Franchesca it was just as thrilling as the first time, when the priest announced, “I now pronounce you man and wife.”

  Afterward, they spent some time taking pictures. Then his parents met her parents and every member of her family. It was a hit all around. Everyone made it back to the huge reception her mom had organized. She had rented the entire first floor of a hotel for the reception. There was room enough to accommodate everyone.

  When it was all over, Damon’s parents stayed with her parents, and she and Damon remained in their hotel suite, which worked out great for everyone. Damon was especially happy with the arrangements.

  He claimed he did not want to have to bite his lip or have his wife bite hers while they made love. It would not have not gone down well with him. As it was, he could now do all the things with his wife he’d been dreaming of since the first moment he’d laid eyes on her.

  EPILOGUE

  As much as she loved Tranquility, she much preferred to be in Paris when Damon was in residence. She was now gloriously happy, living in Paris with her new husband, pregnant with her first baby. She was also closer to her doctor and the larger hospitals in preparation for the arrival of their baby.

  She left her doctor’s office and walked the distance to her husband’s penthouse suite on the tenth floor in a state-of-the-art building.

  “Bonjour Philippe, is Monsieur Dumont in?”

  “Qui, Madame Dumont, he’s in his office. He said to send you in as soon as you got here.”

  “Thanks,” she told his man of business, and she went to her husband’s door and walked in.

  Damon was sitting at his desk, going through some papers that were scattered about in total disarray. This was so unlike him that she took a minute to watch him as he cursed under his breath. He was such a meticulous man in everything he did.

  “What are you searching for, darling? Do you need my help?”

  He raised those gorgeous unusual eyes, and as he saw her, a slow, dazzling smile crossed his face. His eyes went from silvery grey to smoldering dark silver. It never failed to ignite a fire within her.

  “No, sweetheart, you’ll only create a bigger mess than what I already have here. I’ll finish this later.”

  She gave him a skeptical look. Damon walked around the desk, sat on the edge, and pulled her between his thighs. “My fiery redhead,” he murmured and then gave her one of his deep, hungry kisses.

  “I’ll create a bigger mess?” she asked, entwining her arms around his neck. She then kissed him back with all the fire he accused her of having.

  They’d been married for a little over one year, and she still couldn’t get used to the fact that he was hers—mine, she thought possessively as she kissed him ravenously. Their first child would arrive in three months, and she still got all hot and bothered when he looked at her like he was doing now.

  “You could have finished searching for whatever you were searching for,” she told him.

  “I wouldn’t want to keep you waiting.”

  “I don’t mind waiting if it means watching you make a mess of your usually tidy desk. You looked so helpless. I have a burning need to help you.”

  “You have a burning need? We can’t have that. You know what I’ll do with you, a burning need, and an office desk. Do you need me to refresh your memory?”

  “Yes,” she said as she moved closer to the source of heat that was drawing her like a magnet.

  She felt his smile against her mouth as he hovered there, looking into her eyes. Reaching down, he rubbed her stomach, and the baby moved, responding to his touch.

  “I still can’t get over the fact that soon I’ll be a father. I worry if I’ll be a good father, like my dad.”

  “I think you’ll be a great father, like your dad. And if you should ever falter, I’ll be there to remind you.”

  She knew he thought about his experience with Izzabella and blamed himself. He took it very hard when he had to fire Thorpe. They had practically grown up together.

  She reminded him that Thorpe had made his choice when he committed adultery with his best friend’s wife. To every action, there was a consequence, and Damon was not responsible for the choices other people made.

  Damon smiled and pulled her closer into this heat of his body. “How did the doctor visit go?”

  “Fine, the doctor said the baby is doing great.”

  “Does this mean we can still play rough?” Spoken like a true man.

  “I don’t see why not.”

  “That great,” he said, “because I suddenly have this overwhelming need to have my favorite meal.”

  “And what’s your favorite meal?” she asked, taking his ear lobe between her teeth.

  “I’ll do you one better. Why don’t I show you, seeing how it was just delivered?”

  And keeping his right arm around her waist, he began by sweeping everything off his desk. Then, walking to the door, he slid the lock home and began undressing.

  By the time he got to where she was standing next to his desk, he did not have a stitch of clothing on. She, on the other hand, was fully clothed. Seeing her watching him, he said, “Good, you waited for me to do the honors of undressing my wife.”

  He was as comfortable in his nakedness as he was fully clothed.

  “I’ve never seen a man who was as comfortable being naked as you are.”

  “And just how many men have you seen naked?” he asked with a soft growl.

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “You brought it up. Now I’ll have to come up with a way to get the answer from you.”

  “No, you won’t,” she responded.

  “You will too,” he promised, reaching for the hem of her top.

  Obeying his wordless urging, she lifted her arms and let him remove her top. She kicked off her shoes and stood before him in her stocking feet and skirt. She wore no bra. He reached behind her and undid her skirt. She stepped out of it, and now she was wearing only stockings and panties.

  “Look at you, you’re beautiful,” he told her as he trailed his hand over her back, raising goose bumps on every
inch of her skin.

  He applied slight pressure to her back, bringing her body fully against his. Her nipples sank into the hair that covered his chest, stiffening them instantly. His body was incredibly hot, his erection burning through the nylon of her stockings and panties.

  It prodded against her mons until he slid his hand beneath the waist of the stockings and divested her of both stockings and panties. He pushed her thighs wide apart and slid his hands beneath her butt, lifting her just enough to give him easy access to her body.

  A moan rose in her throat as his tongue searched through the damp curls until he found the swollen tip hidden there. He ravished her with his tongue, licking, sucking, and then filling her with its silken heat. Franchesca thought she would go crazy.

  “Darling, please, please,” she panted. But he continued to deny her what she really wanted. Frustrated beyond measure, she reached down to his head and felt his brief laugh as he travelled downward, kissing every square inch of her legs and ankles. By the time he made his way back to her pussy, her entire body was on fire.

  She held her breath, aware of the hot trickle of fluid escaping from her. His tongue came out and gave her a lick, applying pressure with his lips. Franchesca couldn’t help it. She arched into his mouth, seeking that release.

  “No,” he murmured against her damp, swollen flesh. “Not yet, Franchesca.”

  “I can’t. I can’t. Oh, oh, don’t stop…” She pulled at his head frantically, whimpering as he ran his tongue over her once more. Sliding his hands beneath her buttocks, he lifted her, stood, and brought her down onto his stiff flesh. He then walked with her impaled on his shaft over to his desk. Grabbing hold of her wrists, Damon pulled them over her head and settled his body between her thighs. His eyes were almost all black, the steel grey all but disappeared as he stared directly into hers.

  “Tell me, how many men have you seen naked?”

  Franchesca could not believe he was still going on about that. He was like a dog with a bone. He kissed her breasts, moving from one to the other. With each swirl of his tongue, he gave her a short thrust that teased, rubbed, and tormented while his mouth drew hungrily on her nipples.