Breaking Love (Full Hearts Book 2) (4 page)

“Oopsy daisy!” Harper laughed, her eyes closing.

Luc turned to Megan. “I think we should get her back to her hotel. Come this way.” He started to walk toward the back of the club, keeping Harper propped up as he went. As Megan followed them, she felt a stab of jealousy at the sight of her best friend in Luc’s arms. Through her foggy thinking, she realized how ridiculous it was for her to feel jealous about a man she wasn’t interested in.
But what would it feel like to have those arms wrapped around me right now?

They went through a door marked
private
and found themselves in a brightly lit hallway. Luc led them into his office and helped Harper to the brown leather couch opposite his desk. He got the coat-check stubs from Megan and called a waitress to get their coats. As they waited, he put on his long wool overcoat and grabbed his cellphone and keys off of his desk.

“I’ll bring my car around back and come get you. Keep her here. I don’t think she’ll want her colleagues to see her this way.”

Harper’s eyes were closed but she spoke up after Luc left the room. “For a bossy prick, he’s pretty awesome, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, he seems very thoughtful and he’s totally hot. Why haven’t you gone out with him?”

“You know me, I like my men under thirty. Get ’em young, break ’em in . . . But you two would work. . . .” she said, drifting off again.

Megan sat on the couch next to her friend, trying to focus her thoughts through her drunken haze. She knew when she sobered up she would be shocked at how turned on she was by Luc. She hadn’t reacted like this to a man since she met Ian years ago.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Luc coming back into the office. He smiled warmly at her. “I’ve parked out back. Let’s get our friend home, yes?”

Megan stood up. “Yes. Do you have a bag in case she gets sick?”

“Oh, right. I’ll get one.”

A few minutes later, Megan and Harper were cozy and warm in the heated back seat of Luc’s Mercedes CLS as he smoothly navigated his way through the busy streets of Paris. The contrast of the quiet car to the loud club was a welcome change for the now-tired friends.

“How is she doing?” Luc asked.

“I think she’ll be alright. She might be feeling rough tomorrow morning, though.”

“I expect she will.” Luc watched Megan in the rear-view mirror as he waited at a set of lights. “How did you two meet? You seem so different from each other.”

Megan looked out the window to avoid eye contact with him. “We met when we were thirteen. Her family moved to town and she ended up at the same school as me. We hit it off right away. At the time, we were both wildly unpopular girls who towered over everyone in the class. We’ve been best friends ever since, even though our lives have gone in completely different directions.”

“That is very rare—to have a childhood friend with whom you remain close throughout the years.”

“It is. She has really been there for me through all my ups and downs. I’d be lost without her.”

“She’s a special woman, for sure.” They rode along in silence for a few moments before Luc spoke up again. “Megan, I don’t know anything about you, but I would like to.”

“Oh, um, well, there’s not much to tell.” Megan smoothed her dress with her hands, watching him in the rear-view mirror. “I live in Colorado and work as a photographer, mostly weddings and family portraits. I’m a single mom. I have a son, Elliott, who is six. Pretty typical story, I suppose.”

“It must be a recent change for you, to be single. I can’t imagine you would have to go long without men tripping over themselves to meet you.”

“Ha! It’s not exactly like that when you have a child. I’ve been on my own for five years. My ex developed a rather unfortunate drug problem when Elliott was a baby. It became clear he wasn’t going to be able to kick it, so I had to leave him. He’s not really part of Elliott’s life.”

“That’s tough for a little boy.” Something about his tone told Megan he was speaking from experience.

“It is indeed. He tries to pretend he’s fine, but every time the phone rings he gets this hopeful look in his eyes. His face always falls a little when he answers it because it’s never his dad. It’s hard to watch him be let down by the man who is supposed to love him the most.” Megan wasn’t sure why she was telling Luc this. It was something she never talked about.

“That must break your heart a little, no?”

Megan felt her eyes welling up as she gazed out the window. “It does.”

“Men can be such assholes. Please pardon my language. It’s just that you don’t see women abandoning their children like that. But so many men do it easily.”

“I wouldn’t say it was anything close to easy for him. He’s just been so lost to his addiction for so long now.”

“So this is why you said you are done with men, yes?” Luc asked as he pulled into the hotel parking lot.

“Pretty much, yes. I just can’t risk letting another man into Elliott’s life and then having him get hurt again. We’re better off on our own.”

Luc stared at her in the mirror as he took the keys out of the ignition. “You can’t risk
him
getting hurt, or you?”

Megan felt immediately irritated by his question. “Him,” she answered firmly. “I’m an adult. If I ever rolled the dice again, I could live with the consequences. It’s not fair to do that to a child, though.”

“Have you considered that what you are doing might, in fact, be
unfair
to your little boy? You are removing all possibility of finding a dad for him when the one he’s got is a dud.”

Megan gave him a hard look in the mirror. “Wow. That might be the most arrogant thing I’ve ever heard. I’ve known you for . . . what? Five minutes? You might not want to start telling me I’m doing a crappy job raising my son, whom you’ve never met.”

She woke Harper to get her moving and got out of the car. Luc got out and tried to help but Megan blocked him by positioning herself between them.

“I can take it from here. Thank you for the ride.” Megan’s voice was icy as Harper tried to steady herself. She almost took Megan down with her as she teetered.

“I have offended you. I’m sorry,” he said, propping Harper up over his shoulder. “I have a bad habit of speaking my mind when I shouldn’t.”

“That is a bad habit.” Megan’s reply was curt.

She got her key card out of her clutch as they passed through the doors of the hotel lobby. Megan walked ahead of Luc and Harper, taking small but hurried steps that caused her bottom to shift quickly under the clingy fabric of her dress. Luc’s eyes were trained on her rear as he all but carried Harper, easily keeping up with Megan in spite of the extra weight. The elevator doors opened and Megan stepped inside, holding the door open for her companions.

Luc glanced over at her as they ascended, seeing her jaw set and her eyes focus intently on the numbers changing above the elevator doors. She was somehow even more attractive to him when she was angry. He opened his mouth to speak and then, thinking better of it, he pressed his lips together.

When they entered the suite, Megan walked down the hallway to the right. “Harper’s room is this way.”

Luc carefully put Harper down on the bed and Megan took off her friend’s shoes and hoop earrings. Luc walked over to the ensuite and brought back a garbage can.

“Harper, there’s a garbage can here if you need it, okay?” Megan spoke loudly into her ear.

Harper grunted an acknowledgement without opening her eyes. Megan tucked her under the covers as Luc walked around to the other side of the bed. Leaning one knee on the bed, he picked up two pillows and tucked them in right beside Harper, then turned her onto her side.

“These will hopefully keep her from turning onto her back, in case she gets sick but doesn’t wake up.”

Megan’s eyes followed him as he cared for her friend, some of her icy indignation starting to melt at his kindness. He didn’t have to bring them to the hotel. He could have just as easily called a cab for them. He didn’t need to help put Harper to bed either. But none of those acts took the sting out of his words in the car.

Megan turned the light on in the ensuite and left the door open partway so that Harper wouldn’t be left in the dark. Luc followed her out into the hall.

“So, now that we’ve gotten her all snuggled into bed, maybe we can have some quality grown-up time together?” he asked with a teasing expression on his face.

Megan gave him a wry look as they walked to the door. “Not tonight. I suddenly have a headache.”

Luc’s lips curled up in a grin at her quick response, but his smile faded quickly. “Brought on by what I said. I’ve let my big mouth get me into trouble again.”

“Don’t take it too hard. I wasn’t going to sleep with you anyway,” Megan informed him as she opened the front door.

Luc ignored the open door and stood facing her. “Did you forget I don’t take advantage of women who have been drinking? I just thought we could talk a little more. I would like to know more about you.”

Megan glared at him. “The only thing you need to know about me is that I don’t like getting parenting advice from virtual strangers.”

“You’re right, of course. I don’t even have children, so I really shouldn’t have said what I did. I’m sorry. I hope this doesn’t mean I’ve lost the chance to get to know you.”

Megan gave him a confused look. “Why would you even want to? I highly doubt that you and I have anything in common. I’m just a boring small-town soccer mom.”

Luc squinted a little, considering what she was saying. “I think that is what you want people to see, but there is so much more to you. I see the passionate woman you’ve hidden away, and I can tell she is incredible.”

“That’s a great line, Luc. But really, I’m no more than what you see. Less, even. Tonight I’m dressed like someone else. If you saw me at home, you wouldn’t even give me a second look.”

“I find that hard to believe. You might be able to fool everyone else—yourself, even—but you’ll never convince me.” His gaze fell on her lips as he spoke.

“Look, I’m sure you’re used to women lining up to hop into bed with you, and maybe I seem like a conquest to you, but believe me when I say I’m
not
looking for this. I promise I’m not playing hard to get. I don’t like those games.”

“I believe that is true. And I believe you are determined not to sleep with me even though you very badly want to.”

Megan rolled her eyes. “You might have to at least
consider
the possibility that I really don’t
want
to sleep with you.”

Luc leaned down toward her with a bit of a smirk. “I don’t think I
do
have to consider that. You already told me at the bar that you want me.”

“I was drunk. I didn’t know what I was saying.” Megan looked away, trying to avoid his gaze.

Luc gently lifted her chin with his hand so she was facing him. “You are
still
drunk and you said exactly what you would otherwise never allow yourself to say.”

Megan looked into his dark eyes, willing herself not to take in how unbelievably sexy he was. She had never felt so confused by any man. Luc was thoughtful and caring and arrogant and insulting all at the same time. She was irritated and grateful and inexplicably drawn to him.

“I’m leaving here in three days,” was all she could think to say.

“Then you should make the most of your time in Paris,” he replied, giving her a hint of a smile.

“You should stop telling me what to do. As a general rule, women don’t like that.” She had been unable to tear her eyes away from his the entire time.

Luc lowered his voice. “I don’t care what other women like. If it bothers you, though, I will stop.” His fingers were still holding her chin up as they spoke and there was no part of her that wanted him to remove them. The sexual energy surged between them so strongly she was sure that if someone happened upon them, they would be able to see it.

“Good,” Megan replied in a slightly breathy voice.

Luc took this as an invitation. He leaned down a little farther and kissed her gently on the lips, allowing his mouth to linger over hers, savouring the taste and feel of her as though this kiss were meant to hold him over for the rest of his life. When he pulled back, Megan’s eyes were still closed. He smiled, knowing he was right about her.

“I will see you tomorrow, Megan.”

She opened her eyes and let out a puff of air. “Okay, but it won’t do any good. I’m not going to change my mind.”

“You already have.”

With that, he turned and walked out, leaving her standing at the door, feeling dizzy with lust.

“Wow,” she whispered to herself as she shut the door and leaned against it for a moment, not entirely sure her wobbly legs would hold her up. She had completely forgotten what really being kissed felt like.

The next morning came far too early for Harper. She woke up to her cellphone alarm buzzing beside her. It was already eight o’clock and she should have been on her way to the photo shoot by now. She sat up, feeling her brain slam against her skull as she did. Turning to the window, she sighed inwardly, seeing rain pour down outside. In an instant, her brilliant vision for October’s feature article had dissolved.

“Oh, son of a bitch,” she groaned, realizing they would need to do the shoot indoors at their alternate location.

Dialing the office, she got through to Eddie, the photo editor, almost immediately. Her voice came out as little more than a croaking sound as she spoke. “Eddie, we’re going to have to save the Musée Rodin grounds for another shoot. Let’s just set up at the
Style
studio and do what we can to make it work.”

“You’re going to hate me, Harper, but I have to give you some bad news. I just found out now that the studio is not an option. It flooded this morning. Some type of storm drain backed up and the entire first floor is under water.”

“What? This better not be a joke, Eddie, because it is
not
funny.”

“Believe me, there is
nothing
funny about any of this.” Eddie’s words spilled quickly out of his mouth, conveying the panic he felt. “Joelle came down here to my desk about twenty minutes ago, absolutely spitting venom. And believe me, when she found out you weren’t here, I thought she was about to snap my neck. I told her you already knew and that you were out trying to find another location. If we can’t get one, it means we’re going to lose Anita. She’s leaving for Peru in two days and won’t be back for five weeks. And Joelle wants Anita on this.”

Harper’s already pounding headache moved from awful to “put the covers over my head, I don’t care if I die” with the weight of the crisis. “Shit. Thank you for covering my ass, Eddie. You bought us some time, but where the hell are we going to come up with an empty, well-lit building in the next hour?”

As she spoke, Harper’s eyes fell on the shoes she had worn the night before. The heels reminded her of her hangover, which reminded her of where the hangover came from. Which gave her the perfect solution to her dilemma.

“Eddie, I just had an idea, and if we’re really lucky, it might be brilliant. Give me a few minutes and I’ll call you back, okay?”

* * *

One hour later, a cab pulled up in front of Cloud, carrying Harper and a very confused-looking Megan.

“What are we doing here? Please don’t tell me this is where the photo shoot is!” She gave Harper a pleading look.

“Sorry, Megs, but I’m afraid there were no other options. Luc agreed to let us use the club for the day.”

“Oh my God!” Megan hissed. “I
cannot
go in there. What if
he’s
here? I seriously can’t see Luc again, Harper. I’m going to go back to the hotel.”

“He won’t be here, I promise. He’s over at his main office, so don’t worry about it. He sent Simone over to let us in,” she answered, rolling her eyes and opening the back door to get out of the cab.

“You’re positive he won’t show up, right?” Megan asked as she slid across the seat and stepped out into the rain, and the two hurried up the steps.

“Promise. He’s a busy man. What happened between you two, anyway?”

“Nothing, really. He’s just a little bit much for me.”

“I’d say it’s been far too long since you’ve had a ‘bit much’. You might want to give it a try while you’re here.” Harper raised her eyebrows and grinned at her friend.

They reached the door and knocked. It was opened immediately by Eddie, a short young man in tight black jeans and a fitted, black deep V-neck T-shirt. “Harper! This place is perfect! Anita is thrilled
beyond
with the two-storey windows.” His eyes darted to Megan. “Who is this lovely lady?”

“Megan, my best friend. Megan, this is Eddie. He’s the best photo editor I’ve ever worked with.”

“Hi, Eddie. Nice to meet you. I hope it’s okay that I’m tagging along.”

Harper answered for him. “Of course it is. I already told you that, silly!” She turned to Eddie. “Meg’s an up-and-coming photographer and I brought her to watch so she can get some tips. Anita already knows, so it won’t be an issue.”

Eddie looked impressed. “Oh, maybe I’ll be working for you someday!”

Megan shook her head. “She’s exaggerating. I do weddings and family portraits.”

Eddie smiled. “That’s important too, you know. Okay Harper, let’s get this going.”

Harper turned to Megan. “Do you want to make yourself comfortable somewhere while we get set up?”

“I’m going to sit over there. Let me know if you need anything.” Megan wandered over to a couch near the window. She sat, watching the organized chaos. The team was a flurry of movement as the lights were unpacked and assembled, the camera equipment was prepared and a team of stylists, hairdressers and makeup artists worked furiously on the models, who sat in directors’ chairs, looking bored. Caterers set up a craft table with various trays of food, coffee, water and other drinks. Harper had her eye trained on every aspect of what was happening in the room. Megan sat in awe of her friend, who had gone from a hungover mess to an organized, calm leader within seconds of entering the building.

Pulling out her camera, Megan started adjusting the settings to take a few shots of a candle on the table in front of her for practice. The light was very good; Harper clearly knew what she was doing bringing them here.

Two hours later, the photo session was still in progress. Megan was shocked at how long and hard they had to work to get the right look. Harper continued to call out directions as the shots were set up and made final adjustments to accessories and clothing, with only the briefest pause to take a breath. No detail escaped her keen eye. The only sign of the effects of the night before was when Eddie put on some loud dance music and Harper requested something slower and softer.

Megan stood quietly at the back, watching Anita, hoping to learn what she could from one of the fashion world’s most prominent photographers. Finally it seemed as though the entire crew breathed a collective sigh of relief, having reached some milestone in the shoot that Megan was completely unaware of. They all seemed to relax, including Anita, who had appeared quite tense at the beginning. She turned to Megan and called to her in a British accent, “Harper’s friend! Come here!”

Megan walked forward. “Yes?”

“I understand you want to learn some tricks of the trade. Come. I’ll show you everything you need to know to do what I do. It’s really quite easy.”

Megan laughed. “I think you’re being very modest! You’re amazing to watch. You move so quickly.”

“Years of experience. We’re always racing against the sun in this job. Let me see your camera. . . .”

* * *

After an hour of working with Anita, Megan’s head was swirling with everything she was learning. Luc walked quietly through the front door and stood, silently taking in the sight of his nightclub, which now looked like a studio. Immediately, Harper saw him and was about to address him. He put a finger to his lips with a wink and continued to observe Megan. She looked gorgeous in a pair of dark boot-cut jeans, black heels and a fitted, long-sleeved black shirt. Her hair was down and she had tucked one side behind her ear as she worked. She looked very much like a professional as she moved with Anita. She was eager in her attempts to learn and she laughed easily when she made mistakes. Luc loved hearing the sound of her laugh; it was so full and genuine. He wanted to make that happy sound escape her mouth. The day before, he had sensed a sadness in her. As Luc watched Megan, he decided to send her home smiling.

Megan suddenly had a feeling that someone was watching her. She turned to see Luc standing at the back of the room, leaning casually against a pillar, smiling at her. She felt her face heat up as the memory of his kiss flooded her brain. He looked incredible as he ran a hand through his hair. He was dressed casually in jeans, a slim-fitting grey sweater and a fitted black leather jacket with a mandarin collar. Poking out from under the jacket was a silk scarf in grey and burgundy tones.

“Don’t let me interrupt,” he said.

Anita looked at him and snapped a set of photos of him as he gazed at Megan. “I take it that’s your man?” she said quietly from behind the camera.

“No, no. He owns this club. He’s a friend of Harper’s. I barely know him.”

Anita held the camera out to Megan and displayed one of the shots she had taken of him. “Well, that is the look of a man who would like to know you much better.” She grinned as Megan blushed again.

Anita turned back to Harper. “Okay, Harper, I think we’ve got what we need. Should we clear out so this kind man here can have his nightclub back?”

All eyes were on Harper as she made her decision. One quick nod of her head had the entire crew whipping into action again. Luc sauntered over to Megan as she busied herself putting her camera and lenses into her bag.

She gave him a brief smile, trying to look nonchalant. “Hi, Luc.”

“Bonjour, Megan,” he answered, taking her by the elbow with one hand and kissing her on both cheeks. There was that smell again, and the way he said her name made her toes curl up. She felt completely flustered around him now that she was sober. Megan wished Harper had done her makeup again; she was suddenly feeling very plain with only her own amateur attempt at making herself up that morning.

“How is your day going?” she asked, looking back down at her camera bag so she could avoid eye contact with him. She felt he could see right through her, and she couldn’t stand that he probably knew exactly what she wanted to do to him with that silk scarf of his. An image flashed through her brain, making her squirm.

“It’s better now that I’m here. Did you learn a lot? You looked like you were having fun.”

“Oh yes, Anita is a wonderful teacher. Surprisingly patient and full of amazing ideas. She could turn anyone into a pro if they had enough time with her.”

“What a great opportunity for you, then,” Luc said. He paused for a moment, then asked, “What are you doing now?”

“Um, I don’t know, actually. I’m sure Harper has something in mind,” Megan answered, picking up her bag and putting it over
her arm.

“I’m sure she does. What do
you
want to do? You have such a short time in Paris,” Luc replied, leaning over to her and taking her bag from her. He slung it over his shoulder as though it, and she, belonged to him.

Megan wasn’t sure what to say. Should she just let him claim her like that? It seemed so forward to her. He was nothing like the men she knew back home. She found herself wishing Harper would come out already.

“I haven’t really thought about what I want to do, actually. I’m just happy to be here and go along with Harper.”

“Well, is she going to take you to see the sights while you’re here? The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower?”

Just then Harper made her way across the room to them.

Megan smiled at her friend. “Harper, you were amazing! Seriously, I don’t know how you do that for so many hours. You manage to just stay on the whole time. I’m a little bit in awe of you, especially because you must not be feeling well.”

Harper grinned at Megan. “It’s not that hard, really. I would never complain about doing what I love for a living when there are millions of people out of work right now.”

Luc spoke up. “That is a most admirable perspective. Are you two hungry? I know a great place near here to grab a late lunch.”

“Starving! Thank you, Luc,” Harper answered quickly before Megan had a chance to turn him down.

Nervous knots twisted inside Megan’s stomach. She didn’t want to go for lunch with Luc. She was completely in over her head, and she just wanted to put a safe distance between them.

“I’m a bit of a mess for going out,” Megan interjected. “I hardly even had time to put makeup on before we left.”

“You look wonderful, Megan. Believe me. You will still be the most beautiful woman in the restaurant, even without makeup.” The look on Luc’s face was so sincere, it was hard not to believe him.

“Oh please,” Megan replied sarcastically. “I won’t even be the most beautiful woman at our table.”

Luc looked from Harper to Megan as though considering her comment. “I think Harper will agree with me that you have a very rare and elegant beauty.”

Harper grinned. “That I would.”

* * *

A few minutes later, the three were seated at a round table in a small bistro, looking over menus. Harper was pleased to see that her strategy was working.

“So, Harper, what are your plans for Megan while she’s here?”

“I don’t know, really. I have a meeting tomorrow morning at
Style
, but otherwise I thought she might like to see the sights and eat delicious cuisine and drink really good wine.”

Megan smiled at her. “That sounds terrific. Let’s do that.”

The waiter brought their soup and the trio began to eat. After a few minutes, Harper looked down at her phone, pretending to have received an urgent text.

“Oh Megan, I’m so sorry. I’ve been called back to the office. I’m going to have to leave right now. I’m afraid our afternoon is ruined!”

Megan saw right through her friend’s obvious lie. “Well, maybe you can drop me off at a museum or a department store near your office? I’m sure I’ll find lots to do on my own while you’re busy.”

Harper smiled sweetly. “Oh no, Megan, it won’t work. From the sounds of this text, I’m probably going to be tied up for the rest of the day. I’m so sorry. You stay and finish your lunch. We can’t both run out on Luc.”

Luc smiled at Harper, knowing full well what she was up to. “Yes, I would be horribly offended if you just left me here alone to finish eating. I propose that you have lunch with me and I’ll take you to see whatever your heart desires.”

Megan looked from Luc to Harper, fully irritated by their satisfied smiles.

“Perfect!” Harper exclaimed. She leaned down to kiss Megan’s cheek. “Don’t be mad; this is for your own good,” she whispered in her ear. She discreetly dropped a condom into Meg’s open purse and gave her a little wink.