"You like hearing me speak French, Monsieur Breaux?"
He gave her a teasing glance out of the corner of his eye and smiled mischievously. The sight of his gorgeous face provoked that familiar yearning feeling in the pit of Nadine's stomach. She was just about to make some witty comment about speaking French to him later that night, but before she could, the elevator opened onto the eighth floor. They made their way down the long hall and into their room, which was as nice as the lobby promised.
"What's this?" Nadine asked as they walked in the door. Julien had arranged for flowers and chocolates to be delivered, and they were set out in a beautiful display on the table. The curtains on the window were open far enough to see the lights of the city and outline of the Eiffel tower. Nadine had grown up there, and it still took her breath away. It was a structure that begged to be admired, and even in the darkness, Nadine couldn't help but stare out the window at it for a few seconds before turning her attention back to the table full of goodies. Julien just watched her take everything in. He loved seeing her happy, and couldn't help the smile that spread across his face.
"What's this?" she repeated.
"I wouldn't feel right about bringing you to a fancy hotel without some candy and flowers."
"You had this sent up here?"
"It was some kind of City of Love package they offer. They assured me my lady friend would be thoroughly impressed." Julien watched as she continued to investigate the table. "Did it work? Are you impressed?" he asked.
Nadine looked back at him "Thoroughly."
Julien moved toward her like he was planning on taking her into his arms. She saw him and stiffened as he wrapped his arms around her.
"What?"
"I'm sorry," she said.
His heart dropped, thinking she was rethinking everything.
"I'm so regretful about taking off like that and making you chase me around the world. I don't like to think of myself as that kind of girl. I was just overwhelmed and, in the moment, I thought I had to leave."
"I honestly don't blame you," he said. "I feel bad for not seeing it coming on the plane after you read the book. I should have been able to tell you were still upset."
"I just want you to know that I'm not, that I never plan on leaving like that."
"That's good, because I'm not planning on ever letting you."
She smiled at him, then cocked her head and gave him a sweet, curious expression. "What are we going to do Julien?"
"About what?" he asked.
"You know," she said, "with our lives."
He rubbed the stubble on his jaw to try to hide his amusement.
She saw him, but didn't care. "I'm serious," she said sweetly. "Shall we live in America? Shall we live in France? Shall we have babies? Maybe we can be explorers and sail on a ship somewhere."
He laughed. "We have time to figure that out. For now, let's go back to Louisiana. You can finish up with school and I get a few more fights under my belt. Then we'll decide what's next. I have no expectations. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can get ourselves into." He reached out and touched her hair, and the roughened fingertips of his fighter's hands brushed her hairline, causing chills to ripple over her back.
She shivered and peered up at him through her lashes. "I think we might fit," she said sweetly.
He couldn't resist teasing her. "I'm not sure if it will, actually." Julien reached down and pretended to adjust his package. "It's been a long time, and I'm pretty freakin' hung."
She squealed in part delight and part fake fear and turned to run from him. He chased her down and swept her off her feet, catching her in his arms. She was so relieved to be in his arms. She was ashamed of herself for leaving him, for assuming it couldn't work out. What had she been thinking?
"What are you thinking?" Julien asked, sensing her distraction. He sat on the bed and let her rest on his lap.
"That I'm an asshole for leaving."
"Don't say that," he said. "It's over, and I'm here. Everything that happened before this moment was just a means to get us here. This is the beginning for us. Onward and upward."
"Starting fresh?"
"For the third time, yes. Just forgive yourself already." He reached up and roughed up her hair. "Speaking of starting fresh, I could really use a shower."
Nadine leaned in and smelled the front of his shirt near his underarm. "You smell good to me."
"I was hoping you'd join me in there. I saw pictures of the shower on their website. There's room for at least two in there."
"I was actually thinking I could use a shower too," she said. She faked a sniff to her own armpit.
"Race you," he said. They broke apart, each of them quickly standing as they started shedding clothes like crazy. It was the first time they'd laid eyes on each other like that, and they stood, motionless. Nadine was down to a bra and panties and Julien was wearing a pair of boxer briefs.
"I didn't think I'd be shy, but now that I'm standing here I feel like I need something to cover up with."
Julien covered her with himself. He swooped in (as her mother would say) and took her into his arms forcing her to let out a delighted squeal.
"Julien I'm shyyyy."
"No you're not," he said. There's nothing to be shy about. It's just an innocent shower."
She relaxed in his arms, and he kissed her before leading her into the bathroom. He turned on the water and helped her out of her underwear before stepping out of his own and getting into the shower. He watched as Nadine stepped in. The streams of water flowing over the curves of her body mesmerized him instantly.
"You're beautiful," he said.
She smiled and looked him over appraisingly. "You're not so bad yourself."
He crooked a finger at her and she moved closer to him.
"You weren't lying back there," she said.
"About what?"
She glanced at his member with wide eyes and he smiled, understanding the compliment. They spent the next ten minutes cleaning each other's bodies. Nadine had never experienced foreplay before, and she assumed the whole sex thing would be over pretty quickly, but Julien started exploring her body, and she liked the fact that he didn't want to rush it. His blue eyes and black hair in the mist of the shower made her want to change her mind about every ten seconds and get down to business, but she reminded herself to enjoy the process.
Once they got out of the shower and dried off, Julien pulled back the covers and crawled into the bed, dropping his towel on the way in. He shifted to his side and propped his hand onto his elbow. Nadine still had a towel wrapped around her chest. A second towel was wrapped around her head since her hair had gotten a little wet in the shower.
"Drop it," he said. He smiled and gestured with a finger to her towel.
She unwrapped the towel that was around her head and tossed it to the ground shaking out her damp waves. "Don't get cute with me little mama. You knew which one I meant."
She smiled and untucked the towel from the spot where it was secured under his arm. It fell to the ground in a heap at her feet. He crooked a finger at her again, and she stepped over it and walked toward him.
Then suddenly she disappeared.
She crouched down to the ground and Julien sat up trying to see where she'd gone. Before he knew what was happening, she sprang up onto the bed. She went down on all fours and bent down a little as if she were going to pounce.
Julien narrowed his gaze at her.
"I told you I was a tiger," she said, smiling mischievously at him.
He put his head back on the pillow and laughed, and before he opened his eyes again, she was on top of him straddling him seductively. "I don't know what's so funny," she said.
She was so freaking cute and feisty, and it took everything he had not to open her up and bury himself inside her. His hands went down her back and onto her round ass, pulling her down on top of him. Her center rested directly on his erection, and they stayed motionless in that position for a few long se
conds, enjoying the pressure caused by him pulling her forward. She started to move slightly, gently grinding his hard length onto the sensitive outside of her center. "Oh my God, that feels so good," she said.
Julien remained still as Nadine continued to slide up and down. He kept his hands wrapped around her backside, holding on to her like he never wanted to let go. He pulled her down, forcing her onto him even harder, and she cried out with pleasure as the pressure increased. Julien let go and pulled her arms out from under her, and her upper body collapsed onto his. He put one, two, three open-mouthed kisses on her neck, before stopping to bite and suck on one spot for a few seconds. It was too much for Nadine to handle. A few more strokes, and she went over the top—over the edge. She felt like she'd been catapulted into space, helpless to control her own writhing body as she rode the amazing orgasm.
It took her several moments to regroup enough to realize she should probably be embarrassed about how quick that was. Not to mention the fact that he hadn't even penetrated her. She wasn't embarrassed, however. She felt good, and she didn't really care how she got there. Julien didn't seem to mind either. He was on his elbow again, smiling at her.
"I think there's a whole lot we didn't do yet," she said. She returned his smile and reached a hand out to cup the side of his jaw.
"There's plenty of time for that other stuff," he said. "I'm just glad you feel good."
She gave him an incredulous look. "Are you trying to quit on me Monsieur?"
He shrugged. "I didn't want you to feel like you had to, you know, since you already—"
"Don't you even try it. I want you to finish. I want to feel you inside of me."
Julien did something with her arm that resulted in her flipping over, her back landing on the bed. This time it was his turn to crawl onto her. "You don't have to beg me," he said, grinning.
She let out a moan of pleasure, loving the feel of his pressure on her. She was slick and swollen and he used his hand to make sure she was primed and ready to go. He put one finger past her opening, and again she moaned.
"I'm gonna try to be really gentle with you, but you have to tell me if anything hurts."
She nodded. Julien guided his tip to her opening and shook it slightly. The vibrations helped the very tip of it make it past her opening, and she cried out at the unrelenting pressure she felt at being stretched so far.
"You okay."
"Of course," she said.
Julien took great care not to hurt her. He inched his way inside of her at an agonizing pace, and by the time he was buried inside, he was already close to completion. It was feeling as good to Nadine as it was to Julien, and she warned him that she might come again. He began to move in and out of her. He felt the primal urge to go hard, like he could mark her somehow by forcing his length into her. He thrust into her with a little more pressure than before, and she gasped. He stopped, but she grabbed him and pulled him into her, letting him know it was okay.
"I want it like that," she said.
He smiled and thrust into her with even more force.
"Yes." she whimpered. "Please!"
Julien continued to pound into her until she had another orgasm. He could feel her contracting around him. He put his head back, enjoying the sensation. A few more, and Julien felt his impending release. He pulled out and gripped himself in his hand, letting his seed spill all over the curves of her chest and stomach. Julien bent and put a kiss on her cheek and she smiled adoringly at him. He could get used to seeing her smile up at him like that while wearing his pearl necklace. He grabbed his shirt from the end of the bed and used it to wipe her off then he collapsed onto the bed next to her.
"I'm glad that was awesome," she said. Her voice sounded content to the point of having a dazed quality.
"Me too." He pulled her close to him so she could rest her head on his shoulder.
"I'm also glad it wasn't like the book."
Julien smiled, thinking about how he clearly had to avoid certain things. He'd read that scene enough to know exactly what not to do. "See? I told you. From here on out, it is what we make it," he said.
"I think we should do that a lot more times."
He smiled even though she couldn't see him. "Me too," he said. He hesitated for a few long seconds before speaking again. "Nadine?"
She picked her head up and looked at him quizzically. "Oui?"
He gave her a sincere smile. "I love you."
Nadine let out a delighted squeal and buried her face in his chest. Then she looked at him with a smile and put a gentle kiss on his cheek. "I love you too, Julien Breaux."
They stayed wrapped up in each other's arms for the next two hours, talking about everything from Jiu Jitsu to sushi.
They never once mentioned the book.
Chapter 26
Julien woke up before Nadine the following morning. He'd only slept for about seven hours, but that wasn't rare for him. He took a shower and answered a few emails before cracking the window to peek outside. He watched the traffic for a few minutes before deciding to go downstairs to grab a cup of coffee.
By the time he made it back to the room, Nadine was not only awake but standing at the door poised to walk out of it. She pounded a fist on his chest one time, and Julien smiled as he recovered balance of the coffee he was holding.
"You scared me to death," she scolded.
"What?" he laughed. "I just went to get a cup of coffee."
Her shoulders slumped in relief. "Don't you know you shouldn't let me wake up alone after all the things we did last night? I think doing it three times means I'm officially compromised."
Julien bit back a smile. "I didn't know you were going to wake up," he said. He was amused, but he could tell she was genuinely shaken, and he put down the coffee cup so he could take her into his arms. She was wearing a pair of Hello Kitty pajamas that she found in the dresser at her parents' house. Her wild, dark hair was standing on end like she'd been electrocuted during the night, and Julien smiled as he hugged her, thinking about how she was getting ready to walk out the door like that when he came in.
"I guess I just got scared when you weren't in here. I looked around for a note or something, but when I didn't see it I—"
She stopped speaking and walked with Julien as he pulled her to the window. She assumed he wanted her to see the view of the Eiffel Tower.
"Do you want to go there today?" she asked. She used her fingers to comb through her hair and tuck some of it behind her ears.
"I'd love it," he said.
"I got a message from my mom," she said. "I hope you don't mind but they all want to have dinner somewhere tonight since we're leaving tomorrow."
"I was only gone for like five minutes, how'd I miss so much?"
Nadine laughed. "I sent her an email last night to make sure she knew I was okay. I told her about our plans to stay one more night. She sent me a message back saying for us to plan on dinner with everyone. I hope you don't mind."
"I think it's a great idea. Last trip was such a whirlwind." Julien smirked at her and shrugged, knowing that this one was too.
"They wanted us to stay at their house tonight too, but I won't agree to that. I'll just tell them we'll meet them for dinner."
"I'm okay with staying at your parents' if you want to."
She gave him a curious but pleased expression.
"I'll get you all to myself soon enough," he continued. "I think you should spend as much time with them as you can while we're here."
Nadine thought he was possibly the sweetest thing she'd ever met—and all wrapped up in that dangerous looking fighter package. She grabbed his arm and wound it around herself. "This morning I'll take you to see the Tower," she said. "My sisters both stay home during the day. Maybe we can go to Pascal's for lunch."
"You need to decide what you want to do about spending the night at your parents tonight. If you want to stay there, we'll probably have to think about packing up here soon since it's just about check out time," Julie
n said.
They ended up cancelling their hotel room for that night in favor of squeezing in every last bit of family time before they left France. Julien wanted to get a croissant or some other type of French pastry, so they walked to a nearby café before having the valet bring the car around. He went with a croissant just because it was the most French sounding thing he could think of. It was a good choice. The flaky, buttery pastry was one of the best things he'd ever put into his mouth.
It was chilly outside, and Nadine was forced to wear an outfit of old, mismatched clothes on account of her lost luggage. His little French girl was so cute in her accidental outfit that Julien caught himself feeling like he was dreaming.
They had the perfect morning. Julien took great pleasure in watching Nadine interact with Parisian people, and he loved the way she always felt like she needed to tell him what she'd just said to someone after they walked away.
They made it to Pascal's at around 1PM. Her stepchildren were in school, so Emile's new baby was the only little one in the house, and he slept in his car seat most of the time.
Like Nadine, Pascal and Emile both spoke excellent English, and Julien really enjoyed getting to talk to them and know them a little bit. They were all three really funny, and he caught himself feeling lucky for being attached to their family.
The afternoon flew by. They had spent some quality time with her sisters before heading back to Nadine's parents' house to get cleaned up and changed before they needed to leave for the restaurant. They only had a half hour to pull themselves together, but it never took Julien long. He showered, changed, and stood in the living room waiting for Nadine to finish up. Jolene and Patrick were milling around the house, and both of them checked in with Julien to make sure he didn't need anything, but he told them as best he could that he was content waiting for her.
Jolene yelled down the hall and less than a minute later Nadine walked out of her room. Julien knew she'd borrowed one of Pascal's dresses, but hadn't seen it on her until she emerged from her room. The sight of her made him want to forget all about the family dinner and go back to the hotel. He knew how beautiful she was, but he'd never seen her all dressed up and he was slightly shocked at the transformation that had taken place over such a short time. Nadine didn't even notice how Julien was staring at her. She was too busy looking flustered and saying something to her mom in French. She motioned to her hair and her mom reached up and helped her adjust a few of the pins.
Julien's Book Page 19
