Chapter Nineteen

V iolette woke to an empty bed.

She stretched on the soft sheets. Where was Nicolas? How long had she been asleep? A ray of waning sunlight shone through the gap in the curtains.

Pierre was waiting when they got home with word from Raoul that Suzanne had reappeared safe and sound. The same wave of relief Violette had experienced on escaping the catacombs overwhelmed her once more, but it seemed to drain all her energy.

Nicolas had immediately ordered a hot bath, and she'd dozed off in the hot water, only to awaken to the soft strokes of a towel drying her. Nicolas had gone on to pull her nightrail over her head, before carrying her to bed where she'd sunk into slumber again.

At some point, she'd emerged from sleep to find his arms around her, cradling her against him, then sank once more into oblivion.

Now she was well and truly awake. She flung back the covers and padded into the sitting room. Empty as well, but the door yawned into the corridor.

"Nicolas?" she called.

Footsteps echoing on the hardwood floor announced his arrival. "Ah, you're awake. Wonderful. I returned not five minutes ago."

"You went out?"

"Only to go see Raoul and Suzanne."

She rushed to him and took his hands. "How is she? Is she hurt?"

"Just a gash on her forehead, but otherwise, she's fine. And I have more good news." He closed the door behind him and pulled her to the divan. "They found Emile."

Violette's heart stopped in her chest. Emile . Emile was alive. "Thank the heavens."

"Malenfant's men had been fishing for information in exchange for a few francs around the Grands Boulevards. Someone approached them, saying Emile had been hiding at his place. Word is getting around that Estienne is dead, so I suppose Emile's friend thought it was safe." Nicolas frowned. "Apparently, while he was hiding, he asked this friend of his to lock him in a room and wean him off of drink."

Violette gasped. "What?"

"The friend agreed. It was very foolish. Emile could have died. But he got through it."

Her brother wanted a fresh start, then. Just like she did. She pressed her hand against her heart, beating quickly now, with hope and apprehension. Nicolas studied her, his green eyes soft and serious.

"If you wish to return home… After all, you and your brother were living there for quite some time."

Violette shook her head. "It was never a happy place for us. We could sell it, or rent it. But not live in it, not anymore."

Too many ugly memories. And even with carpets and a roaring hearth, it would always be a cold place for her.

"Emile and I are both old enough to lead our own lives. I… I need to figure out what I'm good at, if anything. I was never really given the chance to ask myself this question."

Nicolas brushed a strand of hair and tucked it behind her ear. "I am certain you possess a myriad of talents, my love. And it will be my pleasure to help you discover them."

"And…" She sidled closer to him. "I want to stay. With you. If you want the same…"

"Of course, I do," he interrupted her. "How could you doubt it?"

"I care little what people will say, if they call me your mistress…"

"My mistress!" He shook his head. "Not my mistress, Violette. Damn it, woman, you pick pockets, you break out of houses, and you manage to trick the most dangerous man in Paris in the face of mortal danger. You'll be at my side as an equal, Violette, nothing less. And I will marry you as such. I love you."

"Nicolas…"

She flung herself into his arms. No words had given her more joy in all her life, and they shone bright and true, filling her with light.

"I love you too. So very much. I never wish to be parted from you."

"Good." He pushed her shoulders back to kiss her once, twice, three times, each kiss lingering longer on her lips. "I have no further plans to go out today. One hour away from you is quite enough."

He pulled her closer, and their mouths met again. Hunger stirred within her—hunger for him. Her body craved his touch like it did water, food, sunlight. An irresistible necessity that demanded its due.

She moaned as his tongue stroked hers languidly, grasping his wrist to bring his hand to her thigh, then up to her breast, already heavy with want. He squeezed, and delicious heat gathered at the tip.

"My, I feared you might be too tired for my attentions," he murmured wickedly. "I'm exceedingly pleased to be proven wrong once again."

"Nicolas," she groaned. "Take me to bed, I beg of you."

"Right away? I think we can put the divan to good use first."

He knelt on the floor in front of her and bunched her nightrail up her legs. Up and up and up. Revealing her entirely to him.

Violette squirmed and arched her back. His gaze alone sent curls of fire through her belly. "Nicolas… What are you doing?"

"Giving you pleasure, my love. As much as I possibly can." He leaned down, and his mouth grazed her thigh. "I promise you'll like this."

He planted small kisses on her skin and delicately spread her legs. Up and up and… Oh . His mouth, it was… On her. Completely. His tongue flicked, and…

" Oh , oh Lord, what…"

The sensation was indescribable. Too exquisite for words. Every time he flicked and licked and, heavens , he was sucking lightly now, and each one of her breaths turned into a little cry.

"Nicolas," she mewled. "Don't… don't stop, I…"

"Never," he panted against her. "You taste too damn good for me to stop."

He sucked harder now, and almost unbearable pleasure swept through her in wave after wave, in time with the greedy pulls of his mouth, bringing her higher, higher still, until she was dizzy with it and words spilled out of her mouth of their own accord. More, please, more , she was so close, so…

His tongue swirled at her entrance, and her hips jerked, welcoming its invasion, her muscles clenching as if to draw it in while she rode the crest of her pleasure.

Too much. It was too much. She opened her eyes, lungs working to catch her breath.

"I told you you'd like it," Nicolas teased.

Lord, his lips… They were slick with her essence, and he passed his tongue over them so as not to lose a single drop.

"I did. Very much."

He rose to his feet and took her hand, then hooked his arm under her legs and carried her to the bedroom.

Moments later, she lay on the mattress, watching him undress—no, tear off his clothes, more like, and dropping them in heaps to the floor. He unbuttoned his waistcoat with such haste a button popped.

He felt the same urgency she did. The same uncontrollable yearning. They'd come so close to losing each other forever…

No, that was over and done with. He was here. They were here, together, and nothing could separate them again.

"Nicolas," she breathed. "I need you inside me."

"I won't keep you waiting, love." He stretched on the bed but remained on his back instead of positioning himself over her, slowly stroking his hardened manhood. "Straddle me. Much as you did on the chair that first night. I want to watch you."

She carefully placed her legs on either side of him and pressed her throbbing nub against his erection, seeking the delectable pressure she now knew so well. Her slick folds slid over his length, and he closed his eyes in a groan.

"Yes, start like that if you wish… By God, that's good. You're so beautiful, giving yourself pleasure on my cock."

She rolled her hips, drowning in the sensation of the slippery friction between them. Nicolas gripped her waist and halted her movements.

"Stop there, love, or I'll come. Take me inside you now."

She hovered over him, delicately handling his manhood at her entrance, then slowly lowered herself. The way he stretched her, filled her so completely… She gave in to the sensation, and he thrust his hips upwards, burying himself to the hilt in her sheath. For moment, she couldn't think, couldn't breathe. She could only feel.

Then she moved, and the feeling came to life, little bursts of heat in her body that gathered in her center, more and more of them, coming together to merge in an uncontrollable fire.

"Keep going," she pleaded.

"You're the one who's moving," he laughed. "I'm hardly doing anything at all."

"I… I wish to feel you deeper."

He groaned and kneaded the soft flesh of her thighs before tightening his hold on her. "Do you? Hard and fast, then?"

He met the sway of her hips with powerful thrusts, each one sharper than the last, and she arched her back to welcome them.

" Yes , oh goodness, just like that. More ."

"Fucking hell," Nicolas cursed, and increased the vigor of his movements. "Harder?"

"Please, yes, anything , I'm so close…"

His fingers dug into her thigh, so roughly she was sure they would leave a bruise. She didn't care. She wanted him, all of him, as much as he could give her. The tip of his manhood hit a spot so deep that it brought her out of herself, out of her body, oh God, oh God , she would die from the force of it. Her muscles clenched, released, over and over, until her body gave a great shudder, and she floated back down.

Nicolas jerked his hips, then lifted her to spill his seed on his belly. She slumped onto the bed next to him. Somehow, the pale trickles of wetness on his skin made her feel a twinge of loss. How good it would feel if he didn't pull back, if he stayed inside her even at the moment of his abandon…

Later. It would come later. There was no hurry now. She curled against him and nuzzled his shoulder. His breathing calmed, grew deeper.

"Don't be cross if I doze off," he mumbled. "I will be ready and eager to go again after a proper rest."

"Sleep, my love." She kissed his skin. "We have all the time in the world."

*

Nicolas slapped his hand on the polished counter of the Cabaret Doré. "Champagne for all of us! Your very finest, if you please."

Suzanne dropped into a mock curtsy. "Right away, monsieur . I'll see what we have in the cellar."

She disappeared down a small hatch behind the counter. Violette leaned over and craned her neck to see where it led. Nicolas breathed a whiff of lavender and soap and her . Lord, he would never tire of this woman's delicious scent.

"Those steps are so steep and narrow," she said. "How does she manage without falling?"

Raoul put down his pint and licked foam from his lips. "She never loses her balance. She can walk a ledge no larger than your hand. I've seen her do it. Ought to be in a circus with those skills."

Though his friend's tone was light, he had barely taken his eyes off Suzanne since their arrival, and now that she was out of sight, he tapped his fingers nervously on the counter. As if he was afraid she might vanish again.

Nicolas understood all too well. Every time he left the house, his mind returned to the night of Violette's disappearance. But he couldn't ask poor Pierre to stand guard at the hidden door, and Violette wouldn't allow it anyway. After all, she was free to come and go as she pleased now. And little by little, it would get easier.

He wouldn't protect her by locking her up. Simply by loving her. He took her hand to kiss it, and she beamed at him.

Suzanne returned with a bottle. Veuve Clicquot, no less. She pressed her thumb against the cork, and it went off with a joyous pop, flying in an arc before landing on the floor. She swiftly poured the bubbling drink into four tall glasses before handing them out. Nicolas raised his, clinking it with Violette's, then Raoul's, and finally Suzanne's.

" Santé , my friends. To the start of a new era of health and happiness."

Suzanne grinned. "January 1 st was two weeks ago, but I'll allow it since you're paying for a very expensive bottle."

Violette smiled. "I was always told that you have until January 31 st to present New Year's wishes."

"Finally, someone who knows the rules of true savoir-vivre ," Suzanne said with a wink. "You'll make a lady out of me yet."

Raoul elbowed Nicolas and frowned. "Look who it is."

Nicolas turned. Malenfant and Talloche threaded their way between occupied tables. Talloche fit right in with his burn scar, but Malenfant's flashy gold pin drew more than a few stares.

"What the devil is he doing here?" Suzanne asked.

"I invited him," Nicolas replied cheerfully. "Glad he could make it."

Raoul snorted. "Have you lost your mind, man?"

Violette laid a hand on his chest. "Nicolas thought that it would make a statement to invite him onto our territory in order to… negotiate. And I agree."

Suzanne took a swig of champagne. "Say no more. As long as he ran his idea by you first and obtained your approval, I know it's not just another one of his hare-brained schemes."

Nicolas sighed. This promised to be years of fun.

Malenfant ambled up, thumbs hooked in the pockets of his waistcoat. "Good evening. So nice of you to extend an invitation. This sort of place brings me back to my youth." He patted his stomach. "I was in better fighting shape back then, but my pockets were far emptier. What are we drinking?"

Nicolas smiled. "Suzanne, can you pour two more glasses for our guests?"

Malenfant chortled. "Guests? I seem to recall the owner of this fine establishment pays his dues to me."

"Nonetheless, tonight you are my guests." He raised his glass to his lips. "I'm paying for the champagne, after all."

Malenfant observed him with a calculating gaze. "Tell me why you asked me here."

Straight to the point, then. Nicolas had expected no less. "I wish to revise the terms of our agreement. I hear that many of the Boneman's former employees have offered you their services. That must represent quite an increase in your revenue. And since I was the one to do away with your rival, I would say that I have returned your favors tenfold."

"He's not wrong there," Talloche grunted with a half-smile.

"When I'll want your opinion, I'll ask for it," Malenfant snapped, but he seemed to be mulling the question over in his head. "It is not easy to give up the sort of talent you have, Lefevre."

Nicolas lifted his chin. "Paris is yours now. You can do as you please with your newfound power, so long as you let me and my friends live our lives in peace."

"Is that a threat?"

"I watched Nicolas take down the Boneman unarmed," Violette said. "If it were a threat, believe me, he would not bother with champagne and pleasant manners."

Malenfant smiled. "The infamous Mademoiselle de la Roque. We meet at last. I can see why Lefevre raised hell to get you back." He took a champagne glass from the counter. "Very well, then. You stay out of my business and I'll stay out of yours."

Nicolas clinked his glass with his. "Splendid. Santé, monsieur. "

He turned back to Violette and murmured in her ear. "I rather like how well you play the role of my right-hand man. Or rather right-hand woman. Suzanne says you'll turn her into a lady, but sacredieu , I think you'll soon turn into a delinquent if I'm not careful."

"Really? But you haven't even finished teaching me savate yet."

He laughed. "All right, then. Classes resume tonight when we get home. I'm warning you, I won't relent until you're utterly exhausted."

She kissed him. She tasted like champagne and sweetness. Like life .

"I'll do my very best, my love."