As she chewed the chocolaty fruit, he tossed back the last of the champagne. The moment she swallowed, he consumed her mouth in a greedy kiss, tasting the sharp swirl of flavors, savoring the way she opened to him, accepted him deep inside her mouth. He wanted to be deeper.

Clutching her hips in his hands, he probed her slick, creamy folds with his cock, then began to push his way in, straight to the haven he’d missed and yearned for over the past seven weeks.

Tight. So damn tight. He always had to fight his way in, and tonight was no exception. One shallow thrust, another, a third . . . Each time he eased in a bit farther, her snug walls created a sinful friction that had him hissing in a breath. Teeth-gritting patience and destructive pleasure—both nearly undid him.

Finally, he sheathed himself completely inside her. With an eager moan, Alyssa rose up to meet both his tongue and his cock. What was it about her? So lush, so perfect, so . . . whatever that he could never get enough?

Under him, her body grew taut. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders, and her legs rose around his hips. She caught his rhythm, and she writhed beneath his increasingly harsh thrusts.

Her breath, hot on his neck, feathered over sensitive skin. An icy-hot shiver nearly undid him. Sex with Alyssa was always more dazzling, more mind-blowing, than anything he’d ever experienced. But tonight, knowing she was his in every way, was killing his control.

“Yes,” she murmured. “God, yes . . . Luc!”

“Fuck, you feel so good, sugar. You’re shaking.”

“I’m close . . .”

A fact he couldn’t miss. She kept tightening around him with every second, and he had to anchor his hands on her hips to push his way in. Every thrust became a rich slide into ecstasy that had him panting, growling, needing to empty himself inside her.

“Come for me,” he demanded. “Now!”

She tensed even more, gasped. Then the moment was on her, and her eyes flew open. As their stares met, the naked connection smacked him, grabbing him by the cock, tugging at something in his chest. He didn’t stand a chance in hell of resisting her.

Pleasure seized his whole body as the climax boiled inside him, then burst wide. He shouted, shuddered, buried himself deep. The sensation was so perfect Luc never wanted to leave.

If he had anything to say about it, he never would.

They were married now. Officially, in every way. Time to put the baby’s parentage aside and make this work. At the least, he wanted to earn her trust, be her best friend, the man she turned to for anything.

But deep down, Luc knew he was fooling himself. He wanted much more. Everything she had to give. He wouldn’t rest until she was his completely.

MOONLIGHT streamed through the windows as Alyssa stretched, her body aching in a million delicious places. She marveled at how treasured and sated she felt. Every night she spent with Luc ended in mind-blowing passion, but this one . . . She couldn’t help but sigh in bliss.

After all but ravaging her on the couch, she’d nearly fallen asleep. Her untimely insomnia the night before, coupled with stress and pregnancy, had shut her body down. He’d said nothing about the interruption to the wedding night he’d so carefully planned. Instead, Luc had carried her to the cottage’s huge claw-foot tub and set her in hot water to soak. With infinite care, he washed her body, her hair—even when she’d insisted she could perform the task herself.

She may as well not have wasted her breath.

Afterward, he’d combed her hair, even dried it, then urged her onto the most inviting bed she’d ever seen, firm yet plush, with pillows and fluffy quilts built for comfort. He’d slid her between soft sheets, naked as the day she was born, then followed her down, kissing her lips gently. Alyssa had fallen asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

Now, a few hours later, she’d awakened, comforted by Luc’s deep, even breathing beside her. But then she smelled him. Tempted, she curled up against his body heat and tentatively smoothed her palm down the hard chest, traced his ribbed abdomen, guided soft fingertips over his growing erection.

Flashes of his passion and care bombarded her—the romantic wedding night she’d never expected, the feel of him filling her mouth and body at once, his soothing touch as he’d bathed her from head to toe.

Tears flooded her eyes, closed her throat. And here she thought she couldn’t love him more, but tonight his care had expanded her feelings until they nearly drowned her. Alyssa didn’t kid herself. Even if this marriage ended badly, Luc would always be in her heart.

From the moment she’d met him, she’d been fascinated. He had intelligence, coupled with a kindness she rarely saw in her customers. When she and Luc had first met, he’d wanted nothing to do with her. He hadn’t been rude or disrespectful, but merely stayed away.

Then came the unexpected Sunday morning last summer he’d called her with an outrageous proposition: the favor of fucking him and Deke in exchange for the culinary favor of her choice. He’d known of her restaurant opening soon, just as he’d known she wouldn’t be foolish enough to turn him down. Accepting had felt a bit like prostituting herself, but given her past and how much credibility he’d lend to her opening, being squeamish seemed silly.

That wild evening, Deke had departed without touching her—and Luc had been insatiable. Incredible. But he’d never treated her like a whore. In fact, he’d acted as if he’d never been so enthralled with sex, never wanted a woman so much. God knew she’d never burned for any man the way she had for Luc. The next morning, she’d awakened aching for him again . . . only to find the bed empty.

Deep in her heart, she’d hoped that their astounding night might lead to something more. So she’d be lying if she said his desertion hadn’t hurt. She’d also be lying if she said it was unexpected.

For weeks afterward, she’d tried to think of something to lure him back, hoping that the memories of their amazing sex would give her a foundation to build on. But she’d seen him again only when she’d forced him to live up to his obligation. The fact he’d resisted her advances and had a new girlfriend had been an ax to her heart . . . but instead of giving up on Luc, she’d seduced him—only to realize he assumed she was fucking Tyler and thought her little more than a whore.

So despite Luc’s “explanation,” his insistence on this marriage still didn’t make sense. She was the same person with the same occupation and the same bouncer Luc believed was her lover. The only difference? She was pregnant. Yes, he’d claimed to miss her in the weeks they’d been apart . . . but enough to marry her?

And now she was in deeper. Last night, with his passion and tenderness, he’d shattered her. No other way to describe it. He’d begun tearing away the walls she never let anyone behind, destroying her defenses. Whether he’d meant to or not, he’d made her irrevocably his. Alyssa hoped that, maybe, at least in part, Luc was hers, too.

“You’re thinking too hard,” Luc murmured and rolled to face her.

His inky hair tumbled over his shoulder, the ends flirting with his pectorals. His bedroom eyes looked black and smoky in the shadows. Her pulse picked up speed.

It would be so easy to fall into his arms, and let whatever was going to happen between them simply happen. But she’d never had the luxury of wearing rose-colored glasses. Alyssa needed to know why Luc had married her. Asking why had gotten her nowhere. If she wanted to know if he’d married her simply for the baby or the sex, she had to change tactics.

“A lot on my mind,” she answered finally.

“Yesterday was a big day.”

She nodded. “Getting married is huge, and we really haven’t known each other long. I mean, we’ve spent, maybe, five days together total.”

Luc brushed the hair back from her face. “It doesn’t sound like a lot, but . . . somehow, between us, it is.”

Alyssa understood exactly what he meant. Every moment had been full of discovery and gravity, bringing them together when they were at their best, pitting their tempers against each other when they were at their worst.

“I need—” God, her stomach revolted, and it had nothing to do with pregnancy hormones. What if Luc laughed or scoffed or became angry at her question?

Then you’ll know.

“Need what?” he prompted, tracing his fingertips over her bare shoulder. She shivered.

“How do you feel about me?”

Her question clearly surprised him. Luc hesitated, then resumed his brushing caress. “That’s a direct question, but I expect that from you.”

“I’m pragmatic.”

“That, you are.”

She bristled. “I’ve had to be.”

As he cupped her cheek, his face softened. “I’m not judging you. In fact, it’s part of what I admire about you.”

That warmed her a bit. “So you admire me?”

Like a child caught with a hand in the cookie jar, Luc smiled.

“You’re smart and tough and tenacious. Jack told me the way you rebounded after Peter’s attack even impressed the hell out of him.”

Great, but none of that added up to love. Though she hadn’t expected more, disappointment caved in on her.

Alyssa fought off the feeling. Maybe her love would be enough for both of them.

Then she sighed. She knew nothing about relationships, but doubted one-sided devotion would work. After last night, she needed to pull back, do her best to rebuild the walls around her heart.

“Thank you,” she muttered, rolling away.

He grabbed her arm and turned her back to him, fitting their bodies together. “Where are you going?”

“Get dressed and get to work. I left Bonheur a mess after yesterday.”

He pressed her back to the mattress. “The restaurant has been cleaned from top to bottom—dishes, linens, the works. Today’s food is already prepped for tonight’s opening.”

Her mouth gaped open. “Who did . . . ? How do you know?”

“I called a few people and took care of it.”

Like he’d taken care of everything else. She just kept falling over and over for Luc, with no end in sight. “Thank you.”

He was so thoughtful, good at anticipating her needs and seeing to them. Did that mean he maybe more than admired her? Or was she letting stupid hope talk her into making more of the gesture than she should?

“You work too hard.” His thumb traced the arch of her brow as he stared down into her face with an expression she couldn’t read. “Like I said, I admire you, but I worry.”

“Admiration in a marriage . . .” Isn’t enough. She choked the words down. “It helps, I’m sure.”

Luc took her face in his hands. “I didn’t say that was all I felt.”

Alyssa’s heart skipped a beat. His arm encircled her waist, and he urged her thigh over his hip, opening her to him. He pressed a kiss to her mouth, nibbled at her neck, breathed in her ear. Tingles and goose bumps skittered across her skin. Her body snapped to attention, as if it knew its lord and master, and readied itself in anticipation of his possession.

But the way he looked at her made her breath catch. His expression said she mattered. Very much.

“Oh,” she breathed.

“Now that we’re married, we must be honest. Communicate better.” He slanted his mouth over hers again, and Alyssa had to fight to focus on his words when he pulled back enough to whisper. “The truth is, I’ve never felt for any woman as deeply as I feel for you.”

More than Kimber, even? Thump, thump, thump. Her heart threatened to jump from her chest.

“You look shocked.”

“I am. I know you’ve been in relationships before . . .”

“They’re behind me.” He propped his head on his palm, his gaze delving deep. “How do you feel about me?”

So ridiculously in love it scares the hell out of me. “I care, too. More than I thought possible after a few days.”

Alyssa didn’t dare confess to more than that. Telling him too much, being too open, she knew from experience gave a man exactly what he needed to make her vulnerable and drop her to her knees—right at his feet.

“Good.” Luc smiled, his expression so intimate in the dark, her toes curled. “It’s up to us to make this marriage work.”

And what did she know about that? “Agreed.”

“What do you need from me?” he whispered. “What are you seeking in a husband?”

In truth, she’d never given it any real thought. “Someone who likes and respects me, who understands what makes me tick. I’ve enjoyed the fact you’ve taken care of me these past few days, but I don’t expect it. I need you to believe that I can stand on my own two feet.”

He brushed a thumb across her lips, then took possession of them in a lush but brief kiss that melted her even more. “I believe you can do anything you set your mind to.”

Pride filled her. “Thank you. I’m not always good at sharing what I’m thinking. I’ve lived and worked alone for too long, I guess.”