He had to smile at that. So, Sylvie noticed the fit of my jeans, huh?
“I see my love potion as a prescription, given by a medical doctor under careful supervision. Heck, we at Terrebonne haven’t even gotten to the point of discussing the exact market. Married couples who’ve fallen out of love, maybe. Research studies on male-female chemistry. I wouldn’t want JBX to be thrown into the marketplace with any fewer restrictions than, say, Viagra. But, yeah, it could be used as a tool to seduce an otherwise uninterested partner. As I was explaining to Blanche just a few days ago, there are a lot of lonely people in this world who think their perfect mates have to have certain physical characteristics. They don’t give themselves a chance to see beyond the exterior. Maybe JBX could help.” She shrugged in the end, not having all the answers.
He nodded. “You know what bothers me the most about your love potion and how I’m feeling? It’s that you’ve turned me into my father.”
She stiffened. Even she apparently knew of his father’s reputation. “That’s not true, Luc.”
“Yes, it is. My father has always been an oversexed tomcat who would screw any woman willing to spread her legs. The younger the better. He even did it when my mother was alive. Look at all the illegitimate kids he’s had. There’s ten-year-old Tee-John; Amelie, an executive with Cypress Oil; Charmaine, whom you’ve met; and La Verne, a home-maker down in Morgan City. And those are only the ones I know about.” He clucked his tongue with disgust. “My father was a walking penis. He was led by his cock his entire life. Maybe I’m the same.”
“Oh, Luc, don’t say that. You and I have never gotten along particularly well, but I’ve never put you in the same class as your father. Nobody does. You’re wild and outrageous and downright crude at times, but you’re also kindhearted and giving and committed and ethical when it comes to the generally offbeat, poor clients that you represent. People in Houma know that it’s you who raised your younger brothers, not your father. And one has only to look at you and your aunt to know how much you cherish her. Don’t you dare put yourself down like this, Lucien LeDeux. Don’t you dare.” Sylvie stopped her long-winded response with a loud exhale, then put a palm to her mouth with embarrassment at the vehemence of her defense of him.
Sylvie’s constant ping-ponging back and forth, in and out of shyness, intrigued him. His heart tightened then with the most incredible emotion, and warmth flooded through him. “Is that how you really feel about me, Sylv?”
She nodded. Her innate honesty was more appealing than she could possibly imagine.
“Even before this love-potion crap?”
She nodded again. “At least you don’t have any illegitimate kids running around, right?”
He felt a roil of nauseousness in the pit of his stomach. All he could manage was a shake of his head.
“See? Give yourself some credit, Luc.”
He knew he was lost then. Holding out a hand to her, he said in a voice huskly with need, “Come here, chère.”
Without hesitation, Sylvie stepped forward and into his arms. He turned so that her back was to the tree, and he faced her.
She put a hand to his face tenderly.
He lurched at her mere touch.
Wrapping both arms around his waist, she tugged him forward so that his body pressed against hers, and she nuzzled her face bashfully into his neck. Instinctively, his arms wrapped around her, pulling her even closer.
Oh, God, it felt so good. Just standing there with Sylvie in his arms. It was more than a sexual experience. All his senses were involved, and most important of all, his heart, which thundered against his chest walls as if to mark the fervor of his long-withheld emotions.
Luc was afraid to move or speak for fear the wonderful mood would shatter. Feeling as if a precious jewel was within his reach, if only he did nothing wrong, he wanted to hold this moment with Sylvie forever.
But he always did things wrong, Luc reminded himself. Hadn’t his father told him so, over and over? Hadn’t classmates, teachers, and community members given him the appellation “bad boy of the bayou”?