Wronged (The Cuvier Widows Book 1) Read online

  “Louis ...” she gasped, trying to convey her sense of urgency.

  “Yes?” he asked, his voice raspy.

  “Please—,” she said, arching her back toward him.

  “Is this what you need?” he asked, his hand trailing down to cup her feminine mound.

  His finger parted her folds and delved inside her, spinning a magic spell that left her to claw at the edge of the sofa.

  “Yes,” she gasped, as he pushed her to new heights of pleasure that touched every part of her. “Please, Louis.”

  He moved between her knees and entered her in one swift movement, filling her to the hilt. She welcomed him into her body, wrapped her arms around him, moaning her pleasure into his shoulder.

  With each stroke, all the years of feeling so inadequate, unfeminine, and rejected, disappeared, releasing Marian from doubt. Louis wanted her, he’d said so and she could feel him inside her, loving her. Warmth reflected from his blue eyes and an intense intimacy she’d never experienced before showed in his gaze as he stared at her. Passion overtook her and she lost herself in his gaze.

  She felt so natural with him, so complete and she clutched his back, her hands moving down to grip his buttocks as he filled her. With each thrust Marian felt a sense of renewal, of rebirth and the burgeoning sense of herself as a very desirable woman.

  With each stroke Louis showed her the meaning of pleasure between a man and a woman. And she realized she was complete, she was whole and somehow at last all right.

  A tightening spiral of pleasure built within her, a feeling so intense she couldn’t remember experiencing anything quite like it before. In the moments of shattering contractions and releases, her mind tumbled out of control, and she cried out her pleasure, just as she felt Louis swell within her and heard him cry out her name.

  They lay there recovering, locked in each other’s arms, their breaths slowly returning to normal when Marian felt the prick of tears behind her eyelids.

  She swallowed and blinked trying to hold them back, but there was no stopping the uncontrollable flow of tears once they started down her cheeks.

  “Marian, I...” he froze, and then rolled to his side and put his hand on her cheek, feeling the dampness. “My God, you’re crying. Are you all right?”

  “Yes. You healed me.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Louis held Marian, stroking her soft back gently. “What are you talking about, healing? What do you mean?”

  She sniffed. “We promised not to mention his name. I don’t want to spoil this night”

  “I don’t care, Marian. Just tell me. Why are you crying?”

  “Nothing.” She reached up and caressed his face. “You are wonderful. I’ve never experienced anything like what we just shared.”

  She laid her head on his shoulder and entwined her limbs with his. The feel of her soft flesh against his aroused and confused him all at once. He felt protective of her and only knew he didn’t want to hurt her.

  “Then why are you crying?” he asked again.

  “Jean and I, we didn’t share a bed for months, sometimes even years.”

  Stunned at her confession, Louis swore. No wonder she hated Jean.

  “After the birth of Renee, Jean seldom came to my bed, even after being away for months at a time. I tried to talk with him on several occasions about why he avoided me, but he never gave me the same reason. I guess I took his rejection personally. I begin to believe he no longer found me attractive.”

  “Oh, Marian,” Louis said holding her tightly in his arms. “You are an attractive, you’re an intelligent beautiful woman.”

  She started to cry again and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “I’m sorry, I never meant to tell you all this and I certainly never thought I would become upset talking about our lovemaking problems. It’s just that since Jean’s death I’ve wondered if my lack of attractiveness is the reason that he searched out other women.”

  Louis shook his head. “You’re not thinking like a man.”

  She leaned back and he could feel her gaze upon him in the dark. “What do you mean?”

  “Men who cheat on their wives don’t need a reason. They cheat because they want to.” He paused, his hand stroking her hair, the sweet perfume of magnolias rising from it.

  “Is this the reason you wanted to seduce me tonight?” he asked, suddenly realizing it wasn’t loneliness that drove her into his arms, but something else that he feared to hear.

  In the darkness her voice trembled. “Jean’s deception has been eating at me for months, probably even years. I decided to find an answer to the question that nagged at me.”

  Louis kissed the top of her head. “You still haven’t told me why.”

  “I... I wanted to see what part I played in the breakup of my marriage. I needed to know if I was normal.”

  “What do you mean, normal?” he asked.

  “I needed to see if I was attractive enough to seduce a man. I needed to see if I’m a normal woman,” she said.

  Louis froze for a moment, his mind reeling from her confession, feeling stunned. What they just experienced, she had initiated this to reassure herself that nothing was wrong with her? She wanted to test her abilities as a woman in bed with a man she’d never been with before? And she’d chosen him?

  “Why me?” he asked, suddenly curious, not at all expecting her to respond.

  “Because ... because you’re so good with women and because I needed someone that I knew.”

  He lay with her in his arms, silent. This had never happened to him before and he didn’t know whether to feel angry, sad, or pleased as hell that she’d chosen him. All because she needed reassurance of being a desirable woman!

  Saddened, he realized the pain of Jean’s deception went deeper for Marian than he’d realized.

  “I don’t know why Jean didn’t make love to you. Mad is the only word to describe him, if he didn’t find you attractive.” Louis kissed the top of her head, holding her tight. “God, Marian. He’s dead. He doesn’t matter anymore. You’re alive, you’re beautiful, and you just about drove me crazy tonight. Bury Jean and leave him behind.”

  She reached up and kissed his mouth hard and Louis felt himself responding once again to her body. Her lips released his and she gazed deeply into his eyes.

  “Thank you, Louis, but you don’t have to be kind. I understand that you’re used to women more sophisticated in these matters and ...”

  “Marian, I’m not being kind. You were everything a man could want. You are everything I want.”

  His lips plundered hers making her his, not Jean’s. Louis lost himself as he felt her naked and wanting against him. It was true that he couldn’t remember enjoying a woman more. No one since his late wife had aroused his passion to such heights and even Anne had never made him feel so much.

  So what would he do now?

  Come Monday, could they return to the office and look at each other in the same way again? Could he sit across from her without remembering her soft whimpers and the way she melted in his arms? But did he really want to?

  ***

  Louis watched as Marian’s bedroom slowly lightened with the promise of a new day. Sometime during the night they had moved upstairs to her big bed and made love into the early hours of the morning.

  When she drifted off to sleep, he’d lain there and watched her, unable to slow his continuous thoughts. For the last three hours he’d gazed down at her sleeping form, wondering what to do.

  The passion they aroused together stunned him. Still in shock from how good they were together, he wanted nothing more than to make love to her again and again.

  So what now? Every day he would have to face her, remembering her wrapped around him, wondering when she would find out about his attempts to sell Cuvier Shipping. And God, when she found out about him trying to sell the business, she would hate him even more than Jean.

  Louis didn’t want to cause her more pain than she’d already had, but he still nee
ded this new business. And he only knew one way to get everything that he wanted. Marriage. He’d been considering matrimony again with the right woman and Marian would be an excellent choice in more ways than one.

  He wished he didn’t have to deceive her about selling her portion of Cuvier Shipping, but... maybe he wasn’t looking at this correctly. Maybe he didn’t have to mislead Marian into selling if he could convince her to marry him.

  Marriage would give him control and eventually she would accept his decision to sell Cuvier Shipping. Together they could build his new sugar mill. All night long he’d looked at the different ways he could obtain what he wanted and have Marian too, not wanting to settle for anything less than having both the new business and Marian.

  Dawn crept in through the window, an unwelcome portent of a new day. Soon the servants would be returning as well as the children. He should be going, before the sunlight exposed them and burned away their midnight ardor. Before her neighbors realized he’d spent the night and made her even more scandalous.

  Would the passion they felt last night remain this morning? Or would it be as fleeting as the dawn mist?

  He leaned down and began to nuzzle Marian’s neck. She was soft and beautiful, and he loved the way she responded to his kisses, stretching in her sleep, rolling over and surrounding him with her naked flesh.

  Her eyes opened and he smiled into the depths of her sleepy gray gaze. “Good morning.”

  She returned his smile. “Good morning. What time is it?”

  “It’s still early, probably around six.”

  “Hmm. The servants will be here at seven.” She closed her eyes as if to go back to sleep.

  “I know.” He trailed his finger down her silken shoulder, wishing there was time to explore her body once again. “Marian, wake up we need to talk.”

  “I am awake,” she said, opening her eyes sleepily and gazing at him.

  “I’ve lain awake all night thinking about us. About the business, your children, wondering what would be best for all of us.”

  Her eyes widened. “Why?”

  “It’s going to be difficult working together after what we’ve done. I mean, I don’t want to be slipping around trying to find a moment alone with you, when the servants and the children are around.”

  Marian sat up, her hair tumbling about her creamy shoulders, her nipples peeking out from beneath her tousled dark locks. A frown gathered between her brows, her gaze suddenly wary.

  “I think we should get married,” he said. “I know I’m not doing a very good job of asking, but would you marry me? Would you be my wife?”

  Silence filled the room for a moment as she stared at him, her eyes wide with shock. She glanced away and pulled the sheet up to cover her nakedness, her expression filled with distress. Several moments passed before she looked at him, still frowning.

  “Marriage? Why are you doing this?” she asked. “This was supposed to be for only one night”

  “What? What are you saying?” he asked. He’d just proposed to her and she appeared irritated. He’d asked her to be his wife and she didn’t appear the least bit excited.

  She faced him, her smoky eyes flashing as if she were angry.

  “You have all these women traipsing through your office and you want to marry me?” She laughed, the sound sarcastic. “I’ve told you repeatedly, I have no intention of ever remarrying. I only wanted one night, not a lifetime.”

  “I thought you would be happy if I asked you to marry me. How can you want just one night? We could be together forever.”

  “Forever is a fairytale,” she said, her voice rising. “I chose you because I knew you didn’t want forever, either. So why are you doing this? Can you tell me that you love me?”

  Louis paused, staring at her. He hadn’t considered love, last night. He’d thought only of the shipping business and his desire for Marian. But if those three little words would make her feel better and convince her to marry him, then yes, he could say them.

  “Yes, I ... I love you, Marian. I want you to be my wife, because I love you. That’s why I asked you to marry me.”

  Marian jumped out of bed, enraged. “You thought about those words just a little too long.” She grabbed her robe and wrapped it around her nude body. “You’re acting isn’t convincing, Louis. Why would a man known for seducing women suddenly want to marry me after one night together?”

  “It’s more than sleeping together!” he said jumping up from the bed and striding toward her nude.

  She moved to within inches of him, her face flushed. “Why couldn’t last night just remain one passionate night? That’s all I wanted. I don’t want to get married.”

  “Good women are supposed to want to be married the morning after! What’s wrong with you?”

  “What’s wrong with me?”she asked her voice rising. “After spending most of my life married to a man who didn’t want to make love, I just wanted one night. Nothing more. I don’t want to be tied to a man. I want the freedom to make my own choices, work at Cuvier Shipping, and earn my living.”

  She paused and gazed at him. He could feel her eyes upon him searching out his face and he suddenly felt uncomfortable. “What’s wrong?”

  “Cuvier Shipping...” she said, her voice dying away. “Are you trying to get control of the business? Is that why you’re asking me to marry you?”

  “Of course not, Marian,” he lied, knowing he’d miscalculated once again and now he looked a fool. He’d let the night affect his thinking and should have realized she would recognize his ploy to acquire the business.

  She glared at him, her face flushed, her eyes wide with anger, her body shaking, madder than he’d ever seen her.

  “Why did you have to ruin last night, Louis, by offering to marry me? I just wanted one night of passion and now you’ve tainted the memory by asking me to marry you.” She seemed to run out of steam. “Get dressed and get out.”

  ***

  Later that morning, Marian watched from the window as the carriage arrived with Claire and her children inside. God, she dreaded facing Claire. How much should she tell her sister? Wonderful night, fantastic lovemaking, until he’d ruined the night by proposing?

  How many women turned down a marriage proposal the morning after being so intimate with a man?

  Once he’d left this morning, she’d thrown herself into cleaning Jean’s old bedroom. The time to purge her life of Jean’s personal belongings and put him in the past had come.

  The midnight’s moonbeams had touched and healed her, while the morning sun’s glare left her disturbed and disappointed that Louis could be such a cad. To think he would deliberately marry her just to get his hands on Cuvier Shipping!

  Now doubts crept in like spring ants crawling their way through cracks. If he would propose to gain control of the business, should she believe he had really accepted their partnership? And was the proposal just another lie he wanted her to believe for his own reasons?

  Marian pasted a smile on her face and smilingly opened the front door, happy to see her children home again.

  “Momma,” Renee said, running up the walk to fling herself into her mother’s arms.

  “Hi, sweetheart. Did you have a good time?” Marian asked hugging her daughter to her, the child’s body feeling comforting and uplifting.

  “Yes. We played Old Maid and I won. I stuck Philip with the old maid two times. He got mad at me.” She leaned back and looked up at her mother, her arms still around her. “What did you do?”

  “I went to a dinner party with Mr. Fournet. Then today I’ve been cleaning out your father’s room,” she said.

  “Oh,” said Renee and stared at her mother for a moment. “What are you going to do with Papa’s things?”

  “Today you and Philip can go through them and pick out what you want and the rest we’ll give away to charity,” Marian told her daughter.

  “All right,” Renee replied in a subdued voice. “It’s going to be strange not seeing his stuff.
”

  “You’re right,” Marian acknowledged. Philip and Claire walked up.

  “Hello, Mother!”

  “Hello, son. Did you have a good time?”

  Philip glanced at his younger sister. “It was all right. What’s to eat?”

  “I smelled lunch a little while ago. Go check the kitchen.”

  Philip started toward the kitchen, the smell even now drifting on the breeze.

  “Me, too!” Renee said, running after her brother and leaving Marian alone with Claire.

  “Well?” Her sister smiled at her. “You look a little peaked this morning. What happened?”

  Marian shrugged as if it meant nothing. “The evening was lovely.”

  “And?” Claire said, her face lighting up into a grin.

  “I’m really tired.”

  “That’s usually a promising sign that someone didn’t get enough sleep the night before.”

  Marian shrugged. “Come into the parlor where we can talk.”

  She led her sister into the small room not certain what she intended to tell Claire. She’d have to tell her sister something or Claire would never let her have any peace, but the night had been intimate. She didn’t want to discuss the way Louis pleasured her until she cried out his name. Some things were private. Some things hurt too much to remember.

  After Claire walked in the door, Marian closed it firmly behind her. She turned and faced her sister. “I’m tired and I really don’t want to discuss the details of last night” Marian took a deep breath. “But I will tell you this much. We came back here after dinner last night and, yes, we made love.”

  Her sister smiled and then she frowned. “You’re all right aren’t you? He didn’t hurt you?”

  Marian shrugged and walked away. “I’m fine. Actually last night was really good.”

  Claire took a seat on the couch. “Then why aren’t you happy?”

  “I’m fine, really. It’s just that before he left this morning we had an argument”

  “I see. Then you’re not upset about what you did with Louis?” Claire asked Marian, her eyes questioning. Claire took a seat on the settee.