“Don’t apologize. I’m the one who should be sorry. He doesn’t hate you. I promise. But he doesn’t understand. And he’s scared.”
“Of what?”
Julien took her hand and tugged her around the side of the chair. He patted his lap with his other hand, and she smiled. She climbed onto his lap, dangling her legs over the arm of the chair. She rested her head on his shoulder.
“He was about my age when he met ma mère. He’s afraid you’ll leave me.”
Guilt sliced through her chest as she remembered wanting to push Julien away for his own good, and hers. She prayed Pierre was wrong about her. Prayed she was strong enough to make it through and stay.
“Please be patient with him.”
There was so much love in Julien’s voice she couldn’t help but acquiesce. It was clear how much Pierre meant to Julien. She wouldn’t be the cause of a rift between them. She wanted to ask him if he was sure she was worth it, but she couldn’t form the words. Couldn’t confront him about the motives for proposing in the first place.
So instead, she kissed him lightly on the neck.
“You know, he warned me about forcing you to marry me. I told him it wasn’t like that, and you were just as ready to be married as I was.”
She lifted her head to look into his green eyes.
“I am,” she said. And she believed it. In that moment, Mandy wanted to give Julien everything, even if he only wanted her because she was the mother of his child.
“You’re sure this is what you want?”
“Ya know, if you keep asking me that, I’m liable to give you a different answer. You’re not secretly hoping I change my mind so you’re off the hook?” she joked.
He laughed and shook his head. “Just so long as you’re positive. You definitely want to marry me in three days?”
“Yes.” For the first time, her answer was yes with her whole self, with no doubt. He deserved her all.
But as Julien kissed her, she couldn’t help but wonder. If she kept giving away pieces of herself to her family, to her daughter, and to Julien, how long would it be before there was nothing left for her?
JULIEN COAXED MANDY’S mouth open. Her lips parted, and he slipped his tongue inside, sliding it against the tip of hers. She relaxed in his arms, her body pliant. He trailed his fingers along the bottom edge of her soft shirt, inching it up. Mandy groaned as he swirled his tongue against the sensitive flesh behind her upper lip. He stood, lifting her and turning his back on the city she loved so much. She straddled his lap as he sat on a reclined lounge chair. He spread his legs out long, and Mandy leaned back, looking out over the city.
“I can see the Eiffel Tower,” she whispered.
“I know.” He grinned and pulled off her shirt, revealing her pink lacy bra and the delicious swell of her mahogany breasts. He dipped his head, kissing one, then the other. She squirmed under his tickling touch, and he licked the flesh that peeked out from her bra.
“We’re liable to get caught out here,” she said between moans.
“Ask me if I care.”
He busied himself kissing her chest and neck. She held tightly to his shoulders and arched her back, urging him on with little sounds of pleasure.
“Sex in the Eiffel Tower would definitely get us arrested,” he whispered. “But this is a good second choice.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Julien unhooked her bra with one hand, using the other to trace circles over her body, eliciting soft yelps from his bride-to-be.
“I love you,” she said.
“Je t’aime aussi, ma belle.” He’d never realized he could love another as much as he did his beautiful fiancée and daughter.
She was sure.
Never would she know how relieved that made him. He’d asked again and again, needing the reassurance that she loved him the way he loved her. With the same all-consuming passion. As she relinquished control to him, he knew she meant it.
He pulled a nipple into his mouth, and Mandy tensed, clutching the arms of the lounge chair instead of sinking her nails too deeply into his skin. He was almost lost to the erotic haze that would make the edge of pain an added layer of pleasure. But he wasn’t there yet, and he loved that she knew that. Loved that she could let him get to that point before taking him too far.
Mandy thrust her pelvis against him as he teased her. He had to show her how deep his love went, how wrong his father was, and that they were perfect together. No one would tear them apart.
Julien lifted his head to watch the ecstasy on Mandy’s face as he pleasured her. She looked out at the dazzling lights, and he admired the way her dark skin reflected them. She was so beautiful like this. Lost in abandon. Living in the moment.
The lines of worry that usually crossed her brow were gone, and he couldn’t help but trace her face with his fingertips. But his touch broke the spell, and she looked down, blinking.
“Sorry,” she mumbled.
“Don’t apologize. Enjoy the view.”
She winked. “Oh, honey, I am.”
He laughed and unbuttoned his short-sleeved dress shirt. She followed the movements with her hungry gaze. He tossed the shirt inside the open doors to the living room. She ran her short fingernails along his chest, making him shiver despite the warm air swirling around them. He groaned when she raked her nails against his nipples.
He grabbed her wrists and guided her hands back to the arms of the lounge chair, then slid his fingers into the waistband of her sweatpants. For many women, sweatpants meant no sex, but Mandy was always as ready for him as he was for her. He knew she was already wet. Knew just what to do to turn her on. He used all his knowledge now, gliding the pants down her hips, past her knees, and off, caressing as he went.
“Watch the tower, baby. Tell me when it lights up,” he said.
She nodded, her gaze returning to the city while his roved over her body. She was bare to him except for her small lacy thong that concealed her thatch of dark curls. The lights would come on soon. Just a few minutes. He wanted to be inside her when they started.
Julien traced the back of her thong, dipping his head once more to her breast. He sucked gently, laving with his tongue again and again as he worked the front of her thong aside. The added stimulation between her ass cheeks would heighten her pleasure.
She gasped as he angled a finger inside her slick heat. He used his free hand to unbutton his pants and lifted his head from her breast. Glancing at the clock, he stroked himself once, twice. He only had another minute. Two tops. He pushed his pants and boxers down, leaving them pooled around his knees.
Then he returned his attention to his beautiful bride. After licking both nipples in turn, he took one into his mouth and pinched the other between his middle finger and thumb. Trapping the front of her thong in the crease between her leg and labium, he brushed her wet curls with his fingers as he went. He stroked his nail against her clit, needing the added pressure, the edge of pain to bring her to the brink of coming in the next thirty seconds. Wanting to push her over the edge in an instant, he bit down on her nipple.
She screamed, her hands flying to his shoulders and clutching him. She dug her nails deep, sending shock waves down his spinal cord and straight to his balls. He freed one breast and drew her closer, pushing her entrance against his cock. He guided the head of himself into position.
“Now!”
He thrust inside her with one quick flex of his hips. She cried out, her sheath already clenching around him. He pounded into her, fast and hard. He increased the pressure on her clit, and she rose on her knees and slammed back down on his shaft.
“I—Oh, Julien.” She groaned, panting. He kissed his way up her chest.
“Watch the lights, ma belle,” he whispered. Then he sucked on the side of her neck. She raked her hands down his chest, and he moaned.
“I’m watching—Oh, I—”
“Hold on, baby. Not yet.”
He let go of her clit, using both hands to cup and knead her
ass, spreading her open even wider for him as she continued to ride him. He glanced up and saw her biting her lip, her gaze glued on the sparkling lights behind him. She held tightly to him as a low keening sound came from the back of her throat. So close.
The lights would be over soon. He pulled up on the back lace of her thong, grinding it against her ass as he slammed into her again. “Now, baby, now. Before the lights stop.”
He reached down and tapped on her clit as fast as he could with his middle finger. She exploded around him, screaming his name. Her nails drew blood as she pushed them into his skin, yanking him over the edge with her.
Chapter Fourteen
Mandy ran her fingers through Sophie’s baby-fine hair, cuddling her daughter close to her breast. She was more relaxed this morning than she could remember being in the past six months. Julien’s constant lovemaking the night before had settled her nerves, warmed her cold feet, and turned her muscles to mush.
“Besides, sweetie, if you think Julien’s dad hates you, you should have witnessed your brother’s first meeting with my mom,” Layla said. She sat on the high wingback chair across from Mandy in the Monet Suite.
“Oh, boy, what happened?” She’d told Layla about the way Pierre had spoken to her last night at dinner. It was just so easy to talk to Layla. No wonder Ty loved her so much.
“We were having a fight. And my mom…Well, let’s just say she’s rather overbearing.”
Mandy remembered Tyler telling her a little bit about Layla and her mom, but she wasn’t sure of the details. Sophie’s suckling slowed, and Mandy lifted her growing girl up over the burping cloth on her shoulder. She rubbed and patted the baby’s back as she listened to Layla.
“Anyway, we were in the middle of the lobby at the hotel in Times Square, and she told me what an irresponsible child I was being and blah, blah, blah. Basically your brother told her to shove it. And when she attacked him, I told her the same. Then we went upstairs and got naked.”
“Ew…TMI, woman. That’s my big brother you’re talking about.” Mandy suppressed a shudder. Yuck.
Layla laughed. “Oh, it gets worse.”
She so didn’t want to know. But as Sophie burped for the second time in her ear, she found herself asking, “How much worse?”
“Mom took it upon herself to get a key and walked in on us.”
“Yikes.”
Mandy couldn’t imagine. How embarrassing. She sat Sophie on her lap, facing Layla, and handed the baby her favorite toy, which went immediately into her mouth.
“Then I told her he was a prostitute.” Layla laughed, an open-throated shout of delight, and Mandy couldn’t help but join in.
“Oh, my God.”
“She got so irritated she kicked us out and left. I’ve talked to her a bit since then but haven’t really seen her.” Layla shrugged as if it didn’t matter, but Mandy saw the shadow in the other woman’s eyes. She had no idea what it would be like to have such a strained relationship with her mom. She talked to her mother at least once a week, sometimes more.
“Did you tell her you would be here?” Mandy asked.
Layla shook her head. “I’m never sure where she is. She flies around the world like some people commute into the city for work each day. She’s never in one place more than a week or two. I’m not even sure what cities she owns properties in now.”
How sad. “What about your dad?”
“He’s with her most of the time. When I was younger, I always thought he was a trophy husband. But I think he loves traveling even more than she does.”
“Works well for them, then.”
“I suppose.” Layla grew quiet, and Mandy noted the slight dip both in the woman’s spirits and her shoulders.
“So, what’s on the wedding agenda today?” she asked, trying to bring Layla out of her sad reverie.
“Oh, so now you want to be involved, huh?” Layla grinned. “I knew you couldn’t resist forever. It’s catching, this whole bridal thing.”
“Well, I know who to throw the bouquet to.”
The two women laughed just as Angela was walking into the center of the suite from her bedroom. “What’s so funny?”
Layla and Mandy looked at each other and giggled some more. Was this what it would have been like growing up with a sister? Mandy couldn’t have been happier Tyler had found a woman, but now she was delighted it was Layla he’d picked. She looked forward to having Layla as a sister-in-law someday.
“Nothing, Mom.”
“Mm-hmm.” Angela clucked her tongue at Mandy’s high jinks, just as she had when Mandy was a little girl.
“Where’d you send the boys off to?” Mandy asked, shifting in her seat. The soft boning of her corset dug a bit too deeply if she didn’t sit just right.
“Tuxedo shop,” Layla said. “They’ll be back shortly, but we gotta get a move on.”
Tyler must not have brought a tux with him on the plane. Not that she could blame him. Clothes got so wrinkled on planes.
“Oh, boy,” Mandy said. She stood, and Angela took the baby from her a second later. “Man, am I ever gonna get to spend some time with my daughter?”
“Yeah, after the honeymoon,” Mom said. “Now scoot. You have a ballroom to choose.”
Mandy barely stopped herself from groaning. Mom grabbed Sophie’s stroller and clipped Sophie efficiently into the front-facing seat. “Come on, ladies. Chop, chop. We’re wasting daylight.”
Mandy followed Layla out of the suite. The three walked down the ornately decorated hall to the elevators. Sconces lined the walls at three-foot intervals, casting a soft glow over the gold-leaf trim and bright jewel-toned carpet. If she looked too closely at the swirls beneath her feet, they’d make her dizzy. So she watched the paisley wallpaper instead as they waited for the elevators.
She never would have been able to afford a basic room in this hotel, let alone the Victor Hugo Suite she was staying in. Another wave of gratitude coursed through her as they stepped onto the elevator. Layla pushed the button for the lobby, and Mandy turned to her.
“Have I thanked you enough yet for this?”
“Of course. It’s really not that big a deal. Honest.”
Mandy shook her head. “Yes, it is. Thank you.”
“Stop that,” Layla said, wrapping an arm around her. “We’re practically family. I spoke to the manager, and they had plenty of rooms free. If they’d been booked, it would’ve been a different story. Seriously, they’re not losing a dime by us being here. I promise.”
Mandy didn’t like feeling as if she were taking charity, but Layla didn’t make it seem that way. She smiled and returned Layla’s hug. “Thanks.”
“So there are three rooms open Friday evening for you to choose from. I know we have a small guest list, but any of the rooms are fine to use. We can make them suit our needs.”
“A small guest list? Yeah, like minuscule. What will there be, five people there, including the bride and groom?” Mandy said.
“Umm…” Layla stammered, sending a panicked glance to Angela.
“Mom! What did you do?”
“I may have invited a few of your Theta girls to come visit us.”
“Oh, my God, you did not!”
“They’re checking in right now. Diedre just texted me before I came out to get the baby,” Mom said.
The doors opened, and Mandy stared at two of her closest Pi Theta Chi girls. She squealed and ran out of the elevator to hug her girls close.
“You didn’t think we’d miss this, you ho, did you?” Diedre asked.
“I cannot believe this,” Mandy said, stepping back and looking at her besties.
Addison and Diedre had only changed a bit since she’d seen them almost two years ago. Diedre had gone natural, cutting her hair in a short pixie style that framed her round face. In college, she’d sworn she would never go without a weave. Apparently that had changed, but not much else was different. Diedre still wore her customary sparkly eye shadow, a smart pair of Capris, and
matching top.
Addy had gone shorter as well, but a sleek bob with no bangs instead of super short like Diedre. Her lightly tanned skin stood out nicely against the dark black of her hair. Never one for much makeup, Addy had left her face bare. Mandy recognized the pair of shades pushed up on the top of Addison’s head.
“Hey, bitch, those are mine!” She reached for the sunglasses, but Addison dodged her.
“Not anymore, they’re not. You left them at my place five years ago. You can’t possibly still claim ownership. Theta rules,” Addison said.
“Whatever.” Mandy rolled her eyes. “Seriously, though, you guys are the best.”
“Well, your mom called my mom,” Addison said. “And I called Diedre.”
“You know we’re all a bit whack,” Diedre said. The three of them laughed as Layla and Angela joined them in the lobby.
“Ooh. Baby!” Diedre said, bending down to the stroller to greet Sophie. She’d always suffered from motheritis, and now Mandy understood why. Having a baby in her life was a constant source of panic, but also a wonderful spring of joy.
“Girls, this is Sophie. Try not to overwhelm her with your awesomeness all at once, okay? She’s only five months old, after all. Speaking of babies—where are yours, Di? And your men?”
Diedre took it upon herself to swoop a giggling Sophie into her arms. Apparently Mandy’s little girl liked being the center of attention. As if that should come as a surprise.
“Well, Derek’s home with my two,” Diedre said.
“My sweetie’s fine all on his own for a few days. I’m sure he’s glad to have some guy time,” Addy said.
They’d left everyone behind to come support her. Mandy’s chest swelled.
She turned to her mom. “Thank you.”
She hadn’t thought it was a big deal not to have people she loved with her on such an important occasion. But now, as she pictured her girls as an integral part of her wedding party, she realized what she would have missed out on if her mom hadn’t thought ahead and invited them.
“And this is Layla, my brother’s girlfriend. And the one responsible for our presence in this amazing hotel,” Mandy said.
Marietta Hotels 2: An Engagement in Paris Page 8