11. Natalie

NATALIE

The grand opening is chaos—but in a good way. It's a night I've been waiting to arrive for so long, and to my surprise, the restaurant is packed. In fact, not only are we booked out, there's also a line of people out the door who are hoping a table will become available to them. You'd think Sugar City had never had a Creole restaurant before! I"m running around like a madwoman, checking on each dish, making sure everything in the kitchen is perfect.

The energy is electric, and I can"t help but feel a surge of pride every time I peek out into the dining room and see my dream materializing before my eyes. The laughter, the chatter, the clinking of glasses—it"s all music to my ears.

But amidst the whirlwind, every time I feel overwhelmed, I catch a glimpse of Luc and the rest of the team, all dressed in their finest suits and seated at a large table in the center of the room. They"re clearly enjoying themselves, and my heart swells with gratitude for their support. Luc catches my eye and gives me a wink, causing a blush to creep up my cheeks.

"Well, well, well," Louis says, sidling up to me with a knowing grin. "Looks like things are going well with a certain hockey captain."

I elbow him in the ribs, trying to hide my smile. "Shut up, Louis. It"s not that obvious."

"Oh, please. You"re blushing so hard I can feel the heat from here. Does Emile know about you two yet?"

My smile fades a bit at the mention of my brother. "No, not yet. But he knows I"ve always had a crush on Luc, so I"d be pretty mad if he was bothered by it."

Louis chuckles, flipping a hand towel over his shoulder as he prepares to dive back into the heart of the kitchen battle. "Well, you better spill the beans soon before he finds out from someone else. Emile might be cool, but he"s still your overprotective little brother."

"What would I be overprotective about?" Emile"s voice comes from behind me, causing me to jump, and Louis to turn to him with a grin.

"She"s dating your captain. Actually, I think they"re in lurve..."

I roll my eyes, shoving Louis toward the kitchen. "Go do something useful, would you?"

Louis laughs, holding up his hands in surrender as he backs away. I turn back to Emile, biting my lip nervously.

"Is it true?" he asks, his expression even. "You and Luc are dating?"

I take a deep breath, holding Emile"s gaze as I search for the right words. My stomach is doing somersaults—I hadn"t planned on this conversation happening amidst the chaos of opening night.

"Yes," I confess. "It kind of just... happened."

Emile is silent for a moment, and I brace myself for his reaction. But then, a slow smile spreads across his face.

"Good. I"m really happy for you, sis."

"You are?"

"Of course! And full disclosure, I kind of figured something was going on after the party last week. You two seemed real cozy."

Emile"s acceptance sends an unexpected surge of warmth through me. "Thanks, Em. I was worried you"d be weird about it."

He shakes his head, chuckling lightly. "Come on, Nat. How long have we been teasing you about having a crush on Luc? Plus, he"s a great guy—focused, disciplined, and dead serious about anything he cares about. If he cares about you half as much as he does about hockey, then you"re golden."

I laugh, feeling a weight lift off my chest. "Well, we still have to figure out the whole work-life balance thing—especially with the team hitting the road soon. But yeah, I think this could actually work out. It feels… right, you know?"

Emile nods, his smile widening. "I"m glad to hear that, sis. Just remember, if he ever messes up, he'll have the entire team to contend with. You really won them over with the invite tonight." He winks playfully, and it"s all I can do to roll my eyes and punch his arm lightly.

"Well, they do say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. So I guess the way into the hearts of a whole hockey team is a bottomless bowl of bacon-wrapped jalape?o poppers."

Emile laughs then reaches over and steals a piece of shrimp from a passing tray. "Congrats on the opening, Natalie. The place looks amazing and the food is even better."

I beam at him, so proud of myself. "Thanks, little bro. I couldn"t have done it without you cheering me on."

He gives me a wink. "Don't mention it. After all these years cheering me on, it's the least I could do."

The rest of the night passes in a daze of congratulations, compliments, and endless plates of food. I barely have a moment to catch my breath, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying every minute of it.

As the night wears down and the last staff member heads out after clean up, I finally allow myself a moment to sit down. I pour myself a glass of wine and head into the kitchen, relishing the sudden silence after the chaos of the night.

Just as I"m about to take my first sip, the back door of the restaurant creaks open and Luc steps in, his presence filling the room. He"s still dressed in his suit, but he"s loosened his tie and rolled up his sleeves, revealing the defined muscles of his forearms. A small smile plays on his lips as he sees me with the wine glass in hand.

"Looks like I'm missing the after party," Luc says, his voice low and slightly teasing.

I raise an eyebrow, taking a sip before responding. "I thought you weren't much of a party guy?"

Luc chuckles, a deep, resonant sound that reverberates pleasantly in the now quiet kitchen. He walks over, hands in his pockets, casual yet somehow completely commanding. "I"m not," he admits, stopping a respectful distance away from me. "But I"d make an exception for a private party with my girl any day."

"In that case, grab yourself a glass and get that tight ass of yours over here," I reply, patting the stainless steel stool next to me in invitation.

Luc"s eyes light up with amusement as he retrieves a glass from the shelf, his movements smooth and assured. He pours himself some wine and tops off mine, then he takes the offered seat beside me. The proximity sends a small, unexpected thrill through me, and I"m suddenly aware of just how much space he fills. I love it. I love him.

"So, how does it feel to be the star of the show tonight?" Luc asks, nodding toward the now empty dining area where just hours ago my dream had played out in vivid color.

"It feels surreal," I confess, swirling the wine in my glass. "Like at any moment I might wake up and it was all just a fantastic dream."

Luc smiles, his gaze softening. "Well, from what I saw tonight, you're living a dream that's very much real. The way people were enjoying your food, talking about this place—it"s clear you"ve created something special." He takes a sip of wine and leans in closer, his arm brushing against mine.

"Then my life is a dream, and I never want to wake up," I whisper, holding his gaze as the seductive buzz of wine warms my veins, heightening my senses.

Luc"s smile deepens, his eyes piercing into my very soul as he leans even closer. "As long as I get to stay in it with you, then I'm all for it," he murmurs, his voice husky and charged with an emotion I"ve only begun to decode in our short, intense time together.

Luc reaches out, his fingers brushing against mine, sending a jolt of wanting through my body. I catch my breath, the familiar yet always surprising spark of our connection igniting something wild within me.

"Or better yet, let's cement this dream into our reality," he suggests, his hand gently guiding to stand. "By making sure this is a night you never forget."

I nod, my body responding before my mind fully processes his words. Subtly, our bodies gravitate toward each other, closing the distance between us until there is no room left for pretenses or hesitation. Our lips meet in an inevitable kiss, one that starts tender but quickly flames into urgency.

The kitchen, still warm from the night's cooking, surrounds us with the scents of spices and sweet desserts—a perfect backdrop for the swirling emotions at play.

As our kiss deepens, Luc"s arms encircle my waist, pulling me closer. The cold metal of the kitchen counter presses against my back, but the heat from Luc"s body is all I can focus on. He breaks the kiss to trail his lips along my jawline, his breath hot against my skin. I tilt my head back, giving him better access as he explores my neck with tender kisses, each touch sending shivers down my spine.

"Luc," I breathe out, my hands finding their way to his hair, fingers threading through the short strands.

He responds by tightening his grip, his hands roaming down my body until he's cupping my ass cheeks and pulling me even closer to him, his hardness pressing into my lower belly and making my head swim with need.

"I couldn't stop thinking about having you again all night," he murmurs between kisses. "Every time you looked at me in the dining room, I pictured you here, just like this. I was hiding my erection under a napkin."

I chuckle lightly, but my core clenches at the thought of him fantasizing about me while I was working. It's kind of like how I've fantasized about him when he's on the ice.

"Well, luckily for both of us, we're in a more private setting now."

Luc groans in response, his lips once again connecting with mine, this time with more hunger and urgency. We stumble through the door that leads to the kitchen's storage room, our lips never breaking contact. Boxes of foodstuffs and cleaning supplies part to make way for us as we reach the built-in shelving and he presses me against it, making quick work of removing my pants and shoes.

"I don't know if this is going to hold the way you think it will," I gasp as he stands in front of me releasing his long, thick cock from his dress pants.

He pauses and looks around before reaching over my head and pushing against the shelving, rattling it. "It'll hold," he says, bending down slightly and wrapping his big hands behind my thighs, hoisting me up. It's then that he crashes his lips against mine, lines the tip of cock with my opening and plunges inside.

"Holy fuck," I moan into his mouth, my eyes rolling into the back of my head at his intrusion, my mind reeling as he works his hips back and forth, fucking me so hard that the shelving shakes with our movement.

"Fuck, Natalie. You feel so good," he grunts, his grip on my thighs tightening. "I'm going to cum in you so hard that?—"

"Shhh!" My nails dig into his shoulders and my thighs clench around his waist when I'm sure I hear my name being called out in the kitchen. "I think someone's here."

Luc pauses his thrusting, his hard length still buried inside me, both of us breathing heavily. I hold my breath, my eyes wide as I strain to listen.

"All I can hear is the sound of the dishwasher," he whispers, starting to move again. I moan. But as soon as I start getting into it, I hear it again.

"Natalie?" It's Louis. "Are you still here?"

"Fuck," Luc and I hiss at the same time as I hear the sound of the kitchen door open.

I open my mouth to call to him that I'll be out in a minute, but Luc claps his hand over my mouth to silence me. "Oh no, my girl. We're not letting anyone take this from us," he whispers, his hips moving again, painfully slow this time, but it's still enough to set me on edge. "We're finishing this."

"Natalie?" Louis calls out again, getting closer. "I just wanted to drop off the newspaper. Hot off the press!"

"Shit, shit, shit," I hiss into Luc's palm, my eyes darting from side to side, trying to come up with an plan. But Luc's slow and steady movements have sparked a fire inside me that I can no longer control, and I feel myself teetering on edge as he hits a spot within me that makes me see stars.

"Shh," Luc soothes, silencing my building moan with his mouth as he picks up the pace, his hips grinding against me. His other hand reaches for my breast, pinching the nipple that's hardened through the fabric of my shirt. "Come for me, my girl." His words are a breath in my ear as he kisses my neck, sending chills down my spine.

"Luc," I whimper into his shoulder, trying to muffle my moans as the orgasm crests over me like an oncoming tidal wave. I can barely focus. The fear of getting caught in the act, coupled with his delicious ministrations is undoing me. I want to say we should stop—it's the right thing to do after all—but at the same time, I want him to keep going. I need to come with him right now.

"Come, Natalie. Come," he rasps, his hips moving so that his pelvic bone rubs against my clit, sending me headlong into my orgasm, white-hot pleasure surging through me like a livewire.

"Natalie? Are you in the store room?" Louis"s voice is now right outside the door.

"Fuck."

Luc grabs hold of me, carrying me with him as he quickly leans back and locks the door from the inside. The moment he does, Louis starts rattling the doorknob.

"Are you trapped in there?"

"Uh, uh, I—I—uh," I can't even string together a coherent sentence right now.

"Tell him you were doing stocktake and locked yourself in," Luc whispers, his blue eyes dancing with mirth. I want to smack him, but I also want to do the exact opposite when he adjusts his grip on me and his hard cock makes my sensitive lady parts force a moan out of me. "Tell him," he mouths, his lips dangerously close to mine.

"I—I, um—Louis, I was doing the stocktake and uh..."

"You locked yourself in?" Louis asks, non-plussed.

"Y-yes," I gasp when Luc adjusts his grip again. I'm starting to think he's doing it on purpose. "The door jammed but, um..." I look at Luc, frantically seeking help. He gives me a smirk and does the little ‘adjusting' movement again. "Uh, I mean, everything is..." I glare at Luc for being no help. "Everything's fine. I'm fine. Great, actually."

Louis rattles the door knob again. "Jesus. Lucky I came back. I'll call the twenty-four hour maintenance guy. In the meantime, just chill. OK? I'll be back soon."

"O-OK!" I call back, my heart racing a million miles a minute as Luc pushes me back against the shelving and immediately starts thrusting again. I'm still riding the high from the last orgasm, and I've never been one to come so close together, but there's just something about this moment, about him, that has my insides coiling tight again.

"I'm so fucking full for you, Natalie. I'm going to fill you with so much come it'll be running down your legs for hours."

"Oh my—Luc! Oh god!" I moan, grabbing on for dear life as he fucks me harder, faster.

"Natalie, my girl, mine," Luc mumbles against my neck, his hips slamming into mine. "You feel so fucking good—so..." He grunts again, and with one more thrust, he lets out a strangled groan and spills himself inside me.

My eyes roll back into my head as I unravel along with him, my walls clenching around him as I come undone, gasping out his name as I try to wrap my head around what I'm feeling, how I'm feeling. And even though we both said it last night, the truth of it hits me again now. I'm in love with him. Head over heels, I'd do anything to keep him, in love with him.

With a final soft kiss, Luc pulls himself from my body and sets me on the ground, lowering to his knees to help tidy me up and get my clothes back on.

"I'm so in love with you, Luc Bouchard," I say, my fingers brushing through his hair as he puts my shoes back on my feet like I'm Cinderella.

"Feeling's mutual, DuPont," he says, looking up at me with that cocky grin that makes my heart flip. "I'm so fucking in love with you that I don't know how I'm supposed to go on the road without you."

"We'll figure it out," I whisper, as he rises to his feet and draws me in close.

"We will," he agrees, pressing a kiss on the tip of my nose. "But for now, we'd better get out there and cancel that maintenance guy or you'll lose all your profits to his hourly rate."