“I have to go,” she blurted, surging to her feet.
Before she could beat a hasty retreat, he stood, and her nose came in contact with his chest. As his arms came up to balance her, she took a subtle sniff. He smelled of cinnamon, cloves, and apple spices.
“God, you always smell delicious,” she said with a wistful sigh.
A strangled laugh escaped him.
“You may call me God after we make love,” he replied as he tightened his grip on her upper arms.
It was her turn to let loose a strangled sound, but the hard ridge of the penis pressing into her abdomen was no laughing matter.
Finally!
His interest caused her toes to curl with excitement. Yet self-preservation had her pulling away. She wasn’t in this man’s class. His level of expertise far eclipsed her few lackluster sexual encounters and one back-seat romp in college.
“I have to go. The service,” she reminded him.
“Ah, yes. Run while you can, Nadia.” He lifted her chin, and an unholy light flared brightly in his eyes. “Soon you will be forced to make a decision.”
“Sounds ominous,” she muttered.
Luc’s grin flashed. “It is.”
Just when she would’ve fled, he called her name. She waited for his approach.
“I’ve reconsidered. Shall I escort you to the services?”
With a jerky nod, she placed her hand on the arm he offered. “Why the change of heart?”
“Because I sense your sadness, and you shouldn’t be left to mourn on your own,” he said quietly, all teasing gone.
His generosity of spirit and time wasn’t lost on her. Nadia appreciated the support more than she could verbalize, but she tried anyway.
“It means the world to me. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, my pet. Ready?”
“Why does it feel like you’re not asking about the service?” she asked with a frown.
His quicksilver smile flashed an instant before he kissed her temple.
15
The moment they stepped onto the park grounds, where the couple’s closest friends were hosting the memorial, a ripple swept through the crowd. The murmuring doubled when Luc touched her lower back. Nadia checked his reaction and would swear he expressed supreme satisfaction, but it was quickly replaced by wariness.
What did he have to be concerned about? Was he nervous of crowds in general?
The sensation of being watched made Nadia’s skin crawl, and she shifted closer to Luc.
Again, the mourners appeared shocked.
What the hell was going on?
“It seems we’ve surprised a few people,” he said.
The tension in his hand and a single glance at his stony countenance showed a clenched jaw, contradicting his easy tone.
She tugged him to a halt. “Luc, if this is too much for you, I can go this alone.”
