The Price (House of Sin #5) - Elisabeth Naughton Page 0,64

eyes softened, as his muscles relaxed, and all those nerves and stress he’d been struggling with the whole way here seemed to slip out of his body. “It was perfect,” he whispered. “My best day ever.”

My heart filled, and I wanted to grab him, wanted to kiss him, wanted to pull him down to me and show him just how perfect he was to me. But I couldn’t, because that damn woman was talking again, stealing Luc’s gaze from me when I only wanted to continue to hold it.

“Luc, what drew you toward Natalie?”

He hesitated before looking down at me again. “Initially?”

“Yes.”

“Her spirit. The first moment I met her, I knew she had this fire inside her that wouldn’t be banked. It lit up the entire room.” His lips curled on one side in such a sexy way, I ached to kiss that grin from his lips. “And I knew that fire was going to be trouble for me, that she was going to be trouble, but no matter how hard I tried to avoid her, I couldn’t get her out of my head.”

I smiled up at him and squeezed his arm, knowing that had been true. He’d loved the way I’d challenged him at the beginning. He still did now.

“Natalie?” Abigail said. “Same question. What drew you initially to Luc?”

I tipped my head and studied him as he continued to look down at me. The man was drop-dead gorgeous. Dark, Italian, sexier than all get-out. I hadn’t missed that at first glance, but it hadn’t been what had drawn me. “His eyes.”

“They are very unique with that coloboma.”

“No, that wasn’t it. As soon as I looked at him I knew there was more to him than the arrogant CEO he wanted me to believe he was. It was like looking at a mask. His eyes gave that away. The real him was hiding. And the more I saw of him, the more I wanted to know who that was.”

His features softened, and he squeezed my knee again in a way that sent tingles all across my skin.

He’d told me before that I was the only person who’d ever seen the real him, and I wanted him to know that I still did. I knew who and what he was even if he wasn’t so sure anymore.

“Luc,” Abigail said, interrupting our moment again. “If there’s one thing you could tell Natalie that she either doesn’t know or doesn’t completely believe, what would that be?”

He stared down at me for several moments, then said, “I would tell her that she’s my family now. She’s the only family that matters to me. And family comes before everything else. She will always come first.”

I believed that. I would always believe it. But I also knew that his House would do whatever it could to make sure he wasn’t allowed to put me first.

“Natalie? Same question.”

I cleared my throat, forcing myself to stay tough so I wouldn’t cry. “The only thing I’d tell him is what he already knows deep in his heart.” Holding his gaze, I said, “You are not defined by your name, or your title, or where you came from, or the people who created you. You aren’t them, Luc. You’re nothing like them. And they have no power over you so long as you don’t give it to them.”

His eyes grew misty, and he blinked rapidly and squeezed my leg again. And when he leaned toward me and kissed the top of my head, I closed my eyes and held on to him, drawing in his scent, his warmth, telling myself if I reminded him of that enough, someday he’d believe it.

“I think that’s a perfect segue to the next part of Luc’s therapy.”

Swiping at the stupid tears threatening to spill over, I glanced toward Abigail, wondering what she meant.

She met my gaze head-on. “Natalie, for the remainder of our session, you’ll need to step outside.”

“What?” I looked toward Luc. “But I thought—”

“There are things we need to discuss regarding the Entente that you cannot be present for,” Abigail cut in. “I’m sure you are aware there are very specific rules. Just because you are a spouse does not grant you special permissions.”

My jaw clenched down hard as I looked back at her. “But those rules don’t apply to you?”

“I have special clearance from House Merrick. And, as a professional in the medical community, a very specific doctor-patient confidentiality agreement that will not be breached. I can assure you of