The Mistaken Escort's Pleasure: A Liaison Novel
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Instead of being deterred, her eyes fixed on Rebecca, but Gabriel’s heated glare stopped her in her tracks. It seemed as though Amanda had wanted to turn Lucian and his family against her. Lucian pulled her closer to him, and she rested her head against his shoulder and sighed. He smiled down at her and she smiled back, lost in their own world for a moment.
“We’ll just…look around. Congratulations again, Ellie,” Amanda mumbled. She reached for her fiancé’s arm, and dragged him away.
Ellie kept her eye on the couple, but after a short walk around the decorated gallery, with wooden floors and comfortable chairs and couches where you could sit and admire the art, she noticed they discreetly headed for the door. She breathed a sigh of relief once they had left and turned back to the other three.
“I don’t trust her. She’s planning something for you, Ellie, and it’s going to be humiliating or hurtful,” Rebecca said.
Before she could respond, Lucian did. “If she does, she’ll see how fast I slap her with a lawsuit.”
“And I have contacts who could find dirt on those two, and if need be, drive them out of town. There’s no way they’ll mess with you, Ellie, not if we have anything to say about it,” Gabriel added.
Rebecca hugged her again, and Ellie was warmed by their adamant defense of her.
“Thank you, all of you.”
“You’re family—we protect our own,” Lucian stated.
Chapter Eighteen
After a restless night’s sleep, Lucian had been wide awake for hours, contemplating the ways in which Amanda would seek revenge against the woman in his arms. Ellie snuggled in closer to him, her arm draped over his waist tightening, and intertwining her legs with his. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head before he pulled her closer against his side and relaxed when her breathing evened out.
In a matter of months, she had become his entire world. Not even work captured his attention quite like coming home to Ellie and the promise of spending time with her. And the thought of someone hurting her for sport made him so angry he vibrated with it.
He couldn’t understand the hatred the other woman had for Ellie. She’d gone out of her way to hurt his Ellie, sleeping with one of the people Ellie believed she could trust.
Even though Ellie wasn’t brokenhearted because of their actions, he knew that she couldn’t bring herself to trust another man not to do the same thing.
Their relationship had fallen into place because she was beautiful, inside and out, and he couldn’t stop thinking about her, wanting to be near her. Her laughter, her smile—everything about her was seductive, and he was hooked from the first moment she smiled at him. He wanted to prove to her, each and every day, that he was there for the long run.
The engagement ring wasn’t a gesture, or to squash rumors that they weren’t engaged; it was because he wanted to marry her. The words had escaped his lips the day in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and as soon as they were out of his mouth, he felt a sense of rightness that made him smile at the couple who stood in front of him, speechless and shocked. He’d kept the smile on his face when he walked away from the couple.
But when he spotted the stiffness in Ellie’s body as she walked away, and the pain in her face that she couldn’t hide from him, he hated that she’d been hurt by the encounter. He had walked behind her at a safe distance and watched as different emotions played on her face. But as she entered the coffee shop, he needed to comfort her, to make sure that he hadn’t damaged anything between the two of them.
Despite her forgiving nature, he still stepped with caution, not wanting to press her into making a commitment to him, or even revealing how he felt, until she was ready to believe it.
He’d been overjoyed when she became friends with Bec, but what surprised him was the willingness of both his sister and her husband to protect her. Lucian had never loved anyone as much as Ellie, and although it scared him to lose her, she had to come to the decision on her own. And he knew that no matter how long it took, when she did commit to him, it would be because she loved him. He needed her in such an elemental way that the thought of living without her caused him pain.
“Why are you tense?” her quiet voice asked.
He relaxed at the sound of her voice and leaned to kiss her, wanting to reassure himself that she was there next to him.
But nothing was simple, not when it came to his Ellie.
Their kiss soon grew out of control; she caressed his chest before winding her arms around his shoulders, and she pulled him toward her and deepened the kiss. In the next few feverish minutes, clothes were strewn around the floor, and his lips skimmed every part of her skin as it was exposed to him. Desire and need clawed at his chest, and he needed to claim her with his body.
“I never did strip you of that beautiful dress you were wearing last night.” He smiled against her lips.
“You could make it up to me,” she teased.
His body slid to pin hers to the bed. His chest cradled against her breasts as he tucked his head against her throat and nipped her soft skin. Her moan unraveled the last of his control. He lowered his hips, testing her wetness, and growled as he found her ready for him.
“Take me, now,” she demanded.
One quick surge, and he found himself firmly seated inside her. Her quivering muscles urged him on, along with her husky moans of encouragement. This time, their coupling was intense, both of them striving for something that was held just out of reach.
She brought his mouth to hers at the same time she wrapped her legs around his waist, lifting her hips to meet his, as pleasure hit as though every one of his nerve endings felt exposed.
As he plunged in one final time, she ripped her mouth from his, and whispered his name, as his body released with a paralyzing pleasure that took him several moments to recover from.
While he collapsed on top of her, she cradled him against her body and ran her fingers through his hair. It was comforting, yet tantalizing at the same time, so he rolled over to his side and brought her close.
“My Ellie.”
She leaned away from him and captured his gaze. He couldn’t decipher what was going through her mind, but he didn’t hide how he felt. He couldn’t quite voice it, not wanting to scare her off, but he knew that she would be his soon.
“You can’t belong to someone,” she mumbled.
“I belong to you,” he said.
The silence stretched between them, and he wondered whether he’d pushed her too far, despite his own warnings. It drove him to kiss her. She melted against him, and kissed him back. When they broke the kiss, they stared at each other until she moved toward him, to snuggle on his chest.
“I like that you belong to me,” she whispered.
His arm tightened against her, and they both relaxed. It was early on Friday morning, and the next day, they would attend Tim and Amanda’s wedding, and he hoped for a smooth day. He had tried to talk Ellie out of going after their confrontation at the gallery, but she had promised to go, and she wouldn’t back out on her word. He would be at her side the entire wedding, and he would protect her, if need be.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked.
“The wedding tomorrow,” he answered.
She leaned on her elbow, while her left hand traced imaginary lines on his chest and stomach. He loved when she touched him, and as they grew closer, she grew bolder.
One night, he’d woken up to her kissing down his body. When she wrapped her lips around his cock, he had come close to embarrassing himself within seconds of her touching him.
Every night, he held her as they slept and had woken with her cradled to his body. He never thought he could be this happy.
“Are you still worried that Amanda has something planned for me?”
He nodded, but groaned when she trailed her fingers across one of his nipples. “Gabriel thought about crashing the wedding, but he didn’t want to leave Rebecca alone.”
Her hand stilled on his
chest. Her brows drew down in confusion. “Why would Gabriel want to go to their wedding?”
“He doesn’t. He wants to be there in case something happens to you.”
Tears rimmed her eyes, and his heart stalled in his chest for a split second before she laughed, wiping at the tears that streamed over. “Your family is wonderful.”
He wanted to tell her that they were her family too, but he’d slipped up once, letting her know what he’d thought of their relationship. She needed time, and family was a concept she didn’t have a lot of experience with, much less a family who cared about your well-being. He knew, as Gabriel knew, that both men would fight to the death for the other and their respective families. Gabriel and Rebecca had already considered Ellie theirs, and there was nothing that he was going to do to discourage that.
“That reminds me. I want to ask you a favor, but I don’t want you to be upset,” she said.
“Okay.”
“I wanted to invite Nina and Ben over tonight. I miss my friends, and I wanted a chance to see how they react to each another. I still think that they would make a perfect couple.”
He stiffened at the sound of the other man’s name, but he didn’t want to be unreasonable with the jealousy that surged through him. So he forced himself to relax before he spoke.
“Do you want to cook, or should we order in?”
She sat up with a gasp and threw her arms around him. It had taken something so simple to make her happy. If her friend could behave himself, then he could as well.
“Do you think that Rebecca and Gabriel would come, if we invited them?” she asked.
“I’m sure they would like that,” he said, relieved. He’d mentioned what happened between Ellie and her friend to Bec, so she knew that Rebecca had talked to Gabriel about it. He would feel better with his friend there, in case the situation grew out of control. “I’ll call them after breakfast.”
“Speaking of breakfast?” Her eyes roamed his body. She ripped the sheet off that he’d drawn over them earlier, and took her time as her gaze perused his entire body.
He laughed and pulled her in for a kiss.
“You’re insatiable,” he mumbled against her mouth.
“You make me that way,” she growled and nipped his bottom lip.
It was several hours before they made it out of bed.
Chapter Nineteen
“She was so worried that her boss could have her fired for the highlights in her hair that she rushed into my office and slammed the door, hiding behind it and peeking out the window to see if she’d been followed. I thought she was trying to get away from another amorous client, but she wanted to know her rights as an employee. Turns out, her boss didn’t even notice that she’d dyed her hair purple, until both of us walked into his office and pointed it out to him. He was upset by something a client said, and blurted out that he would fire the next person who rocked the boat, but he didn’t mean it.” Nina laughed. “It was a very entertaining day.”
Ellie laughed along with everyone at the table as she gathered the dishes and walked them to the sink. “He was always complaining that my office was too colorful.”
As she gazed around, she loved that her loft was filled with the people she loved most in the world. Rebecca and Gabriel had made it, and it took a few minutes before Nina’s outrageous comments got him to loosen up. He never left his wife’s side, and she thought it was sweet. Ben was the normal Ben—teasing her, laughing with her—so she knew that the confrontation before was a small hiccup in their relationship. Nina was having a great time, and Ellie couldn’t help noticing how close Nina and Ben had become. They sat next to each other, and he held her hand on his lap throughout dinner.
“What do you mean, another amorous client?” Lucian demanded.
She turned and cocked her hip on the counter, dirty dishes still in her hands. “That’s what you got out of the story?” she asked.
The room burst into laughter.
“We’re very protective—you are going to have to deal with that a lot from now on.” Gabriel chuckled and elbowed his best friend in the side. Lucian playfully punched him in the arm and growled again, not finding amusement in the situation.
She set the dishes in the dirty sink and walked over to where Lucian sat. She wiggled between his thighs, and bent for a quick brush against his lips. She pulled back and noticed that he was not appeased. She sat in his lap and explained, “Nina makes it seem fun when middle-aged men get wandering hands as you’re trying to explain why peach should never be used on a logo because it clashes with green print.”
They chuckled again, and she noticed that Lucian relaxed, pulling her deeper into his arms. As the conversation continued, she was happy to sit in Lucian’s arms and listen to the stories of her friends.
When everyone had accepted her invitation, she was thrilled. With the six of them gathered, it felt like home for the first time since she moved in. She wouldn’t have believed that she could find her place in the world, much less in such an expansive city as New York, but moving here and meeting the people who had come to mean everything to her, she appreciated every opportunity that led her to this moment.
“Hey, Ellie, can I talk to you for a sec?” Nina asked.
Ellie nodded as she received a quick squeeze from Lucian before she turned and kissed him, and she got up and followed Nina to her bedroom. She closed the door, to offer them both privacy, and noticed the serious look on her friend’s face. Nina was never serious. “You okay?” she asked.
“Ben told me about that last time you saw him,” Nina stated.
The hurt that washed over Nina’s face gave her pause. She never wanted to hurt either of her friends, but it seemed that inadvertently, she had.
“Nina,” she grabbed the other woman’s hands and pulled her to sit on the end of the bed, “he was afraid that our friendship would change because I met Lucian, and he was scared. I love you two. You’re my best friends, and I would never jeopardize that. To be honest, I think that he’s in love with you. I just happened to find Lucian and he reacted without thinking.”
Nina bent her head, and after a long moment of silence, looked up with tears in her eyes. “I love him, so much.”
Ellie sucked in a startled breath. “And you don’t think he feels the same way?”
A shrug of her shoulders, and Ellie became furious. Before she could scream for Ben to get in the room, the door opened.
“And he loves you, too,” Ben replied.
Ellie smiled and watched several emotions wash over Nina’s face, before she jumped up and threw herself in Ben’s arms. Without realizing it, tears slid down her cheeks as she watched the scene unfold between. When Lucian slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, she giggled against his chest.
“Let’s go have dessert and celebrate,” Lucian said.
They filed out of the bedroom and sat back down at the table, but this time, she could see that her friends were happy, and everyone else was happy for them.
“I’m just glad I don’t have to kick your ass, Ben,” Lucian joked.
Ben swallowed. “Yeah, that would’ve sucked.” He turned to her. “Sorry about that, Ellie. I didn’t mean to cause you two any problems.”
“No problems. I’m happy for you two.”
Things were settling into place, but as she thought about Ben and Nina and their declaration of love, she wondered whether Lucian could love her, in time. There was no doubt that he was possessive and protective, but he hadn’t indicated that he felt more for her.
Every day, no matter how rational she wanted to be, she found that she fell more in love with him. Part of her was terrified that he would move on, that his heart wasn’t invested in the relationship like hers was, but she tamped that down the best she could, and told herself to enjoy every moment she spent with him. But sometimes, in the middle of the night, she worried that he would tell her the exact same thing her parents did. She was worthless and that no one would love her.
When Nina and Ben became her friends, she thought she wouldn’t allow herself to grow close to them, but she had; although it would hurt to lose their friendship, she would survive.
But then she met Lucian.
He colored her entire world. Whereas before, she lived in a black and white, tasteless, scentless, mundane place, he brightened her day, made her smile, and made her feel wanted. He made her feel as though she was living her life for the first time, and she looked at the world differently and found herself more open to new experiences.
Her love for him made all the difference.
She knew that if she ever lost him, lost that feeling, she wouldn’t be able to put her life back together, because each and every second with him tied her to him inextricably.
As she listened to the conversation and laughter flow around her, she couldn’t shake the perception that something was going to happen, and whether it was good or bad, she didn’t know. Whatever happened, she would remember nights like this.
Rebecca stood and pulled her attention away from her thoughts. The beautiful woman looked tired, but she was still glowing as her belly grew bigger. She rose from Lucian’s lap, and rounded the table to his sister.
“I’m so glad that you could make it.” She wrapped her arms around Rebecca, pulling her in for a hug.
“Wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Thanks for thinking of us.”
She squeezed once more before she let the pregnant woman go. Although she was expecting it, Gabriel’s hug this time was a little more enthusiastic. He lifted her off her feet and hugged her tight, before he pulled back and gave her a resounding kiss on her cheek. An embarrassed giggle escaped her throat, which turned into a gasp as Lucian wrapped his large hands around her waist and pulled her against his body. He kept his arms around her as they walked Rebecca and Gabriel to the door.