Second Chances (Dreams Come True #2) (18 page)

“When would you like to see us?” Sebastian held the phone in a white-knuckle grip.

“Now is good. Is this a cell phone?”

“Yes.” Sebastian’s voice sounded flat.

“Good. I’ll text you the address,” Michel explained.

Then the call ended and we sat at the table a moment in silence before Mattie interrupted. “Well, I suppose if we’re going out in public, I need to go put on a bra.”

“Mattie!” I giggled.

“Honey child, when you get to be my age, you won’t want to wear a bra anymore either.” She winked before leaving the room and I couldn’t help but snicker.

Finally alone, I reached out and held Sebastian’s hand. “Why so glum, chum? This is all good stuff. You’re rich!”

“We’re rich,” he corrected without a bit of enthusiasm.

“You may soon be rid of that horrible man forever!” I was determined to cheer him up.

“Or we may not be able to prove my theory.” He shrugged.

I rolled my eyes. “Stop it. Be positive. You married me. The curse is broken. I’m very lucky.” I nodded my head and smiled widely, hoping my mood would be contagious.

“Your mother died when you were young. Your father is a terrible drunk. I could go on and on, but how are you lucky?” He frowned, obviously determined to be sour.

“I lost my mother, but I found Mattie late in high school. She changed my life. My father may be a terrible drunk, but if he wasn’t, we’d never have met. I have a fulfilling career. I get to share your awesome friends. Most importantly, I get to spend the rest of my life with your cranky ass.” I giggled.

Slowly, Sebastian looked up. “I am quite the prize.” He sighed. “Come here.”

Playfully, I inched my chair closer to his while his head bobbled and rolled. Impatient, he reached over and lifted me off the chair and onto his lap. “I can’t believe you can lift me,” I murmured against his lips before pressing against them.

“Am I ridiculously strong, or are you not the chunkster you think you are?” His eyebrow arched.

I felt his muscles. “You’re so strong!”

“You’re impossible.” He grinned.

With a shrug, I responded. “Takes one to know one.”

Then Mattie returned and we drove to the detective’s office with the box and all its contents in tow. It was a quick visit. We were all swabbed for DNA analysis, then fingerprinted, which left me feeling like the criminal. We watched as the box was taken into another room.

“What’s going on there?” Sebastian pointed to the man in the white jumpsuit holding a camera.

“I have a crime scene investigator on staff. He will take pictures and then fingerprint the box and check for potential DNA transfer. We’ll use your prints and samples to rule out what we find until hopefully we narrow it down. Either way, we hope to soon identify him.” Michel nodded solemnly.

“Is that our only hope? What if there are no prints, no DNA?” Sebastian leaned forward on his knees, the picture of worry and frustration.

Michel folded his hands on the desk. “At the same time, I plan to track your real uncle’s whereabouts. I might be able to figure out where they crossed paths, if he’s still alive, and discover the identity of this guy.” He held up the picture. “Can I keep this?”

Sebastian nodded. “Of course.”

“When will we hear back? Only if you know something, or what?” I knew I was being pushy, but I figured the situation required it. After all, the man claiming to be Uncle Luc had managed to get away with pretending to be someone else for far too long.

“I’ll touch base with you tomorrow no matter what and sooner if I know something.” Michel stood and held out his hand to show our meeting had concluded. We shook and he spoke his parting words. “I’d keep the rest of these documents in a safe if you have one, a safety deposit box if you don’t.”

“I will. Thank you.” Sebastian walked over and opened the door for me.

We were all quiet as we left the building and climbed into the car. On the way back to the shop, Sebastian ran inside the bank to leave all the valuables in the safety deposit box. Though we should’ve been excited and encouraged, the waiting was wearing on all of us.

Late that night, after hours of hoping for a call that never came, we finally decided to go to bed. On the one hand, this was our first time climbing into bed as husband and wife. On the other, Mattie. At first, I attributed all his shifting and turning on the mattress to his concern about her being on the other side of the living room. Then I heard him groan and I realized he was genuinely uncomfortable.

“I’m so sorry, Sebastian. As if I haven’t done enough to ruin your life, now my crappy bed is ruining your sleep.” I wrapped my arms around his waist as we reverse spooned.

“How can you say that?” His voice sounded shocked as he rolled to face me. Sebastian ran a hand through my hair and stroked my brow. “Sunshine, this is just a hiccup. We’ll have my condo back before you know it. Or hell, maybe we’ll buy a mattress tomorrow. We’re not destitute by any stretch of the imagination.”

“This is true,” I mumbled, feeling slightly better.

He pressed his lips to mine. When he pulled back, Sebastian smiled at me. “I need you to stop worrying you’ve wrecked my life. Do you realize what I’ve gained because of you?”

I narrowed my eyes as I tried to consider life from his perspective. Slowly, I shook my head. “You were pretty down today. So far, I’ve got nothing.”

Sebastian chuckled. “You’re right, but I’m trying to be more like you. So, on the bright side, I have Mathilde back. She was always family to me. What you don’t seem to realize yet is if not for you, I’d have never gone back to the mansion, never discovered the puzzle box, never found out the man isn’t Uncle Luc.” A mischievous look appeared in his eyes. “Worse, I’d probably be married to Sylvie.” I pushed on his chest and struggled to roll away, but he pinned me to the mattress with his body and settled his pelvis between my legs. Already he grew hard as he pressed against my panties.

“It may take some time, but we’ll recover from this. We’ll be better than ever,” Sebastian assured me. “If we don’t get the mansion and gallery back, we’ll buy new ones.” He shrugged.

My mind wrestled with the money he had, where making major purchases seemed like no big deal. I had way too much adjusting to do. Speaking of adjusting…I wrapped my legs around his waist.

“Yeah?”

I nodded. “Definitely.”

“But Mattie,” he reminded me.

“We’re married. She’ll applaud.” I bit my lip to stifle a laugh.

“Not if she doesn’t hear us,” he whispered as he buried his face in my neck.

Chapter Seventeen

Sebastian

Marisa’s scent was positively intoxicating. I nuzzled into her neck, kissing while inhaling deeply. She moved to give me full access and soon, I had found my way to her ever so sensitive earlobes. “I love you, Marisa, in a way I never expected to love anyone.” She moaned and writhed against me as I shared my feelings. “To have you in my life has changed me in all the very best ways.”

She raised her hips to rub against my hard cock. I opened my mouth to talk again when she grabbed my face in both hands. “I love you, but you need to shut the hell up and get inside me already.”

With a smirk, I lowered my mouth and lazily sucked in her nipple, causing her back to arch. The back of her hand covered her mouth and her eyes shot open. When I finally relinquished her areola, I murmured, “I thought girls needed foreplay.”

With a sigh, Marisa grabbed my hand and pushed it under her panties. Soon my finger was sliding up and down her wet slit. “Does it feel like I need foreplay? The moment you started kissing my neck, I was ready. It probably won’t always be like this, but we haven’t done this for a couple of weeks and I’m horny as hell. M’kay?” Her eyes narrowed on mine.

“Well, okay then.” I chuckled as I sat back on my heels and pulled her panties off. Apparently I paused for a moment too long as I appreciated her sensual curves, her soft skin that I longed to caress, and her perfect pink peaked breasts.

“Ahem? Any day now.” She spread her legs wide to give me a better view of where she wanted my attentions.

“Great idea.” I bent low and began to tease her clitoris.

“Dammit, Sebastian,” she moaned.

“You want it that bad?” I asked as I slid a finger inside her and began to find a rhythm.

“Yes,” she whimpered. “I want you as hungry with need as I am. I want you slamming into me. I want to feel you explode deep inside me.” Her eyes flashed as she spoke, a combination of desperation and passion.

I nodded. “Roll over.”

“What?” She propped herself up on her elbows.

Grabbing her thigh, I nudged her the direction I wanted her to move. The moment her glorious ass was exposed, I gave her a gentle smack and her eyes widened, but she didn’t object. “On your knees, sexy.” The moment she complied, I positioned my cock at her welcome opening and pushed in as deeply as our bodies would allow.

“Yes,” Marisa sighed, as she stretched out her torso and stuck her ass higher in the air.

Soon she was getting everything she wanted. As I touched her, ran my fingers over her back, held onto her sides, while pumping into her, it felt like I’d never get enough of her never get deep enough inside her, never satisfy this need I had to be with her. Wrapping my arms around her, I cupped her breasts, admiring the way every bit of her fit with me.

Then my little minx moved one of her hands and started playing with her clitoris. Something in me fractured. This was my wife. She was mine, all mine, and had never been anyone else’s. Most of all, I was hers and always would be. I felt wildly possessive and out of control, but I held on, waiting for some sign she’d achieved her orgasm. My Marisa would never be dissatisfied. I heard her first, the way she gasped, then stopped breathing altogether. Seconds later, her vagina tightened around me in a glorious rhythmic massage.

“Can you?” She panted.

It was all the encouragement I needed. In an instant, I slammed into her and erupted in a serious of glorious explosions. “Wow,” I whispered as I finally pulled out. Still, it felt like an understatement.

“Wow?” Marisa giggled.

“Make fun of me all you want. You’re the idiot who married me,” I teased as I wrapped myself around her and we spooned on her bed.

“I’m a genius,” she proclaimed as I grinned against her shoulder. “I just make bad decisions.” I gave her behind a pat that had her glancing over her shoulder at me. “You should know, however, you’re not one of them. Loving you is the smartest decision I ever made.”

“Like you had a choice,” I grumbled. Our banter might have continued on, but my phone vibrated and interrupted. It was nearly midnight when I read the text.

Michel: Call me when you get this no matter what time.

“Call him,” Marisa urged as she pulled the sheet over her torso and sat up beside me.

Without thinking, I reached for her hand to steady me as I placed the call and hit the speaker button. It barely rang once before he answered. “You’re never going to believe this,” Michel began.

“Oh, I don’t know. Try me.” I squeezed Marisa’s hand harder without thinking. She suddenly winced as she yanked it away and had me mouthing an apology.

“We found his fingerprint and identified it.” Michel was quiet a moment. “Did you hear what I said?”

“Yes,” I responded slowly. “I didn’t realize you had a flare for the dramatic. I thought you might simply tell me, since that’s what I’m paying you to do.” A hand shot to my head as I felt a twinge of regret. “I’m sorry. Stress makes me snappish.”

“I understand.” Michel blew out a breath before continuing. “His name is Louis Renard. He’s a grifter.”

“I’m sorry. A grifter?” I shook my head as I tried to process everything.

“Yes, a con artist. He’s been accused numerous times of fraud, but never convicted, unfortunately, since he’s been very successful at reinventing himself and disappearing. Renard has been wanted for questioning in Vancouver for about eleven years.” Michel sounded incredibly agitated as he spoke.

“That makes a lot of sense because he’s been claiming to be my uncle for that long. Any idea how he crossed paths with the real Luc Boucher? Is my uncle alive?” Suddenly I had a thousand questions.

“We lost his trail after he left Vancouver. I’m not sure where your uncle stands in any of this. We’re still looking.”

“So what’s our next step?” I asked while I rubbed my forehead.

“Go see your lawyer. Have him facilitate a meeting with the detectives. Can you fabricate some excuse to get Renard to meet you? Maybe the police could apprehend him then.” Michel began to spit out ideas left and right.

“I can do that. Let me contact my lawyer now. Thank you for all your hard work.” Without thinking, I began to tug on my lower lip as I ended the call. Immediately, Marisa rubbed up and down my arm to try and comfort me. I exhaled and gazed at her, suddenly feeling incredibly worn out. “Thank you, sunshine.”

“You’re welcome, handsome. Just offering support.” She shrugged.

“Okay. Last call for the night, I hope.” I began scrolling through my contacts.

“Well, one way or the other, it will be. After all, it’s minutes from midnight.” Marissa giggled.

Suffice to say, Mr. Lefevre decided we should meet as soon as possible in the morning. Unfortunately, given his court schedule, the earliest time was ten o’clock. After we spoke, I felt better and utterly spent.

“I had hoped I’d be the one to wear you out.” Marisa play pouted.

“Oh believe me, you did. The calls just finished me off.” I leaned back on the pillows with one arm folded behind my head and closed my eyes.

“Did you want to talk about it? This meeting could be life changing.” Marisa smiled at me.

“I just want to sleep on it and not think for a little while. We’ll have plenty of time to discuss it tomorrow. Is that okay?”

Marisa nodded. “Now that we’ve broken it in, maybe the bed won’t seem so bad anymore.” She curled up against my side.

“Any bed with you in it is awesome,” I managed in between yawns as I moved to better accommodate her.

***

Marisa

At nine in the morning, I had started to pick an outfit for our meeting with the lawyer when my phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number, but since I’d been passing out business cards in anticipation of the shop opening, I decided I should probably answer it. Sure enough, it was a potential customer.

“What are your hours of operation?”

“We’re not open yet. We should be open next Monday.” I bit on my cheek hoping he wouldn’t be too put off.

The man sighed. “I saw a piece in the window the other day when I was passing by. I rather hoped you might be willing to let me come and pick it up to surprise my wife for her birthday tomorrow. I’ll be quick, I promise. I could come by say…ten o’clock?”

Silently, I considered his offer. Even though Sebastian had money, I didn’t expect to mooch off him. I wanted desperately to be successful by my own right. For that to happen, I couldn’t exactly go around turning away customers. “Okay. The sign will show we’re closed, but I’ll make sure to have the door unlocked for you. If I’m in the back working, I’ll hear the bell and come right out to help you.”

“Thank you so much. I’ll see you then.” The man sounded ecstatic. Making him so happy made me feel pretty awesome.

With my morning set, I decided to get back into a clean pair of overalls so I wouldn’t have to worry about ruining any of my nicer new clothes while working with paints and stains. Skipping breakfast, I grabbed a tea and went downstairs while Sebastian was still in the shower. Roughly half an hour later, he came down looking for me, carrying a big plate of food Mattie had cooked.

“Sunshine, we’ve got to go! You aren’t even dressed yet. We can’t be late.” Already he was tugging on his lip as he passed me my breakfast. “Eat.”

Grabbing the plate, I stopped working and started stuffing my face. “Relax,” I mumbled as soon as I swallowed the first bite. “You can do this on your own. In fact, you’re going to have to, since I have a customer meeting me here the same time you’re meeting with the lawyer.” I set the plate down on the counter, moved away from the workbench and wrapped my arms around his waist. “Don’t worry about a thing. Call me when you’re through. I’ll be excited to hear the outcome.”

Frowning down at me, I recognized from the sorrow in his eyes, he would prefer to have me there, if only for support. “Stay safe, Marisa. Renard is a ruthless man who will only grow more dangerous if cornered.”

“What? It’s not like I’m going out looking for him. I’ll be here. Working. And showing a piece to a customer.” I shrugged. “I’ll be fine. You’re the one I worry about. Once you talk to the police and your lawyer, everything is going to change. He’ll definitely be out to get you.” Sebastian nodded and I could read the sorrow in his eyes. “What is it?”

“The best way to get me is through you.” He kissed my forehead. “I hate leaving you alone.” He held me close for a moment.

“I’m not alone. I’m with Mattie, who shoots first and asks questions later, remember?” I grinned, hoping he’d see the humor and the truth of my situation.

The corners of his mouth twitched. “Good point.” Sebastian started to walk away with his hands in his pocket when he suddenly pulled the right one out and held it open to me. “You forgot these upstairs.” In his palm were my wedding rings.

“I took them off so I wouldn’t ruin them.” I pointed to the open can of paint near my latest project.

“Please. Wear them always.” He had this pleading look in his eyes.

“Well, okay, if it means that much to you,” I teased.

“It really does. See? I have mine on.” Sebastian held up his left ring finger for my inspection, then pushed the wedding set onto mine.

“They are beautiful,” I commented absently, caught up in staring at the blindingly bright setting.

“Okay. I feel better. Gotta go. See you soon?” He pulled me close by the straps of my overalls and chuckled.

“They’re growing on you, right?” I grinned.

He shook his head. “The overalls? Never. But you sure have managed to get under my skin.”

“Yet look at me.” I joked. “I’m still independent, I haven’t completely morphed into clingy girl. You on the other hand…”

Sebastian chuckled. “Guilty.” Then he leaned in to kiss me and gave me a pat on my ass as he walked out of the shop.

For the next twenty minutes, I painted in blissful silence. Mattie hadn’t even yelled down the stairs to me yet. Must be Sebastian bringing me breakfast had appeased her. Still, every minute that passed, I half expected to hear her yell, “Risa, you working?” Instead, the door chimed first.

Wiping my hands on a nearby rag, I pasted a smile on my face as I walked through the door to the front of the shop. A man stood with his back to me in an overcoat, wearing a Fedora, leaning heavily on a dragonhead cane as he studied the mirror Sebastian refused to keep.

“Hi, I’m Marisa,” I called out as I approached. “You must be the gentleman who called me. Is this the piece you wanted?” As I reached his side, the man whipped around and grabbed my upper arm hard enough to cause me to wince.

“Yes, I called, but I didn’t come here for a mirror,” Renard spat.

My mind raced. This was one helluva pickle I’d managed to get myself into. There was no sign of Mattie, but I couldn’t very well expect her to shoot everyone who darkened our door. Sebastian was on the other side of town and I doubted I could get my phone out of my pocket without this bastard noticing.
Fuck me.

Obviously, there was only one thing I could do. Time to fake it. I forced my face to contort into some kind of confused look. “Aren’t you Sebastian’s Uncle Luc? I don’t understand.” Then I stuffed my hands into my pocket and struggled to remain calm.