She would ask Lucien about it, but not tonight. Tonight was special between them. She’d sensed it ever since he’d opened up his office door earlier, said her name and pinned her with his stare. He’d come back early from Paris. He’d been honest with her about his search for his mother.
That meant more to Elise than she could put into words.
Ten minutes later, her curiosity and desire overcame her. Instead of waiting in bed, she walked out of the master suite in search of him, clean and fragrant from her shower. All the fatigue she’d experienced earlier that day was a mere memory. He came out of the extra bedroom almost at the same moment she left the master suite. They turned toward each other, half of the length of the hallway still between them. Her gaze lowered over the length of him covetously. He wore only a pair of black lounge pants, the drawstring tied several inches below his belly button, leaving his taut, ridged abdomen exposed. His smooth skin still looked moist from his shower. His muscles gleamed in the soft lighting from the hallway sconces.
She saw his gaze dip over her, and again that strange feeling overcame her . . . that shyness she’d never known until Lucien.
“You look beautiful,” he said, walking toward her. She couldn’t quite interpret his small, enigmatic smile. “Did Maria pick out that gown for you?” he asked, nodding at the short sapphire-blue nightgown she wore.
“Maria?” Elise asked, surprised. She laughed. “Of course not. Why would she?”
He shrugged, still looking amused. For the first time, she noticed he wore something she’d never seen before. A platinum chain looped around his neck. Attached to it was a small key.
“What’s that?” she asked curiously, eyeing the key resting in the valley of bulging pectoral muscles.
“You’ll see,” he murmured.
“Is that my surprise?” she asked mischievously, eyeing the black velvet pouch he carried in one hand. He stepped nearer to her, so that the tips of her breasts were mere inches from his ribs.
“Part of it,” he said, reaching up to tuck a tendril of hair behind her ear. Pleasure rippled through her at the caress of his fingertips.
“Where is the rest?” she prodded, laughter in her eyes and a small smile pulling at her lips as she looked up at him.
“Greedy little thing,” he chastised at the same moment he bent and swept her into his arms. She was still laughing in pleasant surprise when he opened the door that led to the stairs.
“We’re going up to the terrace?” she asked breathlessly as he strode up the steps rapidly on long legs. “But I thought . . . the bedroom,” she said, unable to keep the disappointment from her tone. He carried her onto the massive deck that encompassed almost the entire rooftop. It was a warm June night. The sultry, pleasant lake breeze tickled her cheek. Lucien turned. She gasped at what she saw.
“Oh . . . oh, it’s . . . how did you do that?”
She stared at Lucien wide-eyed and then back at the lushly romantic scene before her. “I bought the essentials and helped out, but mostly we have Maria to thank for the niceties,” he replied as he carried her toward the east parapet that overlooked the expanse of Lake Michigan. He set her down at the foot of a bed.
And what a bed.
Elise twisted around, taking in her surroundings with amazed delight. She felt like she sat in the midst of a sensual, glowing lantern. She perched on a four-poster canopy bed, the tall posts made of a light bamboo composite that looked relatively easy to maneuver and manipulate for a temporary bed. But there was nothing makeshift about this decadent creation. White, opaque silk panes hung from the cross posts, shifting delicately in the gentle lake wind, the fabric blocking the view of the city behind them. The top of the bed was open to the night sky, and the east-facing portion was left exposed to the lake. Crisp white sheets covered the mattress and were folded down over a midnight-blue satin duvet. White rose petals had been sprinkled on the cover, as if to mimic the starlit night sky above them. One perfect white rose had been laid against the cushions at the head of the bed, the color of it a contrast to the dark blue of the pillowcases. Dozens of candles flickered and glowed in small glass holders that had been set along the four-foot-high brick parapet and all around the perimeter of the bed. A bucket stand had been set up next to the bed and filled with ice and a bottle of champagne.
A small smile shaped Lucien’s mouth when she looked at him. She shook her head in disbelief.
“You’re a romantic, Lucien Sauvage.”
“Would you like some champagne?” he asked as he sat down next to her.
She shook her head, unable to pull her gaze off him. “Maybe later,” she whispered. Something caught her eye. “My pearls,” she exclaimed in surprise, seeing the long rope coiled on the far side of the bed.
“I had Maria bring them up. I hope you don’t mind,” he said huskily. Elise swallowed, guessing he probably planned to use them again to restrain her.
“It’s a good thing you pay Maria so well,” she mumbled, blushing. “I can just imagine the stories she could tell about you, given some of the things she sees around here.”
“There’s nothing scandalous about pearls.”
“I’m willing to bet there is with what you plan to do with them.”
He chuckled and prodded her with a hand on her upper arm. She scooted over the mattress with him. The delicate scent of rose petals filtered into her nose by the time they leaned back together on the pillows. The building where they perched was the tallest in the near vicinity. With the silk drapes blocking the city, they were in their own private little cocoon, even with the bed being open to the sky and lake. Lucien reached behind her and set the rose in her lap.