Wronged (The Cuvier Widows Book 1) (22 page)

Strolling down the street, they came upon a
puddle that stretched several feet in front of them. It was deep
and muddy enough to ruin the hem of Marian’s dress and too wide to
jump. They stood there a moment staring at the pool of water.

“My dress. What do we do now?” Marian
asked.

Louis glanced around trying to find a way
around and saw mud in all directions. “There’s only one thing we
can do.”

He bent down and scooped her up into his
arms.

“Louis,” she exclaimed and then started to
laugh, her voice bubbly in the evening air. “Put me down.”

Her dress fluttered in the breeze exposing
her lacy drawers and he wished the breeze would blow the hem of her
dress higher. Just enough to give him a glimpse of her long
graceful limbs. Quickly, she pushed the skirt down, covering her
feminine undergarments.

The evening shadows loomed as he stepped
across the puddle and stood her gingerly on the ground again, his
arms feeling particularly empty as he released her. What was it
about this woman that kept him in a constant state of awareness?
Still, she wore pretty pantaloons and he had caught a glimpse of a
trim ankle.

“I had no coat to throw across the water,” he
said grinning at her as if he’d just rescued the princess.

She shook her head and laughed again. “I’ve
never been carried across a puddle before. Thank you, Mr. Fournet,
for being such a gentleman.”

“My pleasure, ma’am.” Feeling her in his
arms, the sweet smell of magnolias, and her satiny skin against his
more than rewarded his efforts.

They weren’t far from Evette’s, yet he wished
they could avoid the dinner party. So seldom were they alone and he
enjoyed the times when it was just the two of them.

He liked the way she laughed and the way her
eyes twinkled when she teased him. For more than a week, he’d found
himself watching for her, waiting, hoping to catch a glimpse of
her, and have her glance at him from across the hall. Sometimes he
felt as if they were dancing, mirroring each other’s moves,
circling one another, waiting for that moment when they would move
into each other’s arms..

They arrived at Evette’s home and a servant
ushered them through the entry hall into a room where a large
wooden staircase spiraled to the next floor. A crystal chandelier
hung suspended from the ceiling, the lighting soft, and music
played under the sound of talk. They were led into the main room of
the house, where a small crowd of people gathered, listening to a
man playing a piano.

“Mrs. Cuvier, I’m so glad that you came,”
Evette said, coming forward to greet them. She turned her attention
to Louis, grabbing both of his hands and reached up and kissed his
cheeks. “As always, a pleasure,
cheri.
“ She stepped back
and released his hands. “Please help yourselves to a drink and join
the others. We’re still waiting for a few guests, but we should eat
soon.”

A servant approached them with a tray of
drinks and Louis handed Marian a glass of champagne.

“Thank you. Do you know many of these
people?” Marian asked Louis, as she gazed about the room filled
with men and women dressed in the latest fashions. He nodded to
someone he knew.

“Yes, most of them have been to other dinner
parties Evette has held,” Louis said watching her.

Marian sipped her champagne and gazed up at
him. The light shimmered from her smoky eyes with a glint that
hinted at mischief. “Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?
If you wish, you can tell me it’s none of my business.”

He watched her expression, wishing he could
kiss the upturned comers of her mouth. “All right.”

“Are you and Evette just friends or something
more that’s none of my business?”

Comforted he could answer her question
without offending her, he took Marian by the arm and led her toward
a loveseat in the corner. “We’re just good friends, nothing
more.”

“Friends are nice to have,” Marian said, a
relieved expression on her face, though why he didn’t understand.
She had nothing to fear from Evette. They sat down on the loveseat
and sipped their champagne.

“You know, we really should mingle.”

“Later,” he said not wanting to share her for
some reason. He picked up one of her loose curls and ran the soft
dark lock of hair between his fingers. “I don’t think I’ve seen you
with your hair down before.”

“No. This is the first time in years I’ve
worn it loose.”

“So you decided to let your hair down
tonight?” he asked. “Is there something you’re not telling me? A
particular gentleman you wish to pursue?”

She smiled up at him her eyes twinkling. “I’m
not the pursuing type. That’s you. Though I’ve recently decided
that I need to change. I need to become bolder, go after more of
what I really want.”

“Oh really,” Louis said surprised, noticing
the flirtatious air that suddenly surrounded her. “I thought you
were already doing that with the shipping company.”

“Yes, I guess I am,” Marian acknowledged.
“But there are other areas of my life that I’ve neglected. Areas
that are just as important”

“Like what?” he asked curiously.

She leaned closer to him and whispered in his
ear, her soft breath tickling him. “I’ve decided to take a
lover.”

Louis gasped just as he took a sip of
champagne. He started to choke.

“After all, I am a widow, I can do that
now.”

Louis sat coughing, trying to catch his
breath, unable to speak, only stare at Marian. My God, was she
serious?

Marian pounded him on the back. “Are you all
right? I guess I should have waited until you weren’t drinking to
let you know my plans.”

“You are joking, right?” Louis said, as he
gasped for air, the image of her naked with another man causing him
sudden discomfort

Oh, God, he had to save her from herself. He
was going to have to protect her from a lecherous man who would
only use and abandon her.

“No,” she said, her face an innocent mask.
“I’m serious.”

Before Louis could recover from the shocking
news Marian had just delivered, Evette found them, her gown
rustling as she bustled about “Darlings, there you are. Everyone is
here now, so we’re going to the dining room. Louis, I’ve seated
Marian next to you. Take good care of her.”

She hurried off to hustle more people toward
the dining room.

Louis, who could finally breathe again, stood
and helped Marian to her feet. Who could she intend to seduce?

Jean had been dead for almost three months
and already she was searching for someone to take his place. Yet
she hadn’t said remarry. She specifically said she sought a lover.
So why was Marian suddenly interested in a man’s touch? Could
Evette’s theory be true, that she’d never experienced passion?

He took her by the arm and they walked into
the dining room. He seated her at the table, his mind cataloging
all the men who worked at Cuvier Shipping, their customers, and the
men he met at Jean’s funeral. None of the candidates were worthy
and the thought of her with another man left an unpleasant taste in
his mouth.

He leaned close to her ear and whispered. “So
just who are you planning to seduce?”

She smiled at him, her gray eyes sparkling in
the candlelight from the table. “Now that, dear sir, is something a
lady does not disclose.”

Louis stared at her stunned for the second
time that evening. For a moment he couldn’t move. Could her refusal
to answer him mean that she intended to seduce him?

The blood seemed to drain from his limbs into
one area of his body, the area that didn’t need to be reminded of
the beautiful woman sitting at his side.

Who was he kidding? He’d wanted Marian for
months now and suddenly it seemed as if he might be going to get
his opportunity. Tonight.

The reasons for her dismissal of the servants
and the children’s overnight stay at Claire’s suddenly became
clear. Everyone was conveniently gone so they could have a night of
passion. If he went back to the house on Josephine Street, he could
probably make love to Marian. Hadn’t he been considering this for
weeks? Suddenly he knew he wanted this more than anything. He
wanted Marian.

The thought tantalized him, and left him
hungry with desire. Part of him wanted to run out the door and take
Marian now, while another part of him warned of the complications
this could create. He pushed the thought aside, he wanted
Marian.

He swallowed, his gaze returning to the woman
who’d just given him something to contemplate during dinner. She
sat there smiling coyly at him and suddenly he knew without a doubt
Yes, she’d decided to take a lover, but it wasn’t anyone he didn’t
know.

She meant to seduce him.

“Eat quickly, Marian,” he whispered. “Eat
quickly, so we can leave.”

***

On the walk home, tension wrapped around them
like a cloak. Marian felt so aware of the man walking beside her,
she could barely think. She felt like such an idiot for divulging
so much information to Louis at the party. She hadn’t meant to tell
him that much, just tantalize him a bit. But the more she thought
about the elaborate scheme she and Claire had hatched, the more
ridiculous the plot seemed.

In fact, the closer the moment came, the more
Marian just wanted to back out. Obviously she had never pleased
Jean with their lovemaking. How did she know Louis wouldn’t feel
the same? What if Louis wanted nothing more to do with her? What if
she couldn’t go through with the act? Or what if she did?

Dear God, she was mad. A sane and rational
woman would never consider intimacy with a man known for escorting
so many different women. But that was exactly the reason she wanted
him. No other man she knew would be suitable for her experiment
tonight. Marian could be intimate with Louis without worrying about
ties being forged between them. After all he did this with other
women all the time. With him she could prove to herself that she
was desirable.

When they arrived at the house, Marian
fumbled in her reticule for her key, her hands shaking nervously.
Oh God, what must she do now? Marriage had not prepared her for
seduction.

He reached for her handbag and withdrew the
key, placing the metal in the lock and opening the door easily.

They moved into the darkened hallway,
awareness running like a taut wire between them.

“Thank you,” she said.

He stepped up to her and before she could
turn away, he pulled her into his arms and pressed her back against
the door, his hardened body clearly indicating what he had in
mind.

His mouth covered hers in the darkness,
consuming her in an exciting, demanding kiss that left her clinging
to him as he expertly savored her. His tongue parted her lips,
searching, exploring her mouth as his hands slid down her torso.
Just when she thought she would expire in his arms, he broke the
kiss, his breath harsh-sounding in the darkness.

The doubts came rushing in and she wanted to
tell him to hurry before she changed her mind.

With one hand he gently held her chin and
turned her face back to his gaze. In the darkness she was unable to
see the expression in his eyes, but she could feel the strength and
power in his limbs. She leaned into him, absorbing his might.

“Do you want to do this, Marian?” he asked,
his voice so deep and warm touched a chord deep inside her that
left her hungry and wanting. Still pressed against the door, the
dark house surrounding them, he touched his lips to the side of her
neck. “Be certain.”

Wherever his lips touched her flesh, she felt
a tingle, causing her to shiver in anticipation. “I do...but I’m
afraid.”

His teeth found her earlobe and then his
breath grazed her ear, his tongue sending warm shivers through her,
as her breath quickened.

“What are you afraid of?” he asked, taking
his time, nibbling on her ear, his hands caressing her through the
silken dress.

“I...I just am.” She couldn’t tell him the
truth that she was so undesirable that her husband had not been to
her bed in many years. “It’s been such a long time,” she finally
said, pressing her breasts against his chest, feeling them crushed
and aching against him.

He kissed her temple, her face, moving closer
to her mouth, taking a lifetime to reach her lips. God, she’d
waited what felt like an eternity to feel his lips again, and now,
all she wanted for him to do was take her.

He released her and pulled her through the
darkened hallway into the family room, with its comfortable sofas
and tall chairs.

“Have you ever made love in this room
before?” he asked, his voice low and breathy.

Stunned, she pulled back and gazed up at him.
“No, of course not. Why?”

In the moonlight from the window, Louis
stared at her as if he could see deep down into her soul. A shiver
of anticipation went through her at his gaze.

“Because the first time I take you, I want no
memories coming between us.”

For a moment her breath ceased and whatever
last bit of hesitation she’d had disappeared. Suddenly she wanted
Louis more than anything. The implied promise of no memories was
enough to convince her the time for hesitation was over.

“But, what if I—” she said, her breath coming
in fast rushes.

He put his finger against her mouth. “Hush,
Marian.”

Louis slanted his mouth over hers, his lips
covering hers and the kiss she had dreamed of for so long was
suddenly upon her, whirling her away. The damp heat of his mouth
engulfed hers and she gave herself to his expert mouth.

Was she doing this correctly? Did Louis feel
the same sense of pleasure? Did he understand that she wanted to
experience passion only tonight, that there were no promises for
tomorrow?

He wooed her mouth, her body straining
against his, aching for the promise of fulfillment, while slowly he
tasted her as if the moon would never set on this night. Marian
swayed against the rock hardness of his chest, her limbs sluggish,
her mind swirling with numbing pleasure.