ass. Who knew that a baby department could be so carnal?
“Can I help you?” Honest to God, she purred at him, the question just laced with a double meaning.
“I’d like this horse.”
“Sure thing. You see anything else that you like?”
The saleswoman was definitely a master of the double entendre, and there was a time that Lucien would have taken the sexy woman up on her offer. He’d have done her up against the wall in the family bathroom, but now he had Darcy. And the thought of her naked and in bed had him in a hurry to get back to her.
“No, just the horse.”
“It’ll only be a moment,” she hissed.
Darcy lay next to Lucien, running her fingers over the muscles of his abs. She had missed this almost more than the sex—the moments after when they just talked about anything and everything. It had always been like that for them, so easy and comfortable.
She’d been thinking more and more about the conversation she’d had with that man that day. He had told her that he’d look out for Lucien, but based on some of the stories she had heard, it didn’t appear he had kept his word. But still, Lucien was a very wealthy man now, so maybe he had. She lifted up on her elbows.
“How did you get so rich?”
“You’re only after my money, I see.” He gave her a wink.
She pushed at him and laughed. “I fell in love with you when you didn’t have a penny to your name.”
Tenderness washed over his face and he leaned in and kissed her. “True.” He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. “Why are you asking?”
“The man who came to me that day promised he’d help you as long as I stayed out of your life. I thought that was just another lie, but you can’t argue with your success. Do you know if maybe he did keep his word? He could have been helping you along the way.”
She saw his anger and couldn’t fault him for it, but maybe the one they were looking for was right under their noses.
“I took any job I could find and saved most of what I made. When I had saved enough, I started investing in not very reputable businesses and before long I owned those businesses. Eventually I started investing in legitimate businesses. It wasn’t easy. I put in my dues and did shit I’m not proud of.” He touched her hair before running his finger along her jaw. “Hindsight being what it is, I’m glad you weren’t there for that. That you weren’t exposed to all that I was.”
She saw the ah-ha moment right before he said, “But . . . yeah, there were a few times I didn’t understand how I got some of the jobs I did. Why someone would trust a kid like me. Someone important behind the scenes could have pulled some strings. That would make sense. Even my juvenile record . . .”
Darcy sat up. “You have a criminal record?”
“Would that surprise you?”
She didn’t even hesitate to answer, which made his heart pound a bit faster in his chest. “Yes, because the boy I knew was no criminal.”
He kissed her cheek. “Well, rest easy, I don’t have a criminal record and the few times I was incarcerated, it was only an overnight stay. I was never booked. What about you? Do you have any skeletons in your closet?”
He was joking, but she looked as if she were guilty. What was she hiding from him? He was tempted to pry a confession from her, but he didn’t have the heart. She’d tell him when she was ready.
She met his eyes and pursed her lips thoughtfully. “So who’s the man behind the curtain and what’s his interest in you?”
He’d expected she’d change the subject. Time for something different. He rolled, pinning Darcy under him. “Good question, but I’m so not interested at the moment.”
Her legs came around his waist and she rubbed herself against him. “Me neither.”
Are you sure you’re up for this?” Trace studied Ember from the doorway of their bedroom while she pulled her hair up into some kind of sexy knot thing. They’d decided to have a dinner party to announce the baby. Knowing she was pregnant, especially after the emotional roller coaster he’d put her through, he didn’t want her pushing it.
Patience dominated the look she gave him. “I’m pregnant, not an invalid.”