Page 13 of Lucien & Olivia

I stared at him for a long time. The older he got, the more he said things like this. A lot of them I didn’t understand, maybe because I was seventeen years behind him.

He leaned in and kissed my forehead. “He’ll come back to us. You just have to love him enough to let him get hurt first.”

Lucien stirs in the bed and I jerk from my memory and turn. He’s sitting up in the bed, face half shadowed with stubble. His hair is tousled and it looks so sexy that I can’t keep from biting my lip.

“What’s funny?” he said, his voice raspy with sleep.

I shake my head. He gets up and crosses to me, spinning me around and pulling my body back against his. His mouth presses kisses up the side of my neck and he grinds his hips against my ass, pushing his morning erection into me.

“Let’s get you downstairs and have some breakfast,” he murmurs.

I lean back against his shoulder. His kisses my shoulder and warmth spreads through my body.

“What are you doing? Watching the snowfall?” he asks.

I shake my head. “I was thinking about Marco. I hope he ends up with Freja, I feel like she’ll balance him out.”

“I think there’s a good chance he will,” Lucien says. “He’ll be easier to marry off than Hugo at least. Hugo’s only prospect will be an arranged match, although I already feel sorry for the girl who has to marry him.”

I turn around and give him a severe look. “Lucien, that’s mean.”

“It’s honest. He’s a fucking psycho.”

“And he’s your son.”

“He’s also the son who spent the last seventeen years terrorizing me in my own home. I should have sent him to a military school.”

“Lucien!”

“I’m joking, baby.” He bends and kisses me, effectively shutting me up. “The boys will all be alright, Liv. Let’s not worry about anything. I think there’s a hot coffee calling your name in the cafe downstairs.”

I can tell part of him believes what he says and the other part likes to shock me. I roll my eyes once he’s safely in the bathroom. It’s too early to be bent over his lap. He showers while I dress and do my makeup and hair. Then I get the luxury of standing in my lace bra and panties, applying lipstick, while I watch him put on a sharp, tailored suit. He’s a little leaner than he was on the island and the suit fits him perfectly.

I put on a sweater dress and wind my hair into a demure bun at the nape of my neck. His eyes follow me, always hungry when he watches me get ready, as I slip my earrings in and put my wedding band on.

“Wear your diamonds, baby,” he says.

I shake my head, turning and leaning on the sink.

“Those are a bit fancy for breakfast,” I say.

He steps up, looming over me. His hand rests on the side of my neck, but he’s careful not to mess up my hair.

“Alright, wear them for dinner then,” he says.

He bends and kisses me, parting my lips for a second so I feel his tongue burn against mine. My body melts against the front of his suit as I let him take me into his arms and kiss me deeply. I feel my heartbeat slow and my body relax. He has that effect on me still.

I stay wrapped up in his arms for as long as possible. It feels natural, it feels so easy it’s hard to believe I was ever uncomfortable around him. Beneath my ear, I can hear his blood pump. Thump, thump, in his chest. It’s a familiar rhythm, one that I would recognize anytime, anywhere. It’s one half of the heartbeat that makes up our home, our family.

He pulls back, kissing my forehead through my bangs.

“Let’s go down and have breakfast, baby,” he says. “ We have places to be later, but right now I want to spend time with my wife.”

I slip my hand in his and let him lead me out into the hall. The hotel glitters as the morning sunlight catches the snow. I can tell the temperature dropped because the top layer is powdery and lies over everything like sparkling dust. We enter the lobby and take the elevator to the top floor where the dining room is set with white and silver tablecloths.

Lucien leads me to the table reserved with our name and pulls out my chair. I love the way he spoils me, the way his hand always lingers on my lower back, how he opens my doors, how he guides me through every doorway.

I must be giving him bedroom eyes as he sits beside me because his brow twitches. He leans in and presses a kiss to my temple and to my cheekbone, sending a slow warmth creeping to my bones.

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