When I'm with You (Because You Are Mine #2)(90)
His smile faded. He cradled her jaw with his hand. “I’ve always believed in you,” he said. “I just wanted you to believe in yourself. When you expressed your idea to me, when you told me what you wanted, I knew that you were starting to do just that.”
Her heart seemed to swell to two times its normal size, making it difficult for her to speak. She was glad when he lowered his head and kissed her with barely restrained passion, making speech an utter impossibility.
* * *
Lucien took her to lunch at his club, where they talked almost nonstop about the exciting possibilities for the restaurant and hotel. He had thought things out carefully, laying out several potential plans for a partnership and assuring her she could choose whichever one she wanted and change her mind at any time. In essence, he was giving her carte blanche to be anything from a full, invested business partner to merely a well-paid employee with fifty percent of the right to make decisions. When she dryly pointed out to him that all the odds were in her favor for the venture, he merely shrugged unconcernedly.
“It’s such a good idea, I would have risked more to be a part of it,” he said levelly. Despite his assurance, Elise couldn’t help but feel that he was doing this as a very special favor to her . . . giving her the priceless gift not only of the unique, excellent location and opportunity, but of his vast experience. No other entrepreneur would ever offer her a tenth of what Lucien proposed. His belief in her was like a charm stored safe away in her heart, a talisman that was forever within her reach.
His belief in her had magically segued into a belief in herself.
After a light lunch, they rode on the grounds, Elise enjoying the physical activity and glorying in spending exclusive time with the man with whom she’d fallen in love.
It seemed pointless at this juncture to keep denying it.
They dismounted at a wooded lake and tethered the horses. She sat next to Lucien on a nearly horizontal branch of a low-lying oak tree, leaning back against his strong thigh. He put his arm around her, opening his hand below her waist, and they stared out at the peaceful surface of the mirrored lake.
“Lucien?” she asked after a moment. “Have you spoken to your father at all since he’s been in prison?”
“No,” he replied, moving his chin idly in her hair.
“Are you angry with him? For what he did?”
“Yes. Not as much as I used to be, but still . . .” He paused and kissed the top of her head. “He took advantage of a lot of people because of his own greed. The company that he stole the industrial patents from was publicly owned. His actions could have potentially driven the stock down to nothing. Thousands of people would have lost their investment savings and jobs.”
She sighed, sensing his bitterness over the blind depravity of his adopted father’s greed. “And then he embroiled you in it all,” she murmured. “The police questioned you. He was sent to prison, leaving you his tainted empire. No wonder you never wanted to touch any of it.”
His hand moved below her belly, stroking her, creating a heavy, pleasant feeling at her core. “I’m going to have to stop running from his legacy, no matter how tainted it is. It’s my responsibility.”
She turned to gaze into his sober face. “You’re going to accept your inheritance?”
“Not the money, no. But I can’t keep ignoring the responsibilities my father left me. I would be no better than him if I kept ignoring all the people that rely on the businesses my father created.”
“The embezzled funds at the Three Kings made that clear to you, didn’t it?”
He nodded.
“Do you . . . do you plan to return to Europe?” she asked. Her pulse had begun to throb at her throat and a sick feeling swept through her stomach.
“No,” he said, sunlight reflecting in his eyes as he studied her. “I can manage things from here as well as anywhere. But I will have to dig in for the short run and make sure I hire people I trust in Europe. It will require more travel than I’ve been doing as of late.”
She nodded, relief sweeping through her at hearing he had no immediate plans of leaving permanently. His gaze sharpened on her and he cradled her jaw.
“Did you think I was planning on leaving you?” he asked.
“No, of course not,” she said too quickly. When he raised his eyebrows in a sardonic gesture, she blushed and lowered her head, a feeling of shame seeping into her awareness. He lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his stare.
“Why are you always convinced you will be rejected?”
His words cut to the quick. She twisted her chin out of his gentle grasp and stared blindly at the still lake, unwanted tears filling her eyes. What could she say without sounding melodramatic and foolish? Because every time I feel close to someone, they end up leaving me? Because no matter how hard I tried to please the people in my life, they would rather I wasn’t around?
Never. She’d never say those stupid, weak things.
She couldn’t stop a tear from spilling down her cheek, however. Lucien leaned down and caught it with his lips. He made a rough soothing sound. Suddenly, his arms were around her, and he was lifting . . . urging her onto his thighs. He turned her, so that they were face-to-face, and her legs straddled his hips and fell over the tree branch. His arms closed around her until her breasts were crushed against his chest. He held her there, heartbeat to heartbeat, his hand massaging her back in that deft, knowing manner.