by Lydia Dare
She rose and fell on him, holding tightly to his shoulders. And just when she felt like she would break, she was flung headfirst over that precipice, the feeling of falling washing over her like warm rain. And just as she came apart, he bit into the side of her neck, his sharp little teeth piercing the tender skin where her neck met her shoulder, marking her as his. He joined her in release, calling out her name as he pulled her tightly down onto his shaft, fitting them together deeper than they had ever been before.
Gray’s chest rumbled with a poorly concealed chuckle. “Don’t ever try to play me again, Livi,” he warned. “I will always win when it comes to whiskey.”
She could barely catch her breath. “I think I won that round, Mr. Hadley.”
He stirred within her. “Then I think we should have another round, Mrs. Hadley.”
Another round? “The whiskey didn’t affect you at all?”
He chuckled again. “Were you honestly trying to get me foxed?”
Figured everything out, had he? Livi shrugged. “I thought it would help with the moonful. It helps my father, my brothers when they’re aboard a ship.”
“You’re the only thing I need to soothe my savage beast, Livi.” Then he rolled her to her back and hovered right above her. “And now, my dear, you are stuck with me for the rest of your days.”
She couldn’t think of anything more lovely. “You only want me to soothe your savage beast, Gray?”
He shook his head. “I want you because I love you, because you have driven me mad with want ever since that first day at Holmesfield Court.” He lowered his head and captured her mouth in a kiss before continuing to their next round and the one after that.
Thirty-One
After reaching Boston, Gray had a good mind to hop the next ship bound for England instead of finding one headed for New Orleans. But Livi was so excited about seeing her home, seeing her father again, that he’d abandoned the idea almost at once. And now that they’d nearly reached their final destination, anxiety settled in his belly, much to Armand’s ever-growing amusement.
The air had grown thicker the last few days, making breathing a more laborious chore than it had ever been before. Gray had never even thought about the process of breathing until the last leg of this voyage, but the farther south they traveled, the more difficult the act had become.
The clothes he’d borrowed from Etienne Mayeux’s trunk clung to his skin, damp with dew that never seemed to dissipate. How the devil did people live in such a climate?
At least Boston had been reasonable. Cold, to be sure; but one could breathe there. Still, anything was bearable as long as Livi was at his side. In all his years, he’d never felt as connected to another person as he did to his wife. And being a twin, that particular reality had been more than a little surprising. But ever since that fateful night in the North Atlantic when they’d come together and he’d claimed her as his for all time, he’d felt completely at one with Livi.
As he finished a letter to send home once they reached port, reassuring his mother that all would be well and that he and Livi would return to England just as soon as they could, the frigate they’d boarded in Boston suddenly slowed to a halt. Had the crew dropped the sails? Had they lost their wind? Certainly they couldn’t be there already.
“Gray!” Livi’s voice rang down the corridor outside their cabin door. “Gray! We’re here!”
Blast it all! A fresh wave of trepidation washed over Gray as he folded his letter and tucked it into his pocket. He opened the cabin door and quickly ascended the wooden steps leading to the main deck. Livi stood at the top, an impish grin spread across her pretty face.
“Isn’t it wonderful?” she gushed. “Come quick.” She reached out a hand to him, which he instantly took.
Livi towed him to the railing and gestured to the land just within view. Honestly, it looked like any shipyard he’d ever seen, with a number of storage buildings set off from the docks, scores of ships floating in the harbor, and preoccupied sailors bustling about the yard on one assignment or another; but Livi was so exuberant that Gray nodded in agreement.
“Wonderful,” he echoed.
She wrapped her arm around his middle and squeezed tight. “Liar. But don’t worry about Papa,” she said softly. “He’ll love you. I know it.”
Gray wasn’t certain about that. After all, he’d had more than one discussion with Armand during this journey, and his brother-in-law hadn’t painted the most welcoming picture of Philippe Mayeux. Gray would be lucky to leave America with his tail intact.
As though summoned by his thoughts, Armand appeared on deck and clapped a hand on Gray’s back. “If he tosses you into the bayou, I’ll fish you out.”
“Much obliged,” Gray grumbled.
“Eventually,” his brother-in-law chuckled.
“Armand!” Livi complained. “Don’t frighten him anymore than you’ve already done. Papa will love him. I know he will.”
From the corner of Gray’s eye, he saw Armand smirk. “Love turning him into ’gator bait perhaps.”
Before Livi could make any sort of retort, the frigate’s gangplank was lowered. Armand tipped his head at the pair and then disembarked as though he hadn’t a care in the world. He probably didn’t. No one was threatening to turn him into ’gator bait, after all.
“Come on.” Livi tugged Gray toward the gangplank as well. “Papa is probably in his offices at the port.”
Bloody wonderful. Gray wouldn’t even get the opportunity to get used to breathing the heavy air of New Orleans before he’d have to lay eyes on his intimidating father-in-law. But the time had come, apparently, for him to face his destiny, and perhaps his maker.
The trio navigated the docks and meandered along a path littered with warehouses. Livi seemed to bounce with more glee each step she took, and Armand waxed poetic about the familiar scents of home and humid air. Gray couldn’t even find the words to reply because his stomach was so twisted in knots.
“Here we are!” Livi nearly sang as she gestured to a warehouse emblazoned with the letters PRM above the main doorway.
Armand draped his arm around Gray’s shoulders. “I’m sure he’ll make it a quick death. You won’t even know what hit you.”
“You’re too kind,” Gray muttered as he moved away from his brother-in-law, which only left Armand grinning wider.
“Behave!” Livi ordered her brother. Then she walked toward Gray, smiling at him with her enchanting smile that always left Gray a little breathless. “You’ll be fine,” she whispered, sliding her arm through his.
Armand pushed open the hearty oak door and then led the way up a flight of stairs at the far end of the cavernous room lined with boxes, crates, and shelves. “Father!” he called. “Are you here? You’ll never guess who I found.”
“Armand?” came a heavy French accent from a room at the top of the stairs.
Armand barreled through the door, while Gray and Livi followed at a slower pace. An enormous man with wavy black hair rose from a seat behind a well-used desk.
Philippe Mayeux, Gray had no doubt. He looked like Armand but broader, more intimidating than Gray had imagined.
The man gaped at the trio for only a moment. Then his face transformed to a broad smile as Livi dropped Gray’s arm, bounded across the office, and threw her arms around her father’s waist.
“Papa!” she gushed, holding him tight.
Philippe Mayeux squeezed her in return, then smothered her face with kisses. “Mon bébé girl finally comes home. Can you forgive me, mon trésor?” He took a step back as though to see all of her and make sure she was unharmed.
Gray knew the moment the Frenchman spotted the bite mark on Livi’s neck. The man’s face stiffened in anger, and then his gaze shot across the office to land on Gray. His mouth fell open, but no words came out as though surprise had turned him mute.
“You might want to run,” Armand muttered. “I’ve never seen him speechless before.”
Gray had the same tho
ught, but he wasn’t a coward. He wouldn’t abandon Livi simply to avoid whatever punishment her father had in store for him. Whatever it was, he would endure it. He had to. Because at the end of all that, Livi would still love him, and she’d still be his wife, no matter what Philippe Mayeux did to him. “Sir…” Gray began.
“Radbourne?” Mr. Mayeux finally said, staring at Gray with such intensity that a shiver of apprehension crept up his spine.
Still, Gray managed to shake his head. “Radbourne is my brother.”
A ghost of a smile settled on Mr. Mayeux’s face. “Of course he is.” He nodded slowly. “Of course. Edward would have been my age now. I was sorry to hear about your father.”
Gray hadn’t expected those words to come from Mr. Mayeux’s mouth. He hadn’t even realized the man had known his father. Had his mother mentioned something to that effect? Gray couldn’t remember. “I—uh—thank you,” he said slowly. “It was so long ago that I don’t really remember him.”
“It was a long time ago,” Philippe Mayeux agreed. “You look like him. Did you know?”
“I’ve heard there’s a resemblance between all my brothers and our father.”
“Indeed.” The man nodded once more, then his face hardened anew. “Are you… What is your name, Mr. Hadley?”
“Gray—Grayson.”
“Well, Grayson, am I to assume you are the one responsible for the blemish on my daughter’s flesh?”
Gray gulped, but he nodded. “She is my wife, sir.”
“Wife? Bon Dieu.” Philippe Mayeux rubbed his brow as he shook his head as though trying to sort out the problem. Then he glanced at his son. “Where’s Etienne?”
“Left him in England,” Armand muttered. “He had some business that needed attending.”
“Can’t wait to hear about that,” Mr. Mayeux grumbled. “All right, then. Take Liviana home. Grayson and I will meet you there in a while.”
“Non, Papa!” Livi rushed forward. “You mustn’t hurt him. I couldn’t stand it if you did.”
At that, Mr. Mayeux actually chuckled, a deep rumbling sound that echoed off the office walls. “I have no intention of hurting the man, Livi. Now, do as you’re told.”
But she shook her head stubbornly. “You mustn’t kill him, either. I know how you think, Papa, always looking for loopholes.”
Philippe Mayeux heaved a sigh as though he suffered the trials of Job. “Nor do I have plans to kill the young man, Livi. Go home with your brother. When next you see your husband, you can look him over for wounds, if you so choose.”
Livi’s gaze shot to Gray, and he nodded. “I’m sure I’ll be fine, love,” he said, though he wasn’t quite sure that was the truth.
“Come on, Liv.” Armand draped an arm around her. “After all the tasteless fare we’ve suffered through these past weeks, I am dying for some of Cook’s beignets.”
“Not one scratch?” Livi asked, her eyes still focused on her father.
Mr. Mayeux shook his head. “You have my word, Liviana.”
Finally appeased, Livi allowed her brother to escort her from the office. She did look over her shoulder before the door shut behind them, and she mouthed the words, “I love you.”
As soon as the door closed, Philippe Mayeux advanced toward Gray. “A damned Hadley,” he sighed. “I don’t suppose Edward came into a large fortune before his untimely death?”
So even in America the Hadleys’ penniless state was well known. The truth of that was a bit lowering. “I wish he had, sir.” Life would have been very different, had that been the case.
“Wishful thinking on both our parts, then.” The Frenchman gestured to a chair before his desk. “Go on, have a seat. We have much to discuss.”
Gray dropped into the chair, just as Livi’s father sank back into his.
“Before we begin, I want you to know that I owe your father a debt. If not for him, I would have never met my Grace, and I wouldn’t be the man you see today.”
Gray breathed a little easier at these words. Perhaps Philippe Mayeux wouldn’t kill him after all.
“But regardless of that debt, I will not see my daughter live in rags.”
Gray shook his head. “Of course not, sir. I—”
But Mr. Mayeux held up his hand, silencing Gray’s words. “I suppose if you were Radbourne, she’d at least have a title and that is worth something.”
“Sir—” Gray started again, only to once more be halted by the Frenchman’s upward palm.
“Let me finish.” He sat a little taller in his seat and leaned his elbows on his desk. “I know you English look down on those of us who spend our days working for a living, but it is an honest way to provide for one’s family. Livi is accustomed to being provided for”—he pushed out of his chair and began to pace, as though sitting still was an impossible chore—“and therefore, I will not harm you. I will not kill you. Not even a scratch will mark you as long as you do what I ask. And ’gators have an aversion to the English, I hear. They leave them floating instead of gobbling them whole.” Not even a grin tugged at his lips.
Gray sat forward in his seat. “What is it you want from me, sir?”
Mr. Mayeux shrugged. “I want you to work for me.”
The air rushed out of Gray’s lungs. He certainly didn’t expect Philippe Mayeux to offer him a job. Never in a million years would that thought have crossed his mind. “Work for you?”
“I have several enterprises. Find a business that appeals to you and run it for me.”
Gray wasn’t certain what to say. On one hand, he was relieved the man didn’t intend to turn him into ’gator bait, but on the other, his pride stung from Philippe Mayeux’s lack of faith in his abilities to care for Livi. “I am already running a business, sir.”
The Frenchman’s eyes narrowed on Gray, disbelief etched across his brow.
Gray cleared his throat and said more clearly, “That is, my brothers and I are opening a gaming establishment. We embarked on this venture together, and it would not be right of me to abandon them.”
A twinkle lit Philippe Mayeux’s blue eyes. “Gambling?” At Gray’s nod, the man guffawed. “And here I was concerned you would think yourself too good to put in an honest day’s work.”
No one had ever thought a Hadley too good for anything before. What an odd thing to hear. “Well, that is not the case, sir.”
“I see it’s not.” The man dropped back into his chair and his blue eyes scrutinized Gray intently. “You’re opening this establishment? It’s not already open?”
“Not quite yet.” Honestly, they’d be a lot closer to the opening if Gray had gone to London instead of Bath, but then he would have never caught Livi, and that would have been a travesty. “But I’m certain it will be a success.”
“I wish I shared your certainty, Grayson. But, as it turns out, I am older and I’ve seen many men fail at various endeavors. I won’t take that risk with Livi’s future. Non.” He shook his head. “Since you’re not afraid of work, and since you feel a loyalty to your brothers, you’ll simply have to do both. I’ll set you up in Bristol as the head of my European division of PRM Shipping. And you can still work with your brothers on your gaming establishment. If the time comes that the brothers Hadley are wildly successful, I’ll accept your resignation from PRM. But until then, you’ll do both.”
He wasn’t really asking, was he? And honestly, his reception could have been much worse. Death, dismemberment, ’gator bait. “I wouldn’t feel right displacing someone from their job.”
The Frenchman shook his head as though Gray was a dolt. “I am extending my shipping empire by opening an office in England. You’re not displacing anyone.”
He was creating a position and an entire office so he could make sure Livi was well cared for. All things considered, it was generous of her father. And Gray did want the best for Livi, as well. How was this situation any different than men marrying for large dowries or young lordlings living off their fathers’ allowances? But it was different.
Different because Gray would make the England office of PRM more successful than his father-in-law could possibly imagine. And he’d do it with Livi by his side.
After a moment, Gray nodded in agreement. “In that case, thank you, sir. I know very little about shipping, but I’m certain I can learn.”
Apparently satisfied with the outcome, Philippe Mayeux grinned like a schoolboy who’d gotten his way. “Livi can teach you all you need to know. She sat here at my knee when she should have been engaging dancing instructors or learning the art of polite conversation.”
If not, she wouldn’t have been the Livi he loved with all his heart. Gray shook his head. “I wouldn’t want her any other way.”
The twinkle reappeared in his father-in-law’s eyes. “I suppose I didn’t blunder too badly by sending her to England then, did I?”
“I am eternally grateful that you did.”
Philippe Mayeux scratched his head. “Are you wearing Etienne’s clothes?”
Gray shrugged. “That’s a bit of a long story, sir.”
“Well, then you can tell it to me on the way home. If I know Livi, she’ll wear a hole in my rug if I don’t take you there soon.”
***
Livi paced her father’s drawing room. What was taking them so long? She lifted a nail to her mouth to chew the tip.
“Will you stop?” Armand complained as he popped a fresh beignet into his mouth. “You’re making me seasick and I’m trying to eat.”
“We’re not on a ship,” she grumbled.
“No, but my cabin on the ship didn’t spin around as much as you’re making this room spin. Sit down, will you?”
Livi frowned, but she did sit on the settee beside her brother. “You don’t think Papa will really kill him, do you?”
Armand shoved another beignet into his mouth. Unable to speak legibly, he shrugged.
“Maybe I should have told Papa I’m expecting. He wouldn’t kill the father to his grandchild, would he?”
Armand choked on his snack. Eyes watering, he coughed into his fist until he cleared his throat. “You’re expecting?”
