Read Lucien for Free Online Page B

not? You’re not still—”
     
    “Mother,” Elise interrupted loudly. “I am not pregnant. Luc and I are getting married on Saturday.”
     
    Moonbeam scowled at Luc. “Are you blackmailing my daughter into marrying you? I saw that talk show where men just like you blackmailed their employees into—”
     
    “Mom,” Elise snapped. “Luc is not blackmailing me.”
     
    Moonbeam looked as baffled as Luc felt. “But, Elisabeth, why would you and Luc agree to do something so binding as marriage? Why not handfast like your father and I did?”
     
    Elise picked up Luc’s hand, laced their fingers together, and dug her nails into his flesh. “ Lucien , we have to tell them. They’ll understand.”
     
    “Um, Elise, I’m not sure if that would be the wisest—”
     
    She silenced him a look of warning. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of, Lucien .” The enunciation of his name was more pronounced—sweeter, almost like an endearment. “Mother will understand your feelings . She’ll understand why you couldn’t bring yourself to cheapen your feelings for me by having an affair.” She punctuated the word ‘feelings’ with sharp jabs of her nails in his flesh.
     
    “My feelings—”
     
    “Run deep, darling . Yes, I know. So do mine. My feelings , that is.” Elise laid her head against his shoulder and kicked him underneath the table. “Go ahead and tell them how much you need me in your life, darling .” She lifted his arm and draped it around her shoulder, pulling herself closer to him and freeing her left hand.
     
    Luc sucked in a sharp breath as Elise used her left hand to carve letters into his leg. He cleared his throat. “Moonbeam, Raven, I am marrying Elise because I need her and I…,” he paused waiting for Elise to finish writing on his thigh. L-O-V— “And I love her.” Love her? Where the hell had that come from?
     
    Elise snuggled closer and patted his leg. “It took me forever to get him to understand, Mom. And Lucien is so old-fashioned. He absolutely refused to have an affair when his feelings for me were so pure and deep felt. How could I have refused him when—with his heart in his eyes—he pleaded with me to marry him and make all of his problems fade away?”
     
     
     
    Elise stifled a giggle and practically skipped behind Luc as he stalked a path through the cubicle farm towards his office. Raven and Moonbeam were now convinced that Luc was madly in love with her and they’d reluctantly given their blessings. All that was left was to tell her father, which wouldn’t be a problem. Her father’s motto was: If it’s what you want to do, princess, then nothing I say will change your mind. At least that’s what it would be if she got to her father before Raven did.
     
    Luc marched into his office and Elise followed, closing the door behind her. He hadn’t said a word since leaving the restaurant.
     
    He tossed his jacket onto the sofa and pinned her with a fierce look. “What tale do you plan on weaving for your father? Will we become star crossed lovers brought together over the flames of your computer? With me rescuing from the billowing flames of the desktop?”
     
    Elise beamed at him. “Daddy doesn’t need a tale. He’ll stare at you for a while and probably tell you fifty ways he can kill a man with a tie, but he’ll give his blessing.”
     
    “Forgive me, darlin’, if I don’t believe you.”
     
    “You’re just mad because you had to tell a little white lie.”
     
    “A little white lie? Elise, you have Raven and Moonbeam believing that our marriage is a fairy tale romance.” He cursed under his breath, ran a hand through his hair, and started to turn away. “No dammit, this is not okay,” he ground out and advanced on her.
     
    Elise flattened her back against the door as Luc trapped her, pressing his palms against the cool wood on either side of her head. She’d never seen him like this. He was seething. “Um, Luc, I, uh—”
     
    He