Redemption

by Jennifer Bene

  He was definitely more relaxed without Jean-Luc around, but he still felt like he couldn’t participate in the conversation. They were telling Lianna about their family, more stupid stories from the past like they’d shared at lunch, and even though some of them were funny… he was too tired to do more than occasionally force a smile for her sake.

  “Let’s open another bottle of wine!” Anaelle cheered, setting her empty glass down beside her chair, and David had to fight the urge to groan out loud.

  “I think I’m going to have to bow out of the next round,” Rémi said, standing up to stretch. “The twins will be up early and—”

  “Since when do you get up with them?” Emilie asked, laughing when Rémi glared at her. “Amanda says you sleep through them crying.”

  “That is not true.”

  “Sure,” Mathieu added on, chuckling. “We all know you sleep like the dead, Rémi.”

  “That’s because I used to share a room with you, and you talk in your sleep!” Rémi retorted, reaching over to smack Mathieu lightly on the back of the head. “But, for your information, I do get up with the twins.”

  “Every night?” Anaelle asked with a grin, and Rémi snagged his suit jacket from the back of his chair.

  “I’m going to bed,” he replied, pointing around the little circle of chairs. “And you guys should too. Maman and Papa will want us all at breakfast, and Lianna and David probably have jetlag.”

  David wanted to thank the man for being the voice of reason as the rest of them grumbled. A yawn almost cracked his jaw, and laughter broke out just before he was able to open his eyes again. Lianna was grinning at him, and he glanced around the group. “What?”

  “I was about to ask you if you’re tired, but I think the answer is yes.” Slipping her heels on, Lianna turned toward her cousins. “Sorry, everyone. Rémi is right, we should try and get on schedule here.”

  “That’s okay, we can hang out more tomorrow,” Emilie said, and David stood up, relieved to be in bed soon.

  A second later, he snapped his hand out, instinctively reaching over to catch Lianna when she stumbled to the side as she got out of the chair.

  “Guess I’m more tired than I thought!” Laughing, Lianna steadied herself on David’s arm before she hugged each of her cousins… but he doubted she was that tired. She’d slept most of the flight, and it was much more likely the multiple glasses of wine that had her off-kilter.

  How much had she had to drink?

  He’d lost track over the hours of the party, and once the guests had cleared out her cousins had started steadily working their way through the remaining bottles on the makeshift bar. Not that it really mattered, because he could tell she was more drunk than she was letting on.

  “This was the best birthday ever,” Lianna said, hugging Emilie tightly.

  “And the week just started!” Anaelle added.

  “Very true. Hope you both sleep well.” Rémi nodded, heading inside, and David reached down to grab Lianna’s gift bag from beside her chair.

  “Night, everyone. We’ll see you in the morning!” Lianna was glowing as she released Emilie and turned to look at him.

  “Good night,” David told the group, wrapping an arm around her waist to guide her inside.

  “That was so fun!” she whispered as they passed through the terrace doors, heading down the short hall. “Don’t you think that was fun?”

  “Mmhmm,” he replied, stopping her at the base of the stairs to kneel down. “Step out of your heels.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Because I don’t want you breaking an ankle, Lianna.” Sighing, he braced one hand on her hip and took her shoes off with the other, tossing them into the gift bag before he stood.

  “You’re so protective.” Lianna grinned at him as he stood up. “I love that about you.”

  “You’re drunk,” he muttered, but he couldn’t help but smile back as she leaned into him on their way up the stairs.

  “I’m not drunk, definitely tipsy though. But it’s my birthday! That was my first real birthday party, you know?” Lianna was walking better than he expected as they moved upward, but there was no way in hell he was letting go of her to test her sobriety. “It really was. I mean, I went out with friends and stuff when I was old enough, but that’s not a party. Going to a bar isn’t a party. This was a real party, and they threw it for me!”

  “Yep,” David answered, and he was tempted to point out that she was slurring a little, but it wasn’t worth it.

  “I’m glad you were at my first birthday party,” Lianna whispered, stopping them just fifteen feet from their bedroom door to pull him down into a kiss. She was the one to intensify it, her tongue flicking out to trace his lips before she nipped him, and he was about to pull her against him when he heard voices on the stairs and cut it short.

  “We need to get inside, angel.” Forcing her to keep walking, he half-dragged her to their room. As soon as the door shut, Lianna leaned away from him and he held on tighter. “Why don’t you just lie down, angel?”

  “Because I need to use the bathroom,” she replied, winking at him as he let go. Lianna wobbled more than he would have liked on the way around the bed, but at least she didn’t fall down.

  Shaking his head, David quickly took off the suit jacket and shirt, inspecting them to make sure he hadn’t damaged them. Fortunately, it seemed like the expensive clothes had held out. Shucking the slacks and shoes, he draped Rémi’s clothes over the chair in the corner and waited until the toilet flushed before he followed Lianna into the bathroom.

  “I might be a little more than tipsy,” she admitted, looking up at him in the mirror as she washed her hands.

  “You might be.” He shrugged, knowing that he should be happy for her, he just couldn’t manage it.

  “You see it now, though, right? They’re great. Like, really nice people.” Lianna sounded so hopeful, but he stayed silent as he stepped closer to unzip her dress. Underneath she was only wearing a bra and a thong, and his cock twitched despite how exhausted he felt. Not tonight. Leaning down, he helped her step out of the dress, and she narrowed her eyes at him in the mirror when he stood back up. “Did you hear me?”

  “I heard you, angel. We just need to get you in bed.” Rubbing a hand over his face, he stepped into the bedroom to hang her dress in the closet. “I don’t even know what time it is back home right now.”

  “Come on, David. Just admit it, they’re nice.” Lianna was leaning against the doorframe when he shut the closet and he sighed.

  “I can tell they care about you a lot,” he replied, keeping it to the point before yanking the covers down on the bed to reveal the sheet. “Now, it’s time for bed.”

  “I need to wash my face,” she mumbled, turning away from him, and he growled low. He didn’t want to have an argument with her. Not here, and definitely not with her half-drunk and half-naked.

  Turning off the lights in the bedroom, he went around to the other side of the bed and climbed in. The second he lay down exhaustion slammed into him like a truck. He didn’t even know how many hours he’d been awake, but at least he’d get to sleep soon.

  The water ran for a few more minutes, but eventually Lianna appeared in the doorway again. “You like Rémi at least, right? I mean, he let you borrow the clothes.”

  “Angel, would you just come to bed?”

  Huffing, she flipped off the bathroom light and climbed into bed, but she’d only lain down for a second before she sat up again to rip off her bra and toss it into the dark. When she settled back down, he noticed that she curled up at the very edge of the bed, as far away from him as possible.

  “Pissed at me?” he asked, and she sighed.

  “I love you, David, but you’re an asshole.”

  “That’s fair,” he replied, and she let out another huff.

  Lianna shifted for a few minutes, and he tried to get comfortable too, but it wasn’t easy without her in his arms — and she definitely wasn’t going to
let him wrap his arms around her right now. She was always more stubborn with a little alcohol in her bloodstream, and she’d drawn her line in the sand.

  He just wasn’t going to cross it tonight like he usually would.

  David knew exactly what she wanted to hear. Some version of ‘Oh, they’re so nice! Of course they’re not evil criminals running an international empire!’ — but that just wasn’t true, and he’d promised her that he’d always tell her the truth. So, that left him with uncomfortable silence and no way to fall asleep even though he felt the exhaustion down to his bones.

  Fucking hell.

  It wasn’t as if he couldn’t see her point of view. Rémi did seem like a nice guy. Hell, all of her cousins seemed nice. But was it real? Could Jean-Luc’s kids really not know about the family’s shady dealings, just like Lianna had been blind to her own father’s crimes?

  Is that what’s happening?

  Was he painting a whole family with the same brush again? Damning the children based on the actions of the father?

  Sighing, he turned over, shoving at the pillow to try and make it comfortable while his brain whirled. It just didn’t make sense. Lianna’s father had at least had the cover of his company to excuse all his money… what did the Faures have?

  Nothing.

  The kids were more than old enough to have questions about where the money came from for all of it, and they had to be curious why their home needed armed guards. There was only one logical answer — they knew.

  So, were they all just good actors? Was the family routine just a show, or was it real… and they still knew about the criminal side of the Faure name?

  The Brady Bunch meets the Godfather — what a weird mix.

  David couldn’t stop turning over the way the cousins had talked to Lianna, how genuine they all had seemed. Then there was the extravagant gift from Jean-Luc and Cécile, which was clearly meant to buy her loyalty, her affection, and the invitation for Christmas was them just trying to sink their claws in deeper… but the cousins might be real.

  Maybe.

  Even though he’d never admit it aloud, he was grateful that they had given her a birthday party. It was on a scale he would have never been able to provide, and it had made her so happy, which was all that mattered. He’d chosen his hill to die on, and it was Lianna. If they cared about her, if they treated her well, if it was all sincere, then he’d put up with it for her sake.

  Sleep started to slide over him when he remembered the only time all night Lianna had seemed less than happy — the first moment she’d met Marc Faure.

  Fuck. He was supposed to ask her about that before they went to bed, but… maybe it was better this way. She’d been drunk and annoyed with him, and the conversation would have probably only irritated her further.

  In the morning. I’ll ask her then.

  He couldn’t stop thinking about how strange the man had been, though. Everyone else seemed so excited to see Lianna, but he’d shown up late and had barely spoken to Lianna most of the night. In fact, he was pretty sure the man had only talked to her once Jean-Luc introduced them, and then his family was one of the first to leave — even after the cousins had asked them to stay.

  It was strange, but then again, the entire family was strange, and his head was pounding. Turning over, he moved over in the bed until he was closer to Lianna, able to smell the lingering scent of her perfume, which reminded him of home.

  Their home, their bed, their life together.

  And, eventually, that let him drift off to sleep.

  A rapid series of knocks yanked David awake, his heart racing as he sat up. Lianna’s arm had been draped across his chest before he jerked upright, so she’d woken too when he moved.

  “It’s time for breakfast! Come on!” More knocks clattered on the door to pair with the overly chipper voice coming through the wood. “Lianna? David? You can’t sleep the day away, we have plans!”

  “We’re up!” Lianna called back, sitting up to lean her head in her hands.

  “Yay!” the chipper girl replied. “See you downstairs!”

  “Who was that?” David mumbled, and Lianna groaned.

  “I think that was Emilie.” Rolling her neck, she stretched, her joints popping as David watched her curves moving in the hazy light coming through the curtains. “What time is it?”

  Shaking out the watch he’d accidentally slept in, David took it off and rubbed his eyes to get them to focus on it. “Eight thirty. Jesus fucking Christ, why does that feel so much earlier here? And why are they so happy about it?”

  “Time zones, and they must be morning people,” she replied as she got out of bed.

  “Are you sure you’re related to them?” he asked, and she turned around to flip him off before going to the bathroom. Chuckling, David lay back down. He’d woken several times during the night, automatically reaching for Lianna, and he was sure he’d only stayed asleep when she finally rolled over and draped her arm over him. But… that meant he had no fucking clue how much sleep he’d actually got.

  So fucking tired.

  “They’ll have coffee downstairs. Good coffee,” Lianna tempted him, and he groaned as he made himself get up.

  “I’m taking a shower,” he said as he entered the bathroom and turned on the water so it would warm.

  “Can I go first?” she asked, and he looked at the inside of the shower and back at her.

  “Shower together?” he suggested, and she smiled a little.

  “We do not have time for you to fuck me. They’re obviously all downstairs and sent Emilie to wake us up.” Lianna braced a hand on her hip, but since she was naked, the defiant stance wasn’t that effective.

  Still, she was probably right.

  “All right, you go first so you can do all the stuff to your hair.”

  “Thank you,” she answered before blowing him a kiss.

  It wasn’t long before he was ready, and to be fair, things probably went faster with them showering separately, because seeing her naked was too tempting, and he definitely would have pinned her to the wall for a quickie in the shower if he’d been in there with her.

  Don’t think about that.

  Ignoring the growing hard-on trapped under his jeans, David dug out his phone and turned it on. Lianna was still drying her hair in her underwear, but he was already dressed, so he moved Rémi’s clothes aside and sat in the chair to check his phone.

  There was an email from Harry asking him if he was alive, and he smiled to himself as he tapped out a quick reply to the old man to confirm he and Lianna had arrived safely. He’d just finished skimming his other emails and switched over to scroll through Reddit when he remembered Lianna’s reaction to Marc Faure at the party. Tossing his phone back onto his bag, he moved to the doorway of the bathroom, waiting for Lianna to turn off the hair dryer.

  “What is it?” she asked over the roar of it.

  “I’ll wait. I’m enjoying the view.”

  Lianna rolled her eyes, but soon enough her hair was dry, and she set the dryer aside to start tugging a hairbrush through all that blonde hair. “Go on. Tell me what you want to tell me.”

  “I actually have a question, angel.”

  She glanced at him in the mirror, waiting, but when he didn’t immediately speak, she sighed. “Well?”

  “It’s about something I noticed at the party. When you saw Marc Faure last night… what happened?” he asked, and she paused for a second, the hairbrush halfway through her golden waves, before she continued brushing and shrugged a shoulder.

  “I think I just recognized him from the photos Jean-Luc and Cécile sent over,” she replied, but he could tell that wasn’t true, or at least it wasn’t the whole truth, and if they were back home he’d spank her ass for it — but who knew who might be hovering outside the damn door.

  Instead, he went for the obvious. “I always know when you’re lying to me, angel.”

  “I’m not—” she started, but when he raised his eyebrows at her in the
mirror she groaned. “It’s nothing, David. Really.”

  “Tell me.”

  “Oh my God…” Lianna tossed the brush down and picked up her make-up, leaning closer to the mirror as she used the eyeliner in quick, confident movements. “He just— He—”

  “Lianna.” He kept his voice calm, but firm, even though he was already tired, sex-deprived, and irritated. “What is it? Just spit it out.”

  “He just reminds me of my dad,” she replied, staring down at her make-up bag as she dug through it. “Something about the way he talks… his mannerisms… and he was just odd. It was like he wasn’t even happy to see me.”

  “Yeah, I think he was the only person who didn’t keep pestering you all night.”

  Lianna looked over her shoulder at him, clearly as irritable this morning as he was. “No one was pestering me.”

  “Fine,” David conceded, crossing his arms as he leaned on the doorframe. “But he did avoid you, and he showed up late. Left early too.”

  “Maybe his family was busy,” she replied as she continued focusing on her face in the mirror.

  “You don’t think that was weird? As over the top as Jean-Luc has been about how excited the family is to meet you?”

  “Not everything is a giant conspiracy, David. Just drop it, okay?” Sighing, she turned toward him and nudged him out of the way. “I need to get dressed. They’re probably waiting on us for breakfast.”

  “Another family meal, yay,” he mumbled, leaning against the wall as she pulled out clothes from the closet.

  “What did you think would happen while we’re here?” she asked, shutting the door. “We’re in their house.”

  “I thought I’d get at least a little alone time with you.”

  Pulling a sweater over her head, she smiled at him and moved close to press a quick kiss to his lips. “Later.”

  “Is that a promise?” he asked, and she sat on the edge of the bed to pull on her jeans and then her boots.