The Mistaken Escort's Pleasure: A Liaison Novel (18 page)

“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.

Over the years, she had taught herself not to want anything for herself.
 
When she was hired at the advertising agency, she told herself that if she were to be let go, she could find something else—she was resilient.

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.

“Call us if you need anything,” Lucian said.

“You do the same,” Gabriel replied.

The two men shook hands before Gabriel placed a protective hand on Rebecca’s back and walked her to the elevator.
 
She smiled at the sight for a minute; she turned back to see that Ben and Nina had pulled on their own coats, ready to head out.
 
She smiled at their connected hands, happy that her friends found each other.

“Next time you’ll have to come up with more embarrassing stories,” she told Nina as she hugged her.

“Not a problem,” she said with a squeeze.

She hugged Ben next, but it didn’t last long with Lucian glaring at him.
 
Ben took her by surprise when his hand shot out, offering it to Lucian as a truce.
 
Lucian shook it, and Ben cracked a small smile.
 
They walked the new couple to the door and promised to get together soon.
 
As she shut the door, she turned back to find a heated look in Lucian’s eyes.

She smothered a laugh and sidestepped away from the door.
 
“Tonight was fun.”

His eyes traced her movements, but there was no smile on his face.
 
His look was purely predatory.

“I was thinking that they’d never leave.”

She edge close to the couch, putting it between the two of them.
 
“Why would you want them to leave?”

His growl had her biting her lip to prevent the smile from ending their little game.
 
He stepped closer, enough for her to see the hungry gleam in his eyes and the way his body reacted to their playing.

“You know why.”

She shifted farther away from him, and loved how his eyes narrowed at her.
 
Her eyes perused his body, and although Lucian in a suit was near perfection, tonight he’d dressed in worn jeans and a sweater that molded to his chest and arms, sending her heart into overdrive.
 
She loved that during dinner that he went barefoot.
 
When he shoved his sleeves up as the apartment became warmer, even his forearms turned her on.

“You are the sexiest man I’ve ever laid my eyes on.”
 
She licked her lips, anticipating being able to taste him.
 
But not now.
 
She needed to make him crave her more than she throbbed for him.

He darted toward her and hurdled the couch, but at that moment, she dashed for the kitchen island.
 
She rounded the corner, breathless and laughing, before she glanced to see where he was.
 
A squeal tore from her throat when he threw his arm around her waist, pulling her close for a kiss, but his lips stopped inches from contact.
 
She rose on her toes to get closer, but he prevented her from meeting his lips with hers.

“I don’t like it when you tease.”

“You’re teasing me now,” she whispered.

“No, I’m building anticipation.”

She opened her mouth to argue, and his mouth descended, shocking her when his tongue swept inside, taking control and drawing a moan from deep in her chest.
 
They kissed as though the other was the air they needed to survive, and he mastered her mouth as he lifted her to wrap around him.

“Need…you,” he managed.

Everything was forgotten as they came together in a rush, striving to get closer.
 
Clothes flew around the room, and they had managed to make it to the bed before he plunged inside her, causing everything to freeze with the sensations exploding within her.
 
He inhaled her breaths, as she did his, but the frantic need didn’t wane until her taut body pulled tighter and tighter, threatening to fracture the pressure surrounding her core and rack her body with pleasure.
 
They released at the same time; her body clenched a split second before waves of pleasure swelled, and broke against her.
 
Slowly, the waves lessened in their intensity, and she came back into consciousness.

“Are you okay, love?”

She reached for him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him until his weight was on top of her.
 
He tried to pull back, but she wouldn’t allow even an inch between them.

“That was…”
 
She tried to explain, but had no words.

Several minutes passed before she allowed him to move next to her.
 
She buried her face in his neck, unable to process what had happened between them.
 
Making love to him had held an element of ferocity and emotion, but tonight, something had changed.
 
She’d made love to him knowing that she loved him, and it was everything.
 
This one moment in time would be seared into her memory.

She lifted her head and glanced at his worried face.

“I…”
 
She almost admitted her feelings, but something told her to wait.
 
She could taste the fear on her tongue, but she still couldn’t admit her feelings.
 
“I’m grateful every day that I met you.”

Some emotion passed over his face, but a split second later it was gone.
 
He pulled her onto his chest and cuddled her close to his chest, before he kissed her on the top of her head.

“That goes the same for me.”

She smiled and turned her face to kiss his skin over his heart.
 
Soon—she would tell him soon, and let the pieces fall where they may.

Chapter Twenty

As they walked to the reception area from the ceremony room, close to a half hour after they’d watched Tim and Amanda marry, the tension that radiated from Lucian was close to a breaking point.

Before they walked into the lavishly decorated room, splashed in colors of deep red and blue, he relaxed his shoulders and squeezed Ellie close to his side.
 
His eyes met hers, and he smiled a genuine smile as he led the way to their assigned table.
 
He stopped short when Ellie gasped and clutched his arm.

“He invited my parents,” she whispered.

By her reaction to seeing the older couple, silent as they sipped at their wine, he knew that the next few hours were going to be torture for her.
 
He bit back a curse, realizing why the older couple had been invited.

Amanda wanted to see her suffer.

Ellie’s relationship with her parents was known to be strained, and this was the perfect way to get revenge.
 
Ignoring the rage that burned in his veins, he turned to face her and he effectively blocked her from their gazes.
 
He gripped her hands in his and noted with alarm that she was shaking.

“We can find somewhere else to sit, or we can brave this together.”
 
His hands slid up and down her arms as he tried to warm her.
 
She was stunning in a dark-blue beaded chiffon dress, and he was proud to stand next to her as the man who loved her more than he’d ever imagined.

“You look stunning, by the way.
 
I’m honored to be here with you, and no matter what happens, I’m not leaving you.
 
Okay?”

Her stunned eyes met his, and he bit back a curse.
 
She thought that he would allow her parents, and her so-called friends, to influence his opinion of her.
 
But his course was solid, and he would never stray from it.
 
As soon as they had time alone, he was going to lay out how he felt, and there would be no doubt by the end of the conversation what his feelings were.
 
Unfortunately, they had to get through tonight, and then their future would start.

“Okay,” she whispered.

“That’s my girl.”
 
He smiled.

As they approached the table, he noticed the exact moment when the older couple spotted their daughter.
 
Their backs stiffened, and by the confused looks on their faces, they weren’t expecting to run into her.
 
When they noticed his arm around her waist, again, he saw that confusion marred their faces.
 
They glanced at one another, as if what they had seen made no sense.

“Hello, Professors,” she said, her voice strong.

“Ellie,” they both said, clipped.

“This is my fiancé, Lucian Cole.
 
Lucian, these are my parents, Professors Ruth and Chuck Roth.”