Weddings: The Proposals

“Wouldn’t Guy’s son be all right to ask?”

“No. He’s good friends with his uncle. They share everything. I have no doubt Raoul vets Paul about me. I don’t want to give him anything he can use against me. The other night Paul told him I’d gone out in the limo and the next thing I knew, Raoul came to find me.”

“Sounds thrilling to me.”

“It would have been if I thought Raoul didn’t have another agenda, but he does. That’s why if I were to ask Paul any questions that didn’t have to do with him, it would stir things up. I’m trying to stay out of trouble and mind my own business.”

“Your life story is better than the latest vampire novel I’m reading.”

At that remark Laura laughed. When it subsided she said, “Raoul would make a gorgeous vampire.”

“According to your description, he’d make a gorgeous—”

“Don’t say it,” Laura broke in. “I can’t afford to think it.”

“But you have thought it. I can hear it in your voice.”

“It’s this place, Cindy, it’s out of this world.”

“Then what are you going to do about Raoul?”

She moved her arm in front of her eyes. “Nothing.”

“You mean you’re going to let nature take its course.”

“That’s the way it has to be. Now I’ve kept you up too late and you need your beauty sleep. I’ll be seeing you in about ten days, but I’ll call you before then. Take care.”

“You, too.”

Laura rang off, thinking about everything they’d discussed. As she lay there soaking up the sun, she felt a cloud pass over. That was odd. She hadn’t seen any clouds on the horizon this morning. She removed her arm to look up at the sky and let out a slight gasp.

It was Raoul blocking the sun’s rays. He was supposed to be at work! Had he heard any of her conversation with Cindy before he’d moved right in front of her? She found herself the object of his piercing black scrutiny. It took her breath.

He looked impossibly striking in a light-gray business suit that molded his hard-muscled body to perfection. After two days’ deprivation, to have this kind of reaction to him alarmed her.

She sat up and got to her feet. Her sleeveless pink blouse and white shorts covered her adequately, but when his gaze roved over her she trembled for no reason. “I take it you were looking for me.”

“Chantelle said you were out here somewhere. Next time I can’t find you, I’d better look under a few plants. What has you so fascinated?”

“While I’ve been gardening I found something interesting. I planned to show it to Chantelle, but she was on the phone. Then I had to take a call and forgot about it until just now.”

“Your boss?” Raoul was always quick to make assumptions.

“No, my best friend, Cindy. We live in an eight-plex across the hall from each other. She watches my apartment for me while I’m away on business.” Laura knew what he was thinking and decided to satisfy that insatiable curiosity of his. “It’s big enough to fit into my closet in the guest bedroom.”

His lips twisted into a smile. “But it’s yours.”

“Exactly.”

“Where is this thing you found?”

“Oh—it’s here! I took it in the house and washed it.” She picked it up off the grass and handed it to him. “I think it must have been a pin. There’s a little boy’s face on it. So precious.” Laura suddenly felt a pain as she thought about having a real little boy of her own. He would have Raoul’s arresting features. She shook her thoughts away, reminding herself that it was foolish to think such things.

He studied her for an overly long moment before giving it his attention. “Where exactly did you find it?”

“Around the east side of the house near the sundial.”

“I’ll have to call the university about this. You’ve just found a Gallo-Romain artifact. Most of them have been discovered on Mont Leuze not far from here. If you found this on the property, there are probably more.”

As he lifted his dark head, his eyes shot to hers. “Lifeguard, artist … now archaeologist. There’s no end to your talents, is there?” He handed it back to her.

Was that a trace of levity she heard coming out of his all-male mouth? Too late if it wasn’t because he had her smiling. “Did you have breakfast with Chantelle?”

He slid one hand in his jacket pocket. “No. I’ve just come from an early business meeting. Why do you ask?”

She moistened her lips that had gone dry in the heat. His eyes followed the movement. “I was hoping she’d had a good night. Maybe I can get her to go out to lunch with me today.”

“Chantelle won’t do that for anyone,” he said in a withering tone, “not even for you.”

Laura frowned. “I appreciate the encouragement.”

He cocked his dark head. “Once again I try to pay you a compliment, but it’s always misconstrued. I was attempting to tell you that she likes you. If anyone could get her to step foot off the estate, it would be you.” A thread of sincerity ran through his words.

“Thank you for that,” she whispered.

“When I asked her if she’d like to get out today, she told me she had a headache. Since I can’t prove she doesn’t, I have to leave well enough alone.”

She smoothed some loose strands from her brow. “If it’s this hard on you, imagine how Guy must feel.”

His lips tightened to a narrow line. “A wife who no longer desires her husband is the kiss of death to a marriage.”

There was such a deep kernel of suffering she heard in his voice just now, Laura felt a wrench for him. He’d been severely wounded by a woman. She was at a loss what to say to comfort him. It was crazy to think that after the hurtful way he’d treated her, she still wanted to.

“Was there a reason you wanted to talk to me?”

“Yes. The son of a close friend of mine is a competitor in the Tour de France this year. I promised I’d watch for him in the stage coming up tomorrow. Since it looks like the American team is going to win the whole thing, I thought you might like to come with me and we’ll cheer our countries on.”

He had an ulterior reason for inviting her, but she couldn’t prevent the burst of excitement spreading through her body. She longed to spend the day with him, doing something with him that was unrelated to the problems at the Laroche villa. Perhaps she would see a more relaxed Raoul, she might even be able to get him to open up about himself some more. And she had always wanted to see the Tour in person.

“We’ll leave midafternoon and fly to Alpe d’Huez in the helicopter. It’s a little mountain town. I’ve booked rooms there. Tomorrow we’ll be at the summit to see who goes over first, then we’ll fly to Bourg d’Oisons at the bottom to watch the winner cross the finish line. If it’s possible, I’ll introduce you to Alain Garonne.”

Those were names associated with cycling she’d heard of for years. “I … I’ll have to check with Guy,” she stammered, so thrilled at the prospect of going with him her legs shook.

“If you insist,” he muttered, his eyes shuttered.

“Since he asked me to be a friend to Chantelle, I don’t want him to think I’m taking advantage of his hospitality.”

“No. I’m sure you wouldn’t want him to think that.” Was he being sarcastic again? She couldn’t bear it. “He’s at the breakfast table with Chantelle if you want to ask him now.”

She nodded. Leaving her things where they were, she followed Raoul around the side of the villa. His long strides mesmerized her as much as the male symmetry of his body. When they reached the patio she saw that Paul had also joined his parents.

Raoul reached for some toast, leaving it to Laura to broach the subject. The moment she did his nephew said, “Can I come, too?”

“You have your dental check up this afternoon, Paul,” his mother reminded him. She turned her head in Laura’s direction. “The Tour de France used to be one of Raoul’s passions. I have no doubt he’ll bore you with statistics, but if you’re a fan, too, then it should be an exciting experience.”

Guy nodded his assent, but he seemed dispirited and preoccupied.

Raoul’s gaze swerved to hers. “I’ll come for you at three o’clock. Pack a jacket. The mountains cool off in the evening.”

She couldn’t understand the almost triumphant gleam in his eyes before he disappeared.

CHAPTER FIVE

THE girl from downstairs shot Laura an unfriendly glance. She probably wasn’t a day over twenty-two. “You lock it from this side. Or not,” she added pointedly before her gaze swerved to Raoul once more and remained riveted.

Had Laura ever acted as desperate over an attractive man at that age? She surely hoped not.

Ever since they’d flown to Alpe d’Huez in the French Alps and had arrived at the Auberge Hôtel where the rooms were upstairs in the loft, the girl at the front desk had fallen all over herself to attract Raoul’s attention. The village was packed with tourists from many countries gathered for tomorrow’s race. An electric excitement filled the air.

Everywhere she and Raoul walked after leaving the helicopter, some female smiled at him, inviting him verbally and with a sultry look to come and party with her and her friends. Though they could see Laura was with him, they considered this event a free-for-all.

Once the girl had left them alone, Raoul carried her overnight bag into her room and set it down on a chair. “As soon as you’re ready, we’ll find a restaurant and eat.”

“Five minutes is all I need.”

His veiled eyes took in the pleated tan pants and white cotton sweater she was wearing before they lifted to her face. When he looked at her like that through his sooty lashes, she felt her insides melt. “I’ll meet you downstairs in the lobby.”

With a nod Laura shut the door behind him, but she had to cling to the handle for support. He didn’t have any idea what his physical presence did to her. Was there ever a more gorgeous man born than Raoul? She was certain he’d intended to bring someone else, but that was before Laura had become a guest in his brother’s home. Since then, all plans had changed.

Laura decided he saw her as a freeloader who was taking advantage of Guy, something Raoul couldn’t forgive her for, so he’d brought her here with him. Anything to get her out of the villa where she’d made herself at home after saving his brother’s life. He probably worried she would try to find a way to stay on longer. Even if she denied it, he wouldn’t listen.

Clearly it irritated him that she felt comfortable enough to work in the garden as if she was the chatelaine and Chantelle the guest. He mocked everything she did. Once in a while he let up on his baiting for a moment, but she was under no illusion that his opinion of her would ever soften.

Since she couldn’t do anything about his mindset where she was concerned, she decided to enjoy this unexpected trip and not let his jibes ruin the pleasure of this experience. Too soon she would have to go back to California. When she returned she would demand the earliest court date possible to be legally free of Ted.

Hopefully he’d done his worst by defying the court and breaking into her apartment. Laura had a witness on this one. Not even his brothers with all their political clout could block the divorce much longer.

Before coming to Europe she hadn’t thought beyond simply getting away where she wasn’t forced to think about Ted’s next ploy to get her to come back to him. However, everything had changed since the Palio. Being Guy’s guest had meant she’d dropped from the radar screen, forcing Ted’s hand.

It felt so wonderful to be free for a little, but she realized she wanted to be divorced as soon as possible, whatever it took. Though she could lie to herself all she wanted, one truth stood out from all the rest. Meeting Raoul had made her want to speed up the timetable.

Not because she had hopes of any kind of relationship with him. It wasn’t possible because, for one thing, he wasn’t free. Laura didn’t know the specifics, but some woman had a hold on him that had darkened his pysche, blighted his world.

Chantelle had said as much, although she hadn’t used those exact words. Since her brother-in-law definitely didn’t approve of Laura, her warning hadn’t come any too soon. There were times when she felt he despised her. But then there were other times …

The fact that she could respond so strongly to him in a man-woman way in spite of his enmity had taught her there could be a life out there for her. Laura just had to find the right man and she was sure that good men existed. Look at Guy!

There wasn’t a finer husband in the world or one more devoted to his wife. First, however, Laura had to be officially divorced, something she intended would take place as soon as she returned to Manhattan Beach.

Pulling the band off her ponytail, she went into the bathroom to brush her hair and arrange it in a loose knot on top of her head. A fresh application of peach-frost lipstick felt good after working in the sun over the past few days. That much exposure had brought out her California tan, something inevitable because of her life-guarding duties.

A few new lines around her eyes reminded her she wasn’t getting any younger. One day in the near future she wouldn’t have the stamina for that kind of work anymore. Life was passing. She’d be thirty next month. If she didn’t hurry and do something about it, she could miss out on the best part—like a loving husband and a family, a child to call her own. But whenever she thought about the few years left to try to have a baby, she got too emotional. She wouldn’t think about that tonight.

Right now a man who had ambivalent feelings toward her was downstairs where more devastating salvos awaited her. She was ready. She had put on her female armor and was prepared for the next skirmish with the enemy, a man she physically desired to the boiling point. Laura hadn’t been kidding when she’d admitted the truth to Cindy.

It was the farthest thing from love; in order for that to occur you had to like each other first. You had to develop a relationship based on trust and mutual understanding. There had to be respect and unselfishness. Admiration for the other’s accomplishments. Patience for the other’s imperfections. Without those qualities, the most torrid affair would burn up in the oxygen with no ashes to prove anything had ever taken place.

Laura went back into the room. Maybe she’d want a wrap later, but the upstairs was still warm from the day’s heat. She’d rather not be bothered with anything but her tote bag. After locking the adjoining door and the door into the hall, she headed for the stairway. On the way down, she saw a dark-blond guy coming up with a Team America logo on his pullover. He bore a superficial likeness to Ted.

The color in his cheeks plus the glaze filming his eyes indicated he’d been partying for a while. She’d seen that look at the beach too many times to mistake it for anything else. And of course he just had to put his hand against the wall so she couldn’t proceed.

“Hello, hello …” He smiled at her as if he’d just won the lottery. “Am I hallucinating or are you the most beautiful female I ever saw in my life, sweetheart?” He looked her over, not hiding anything he was thinking. She was used to it.

She had two choices. Use a maneuver that would cause him to fall down the stairs, or she could go back to the room until the drunken oaf was no longer in the hall.

Then to her surprise she didn’t have to make either choice because Raoul had come up behind him and put him in an arm lock with a mastery that made her shiver. “Go on down to the foyer, Laura. I’ll join you in a minute.”

Laura didn’t stay to hear any more. The guy was big, but he was no match for Raoul. She’d barely made it to the front desk when he joined her.

“Are you all right?”

She laughed gently, unable to suppress it, now that the irony of the situation had struck her. This was the first time he’d ever shown true concern for her welfare, but he couldn’t know that the only moments she’d felt threatened in Europe had been with him.

By his frown he was waiting impatiently for an explanation.

Her eyes searched his. “If you could have seen the look of fury on his face when you pulled a half nelson on him, you’d understand why I found it so amusing. Thank you.”

He didn’t smile. “How many times a day does this happen to you?”

Not that again—”Dozens! But as you can see, I’ve survived so far.”

“If I didn’t know better,” he said in a thick tone, “I’d think you were hiding out at Guy’s for protection.”

She looked away. Her only purpose for being there was because of Guy’s invitation, not to elude Ted, that had just been an added advantage. But this conversation was getting too close to certain truths. Though she and Guy had an understanding that she would try to help Chantelle open up and face her fear, he wasn’t forcing Laura to stay.

Naturally she could leave anytime she wanted, but then she’d miss out on these infuriating little moments with his brother that thrilled and tantalized her, forcing her to come back for more. Better to let him go on thinking the worst about her. “Can you offer a better place?”

“Let’s eat and we’ll talk about it.”

That sounded vaguely ominous. Maybe he was on an errand for Chantelle and had brought Laura to Alpe d’Huez to tell her she wasn’t wanted at Guy’s. Perhaps Chantelle hoped she’d be gone by tomorrow and had been the one to suggest Raoul bring her to see the Tour de France, making it sound as if it were his idea.

It hurt to think Chantelle might have been the reason behind this whole outing. She’d always loved her and wanted more than anything to help her overcome her problem since the accident.

Was everyone in the Laroche household playing a part, even Guy, who’d known from the beginning this experiment would never work and was in denial? She didn’t include Paul. He was too young and innocent.

When they stepped outside the hotel, she realized night came early to the mountains, yet everywhere she looked people were milling around. Lots of partying was going on. She saw lovers with their arms flung around each other.

It was the kind of summer ambience that brought back a rush of nostalgia for something she couldn’t name. Dreams still not fulfilled? The hope of youth long since past? Whatever it was, she felt an ache made worse because of the aloof male whose very existence filled her body with a painful hunger. Not that she could do anything about those feelings.

She didn’t like Raoul, either. Most of the time he infuriated her. It was very unfortunate that although he resented and insulted her, he was able to ignite her senses at the same time.

He turned his dark head toward her. In jeans and a light-gray Polo shirt, he looked sensational. “What do you feel like?”

In case he thought she expected dinner at a five star restaurant while she sponged off him, she glanced at the café across the street. “Coke and pizza?”

“You can have that anytime.”

“After the crab salad I had for lunch, I’m not that hungry, but we can go wherever you want.”

He gave an unconscious shrug of his broad shoulders. “Pizza’s fine.”

The place was filled with a noisy crowd and people dancing. They had to wait for a bistro table. To converse was almost impossible with the loud music. It wasn’t bad pizza but they served the Pepsi without ice and it tasted awful. All in all she’d made the wrong choice.

When she happened to look at him, his mouth broke into a white smile that transformed him, causing her heart to skip a beat.

“You knew how bad this would be!” She tossed a wadded paper napkin at him. To her amazement he caught it. “I only picked this place bec—”

“Because you were trying to prove you’re someone other than who you are,” he cut her off smoothly.

With a few hurtful words he’d destroyed a golden moment. The demons Chantelle had talked about were too much for Laura. “I’m glad you know me so well. Under the circumstances you won’t mind if I leave you to pay the bill.”

She stood up to get away from him, but he prevented her from leaving. “Where do you think you’re going?” His dark gaze challenged her. “I happen to know you deserve better than this place or the Auberge.”

Laura felt as if she’d suddenly been caught after being pushed off a high castle wall. She simply didn’t understand him. He blew hot and cold so fast she couldn’t keep up with him.

“We haven’t danced since the pool,” he reminded her. “You have to admit it didn’t last long enough.” His thumb caressed her palm, causing her body to go weak. Her heart pounded too hard to be good for her.

“I admit it,” she whispered. When Raoul was like this, Laura couldn’t think why she should be keeping him at a distance. For once she didn’t feel like fighting him. She couldn’t, not when he’d just pulled her into his strong arms. “I haven’t danced for so long, I’ve forgotten how.”

“Then we’ll do what everyone else is doing and simply move in time to the music,” he murmured against her lips.

With their bodies so entwined there was no air between them. His mouth was a temptation she couldn’t resist and didn’t want to. They slowly began savoring each other while they swayed to the music. Their bodies fit perfectly together. She felt as though they were one throbbing entity floating above the world. As the songs changed, so did the intensity of each kiss.

“Raoul,” she gasped softly, from needs that caused her to ache.

“Deny it all you want, but it’s been like this with us from the start,” came his husky response against her neck.

While she clung to him in the middle of the chaos going on around them, she heard some American say, “It looks like those two need a room.”

Quick to respond, Raoul whispered against her ear, “Aren’t we fortunate it’s only across the street. Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

He put some bills on their table and guided them out of the bar. It had grown more crowded since they’d come in, but she hadn’t noticed. At the moment Raoul was her whole world. Laura couldn’t get alone with him fast enough.

She held on to him as they made their way back to the Auberge. The depth of her euphoria had caused her to be careless. Ted’s minions could be taking pictures, but suddenly it didn’t matter to her. Raoul, too, seemed heedless of those things that had been haunting him, making him so cruel to her earlier. Now all that had gone. Nothing registered except this sweet, unexplored heat building between them.

Once Raoul had let them into his room, he picked her up and carried her to the bed. She pulled him down beside her. In the dim light of one small lamp, his hair and skin, his features took on the cast of a dark prince whose black eyes burned with desire for her.

Before she gave in to the clamoring of her senses, she needed an answer to one question. “I haven’t asked before now because I didn’t think you and I would—” She hesitated, then started again. “I didn’t think we’d—”

“—become lovers?” He finished the thought in a silken voice.

Her face went hot. “Yes. I know so little about you. Are you single? Divorced? You’ve never said.”

He followed the line of her eyebrow with his thumb. “You really don’t know? Even after living in Guy’s home?”

“No,” she answered honestly. “The subject has never come up.”

“Why didn’t you ask me if I was married?”

She groaned inwardly. “I didn’t think it was necessary.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t believe you would be here with me like this if you were married. Despite the way you’ve treated me at times, my instincts tell me you’re an honorable man.”

His eyes grew veiled. “I’ve been divorced from my wife, Danielle, for a year, if that’s what you mean, but it doesn’t necessarily prove me to be honorable. Otherwise I wouldn’t be on the verge of making love to Mrs. Theodore Stillman would I?”

The enchantment of the night splintered into a thousand pieces.

Laura could move fast when she had to. Her job at the beach demanded it. She rolled off the other side of the bed and flew out his door with her tote bag. Within seconds she’d locked herself in the adjoining room. It didn’t take him long to knock on the door separating them.