Don't Tempt Me

Prologue 1

Paris, France-1757

With her fingers curled desperately around the edge of the table before her, Marguerite Piccard writhed in the grip of unalloyed arousal. Gooseflesh spread up her arms and she bit her lower lip to stem the moan of pleasure that longed to escape.

"Do not restrain your cries," her lover urged hoarsely. "It makes me wild to hear them."

Her blue eyes, heavy-lidded with passion, lifted within the mirrored reflection before her and met the gaze of the man who moved at her back. The vanity in her boudoir rocked with the thrusts of his hips, his breathing rough as he made love to her where they stood.

The Marquis de Saint-Martin's infamously sensual lips curved with masculine satisfaction at the sight of her flushed dishevelment. His hands cupped her swaying breasts, urging her body to move in tandem with his.

They strained together, their skin coated with sweat, their chests heaving from their exertions. Her blood thrummed in her veins, the experience of her lover's passion such that she had forsaken everything-family, friends, and esteemed future-to be with him. She knew he loved her similarly. He proved it with every touch, every glance.

"How beautiful you are," he gasped, watching her through the mirror.

When she had suggested the location of their tryst with timid eagerness, he'd laughed with delight.

"I am at your service," he purred, shrugging out of his garments as he stalked her into the boudoir. There was a sultriness to his stride and a predatory gleam in his dark eyes that caused her to shiver in heated awareness. Sex was innate to him. He exuded it from every pore, enunciated it with every syllable, displayed it with every movement. And he excelled at it.

From the moment she first saw him at the Fontinescu ball nearly a year ago, she had been smitten with his golden handsomeness. His attire of ruby red silk had attracted every eye without effort, but Marguerite had attended the event with the express aim of seeing him in the flesh. Her older sisters had whispered scandalous tales of his liaisons, occasions when he had been caught in flagrant displays of seduction. He was wed; yet discarded lovers pined for him openly, weeping outside his home for a brief moment of his attention. Her curiosity about what sort of shell would encase such wickedness was too powerful to be denied.

Saint-Martin did not disappoint her. In the simplest of terms, she did not expect him to be so… male. Those who were given to the pursuit of vice and excess were rarely virile, as he most definitely was.

Never had she met a man more devastating to a woman's equanimity. The marquis was magnificent, his physical form impressive and his aloofness an irresistible lure. Golden-haired and skinned, as she was, he was desired by every woman in France for good reason. There was an air about him that promised pleasure unparalleled. The decadence and forbidden delights intimated within his slumberous gaze lured one to forget themselves. The marquis had lived twice Marguerite's eight and ten years, and he possessed a wife as lovely as he was comely. Neither fact mitigated Marguerite's immediate, intense attraction to him. Or his returning attraction to her.

"Your beauty has enslaved me," he whispered that first night. He stood near to where she waited on the edge of the dance floor, his lanky frame propped against the opposite side of a large column. "I must follow you or ache from the distance between us."

Marguerite kept her gaze straight ahead, but every nerve ending tingled from his boldness. Her breath was short, her skin hot. Although she could not see him, she felt the weight of his regard and it affected her to an alarming degree. "You know of women more beautiful than I," she retorted.

"No." His husky, lowered voice stilled her heartbeat. Then, made it race. "I do not."

There was sincerity in his tone. Against better sense she believed in it, a faith she held close to her heart when summoned to her mother's parlor the next morning.

"Do not entertain girlish notions regarding Saint-Martin," the baroness ordered. "I was witness to the way he looked at you, and how you admired him in return."

"All the women present were admiring him, even you."

Her mother rested her arm along the back of the chaise she occupied. Despite the relative earliness of the hour, her face and wig were already liberally powdered, and her cheeks and lips were rouged a lush pink. In the soft silver and white decor of her private sitting room, the baroness's pale beauty was showcased to advantage, which was by design.

"You, my youngest daughter, are to be a wife. Since the marquis already enjoys the wedded state with another, you must set your aim elsewhere."

"How can you be certain Saint-Martin enjoys it? Their marriage was arranged."

"As yours will be if you do not heed me," the baroness continued with a note of steel in her voice. "Your sisters made fine matches, which frees me to give you more license. Use it wisely, or I will choose your spouse without consulting you. Perhaps the Vicomte de Grenier? He is rumored to be similarly randy, if that is your attraction, but he is younger and therefore more malleable."

"Maman!"

"You are not equipped to manage a man of Saint-Martin's ilk. He sweetens his tea with naive girls such as you and then gorges on less refined tarts."

Marguerite had held her tongue, aware that she knew nothing of the man but rumor and innuendo.

"Stay away from him, ma petite. A breath of scandal will ruin you."

Knowing it was true, Marguerite acquiesced and firmly intended to keep her word. 'I am certain he has forgotten me already."

"Naturellement." The baroness offered a sympathetic smile. Marguerite was her favorite, and the daughter most like her in both looks and temperament. "The point of this discussion is to ensure that you follow suit."

But Saint-Martin proved to be more determined than they had anticipated. Over the next few weeks, Marguerite found him everywhere, a circumstance effective in preventing her from forgetting him. Speculation abounded as to why he was suddenly less interested in his more jaded pursuits, which seduced her with the possibility that he was seeking her out deliberately. Unable to bear the suspense and distracted from her pursuit of a suitable husband, she resolved to confront him directly.

Ducking behind a large potted plant, Marguerite waited for him to pass her location in his pursuit of her. She attempted to regulate her breathing to facilitate a calm exterior, but the effort made her dizzy. As had happened from the first, the nearer his proximity, the more disconcerted she felt. She could not see him, yet she sensed his every footstep. Closer… closer…

When Saint-Martin came into sight, she blurred out, "What do you want?"

The marquis drew to a halt and his wigged head turned to find her. "You."

Her breath caught.

He pivoted to face her directly and approached with animalistic grace, his narrowed gaze assessing her from head to toe. As his dark eyes roamed, they heated, and when they paused boldly on her chest, Marguerite felt her breasts swell in response.

"Stop." She snapped her fan open as a barrier between them. Within the confines of her corset, her nipples hardened such as they did when she was cold, "You will cause a scene."

His jaw tightened. "And ruin you for the marriage you seek?"

"Yes."

"That is not a deterrent."

She blinked.

"The thought of you wed to another," he growled, "compels me to insanity."

Marguerite's hand rose to her throat. "Say no more," she begged in a whisper, her mind reeling. "I lack the sophistication required to banter in this manner."

His prowling stride did not falter. "I speak the truth to you, Marguerite." Her eyes widened at his use of her given name. "We lack the time for meaningless discourse."

"It is not possible for us to have more."

The marquis's pursuit forced her to retreat until her back hit the wall. Only the delicate barrier of leaves shielded them from view. They had a moment alone, at most.

He tugged off his glove and cupped her cheek. The touch of his skin to hers made her burn, his spicy scent made her ache in unmentionable places. "You feel it, too."

She shook her head.

"You cannot deny the affinity between us," he scoffed. "Your body's response to mine is irrefutable."

"Perhaps I am frightened."

"Perhaps you are aroused. If any man would know the difference, it is I."

"Of course," she said bitterly, hating the possessive jealousy she felt.

"I have wondered," he murmured, his gaze on her parted lips, "how it would be to make love to a woman such as you-beautiful and sensual beyond compare, but too innocent to wield it as a weapon."

"As you wield your beauty as a weapon?"

A smile tugged at the corner of his sculpted mouth. It stopped her heart to see the way it banished the lines of cynicism that rimmed his eyes. "It pleases me to know that you find me attractive."

"Is there any woman who does not?"

The marquis shrugged elegantly. "I care only for your opinion."

"You do not know me. Perhaps my opinion is worthless."

"I should like to know you. I need to know you. From the moment I first saw you, I have been unable to think of anything else."

"There is no way."

"If I found the means, would you indulge me?"

She swallowed hard, knowing what her answer should be but unable to say it. "Your lust will pass," she managed.

Saint-Martin released her and backed away, his jaw taut. "This is not lust."

"What is it, then?"

"An obsession."

Marguerite watched the deliberation with which he pulled his glove back on, one finger at a time, as if he needed the delay to reclaim his control. Could she believe that he was as affected by the attraction between them as she was?

"I will find a way to have you," he rasped, then he bowed and left her.

She watched him move away, shaken and yearning.

Over the next few months he chipped away at her resistance in that intense, focused manner. Seeking out whatever stray moments he could. Asking a question or two about her life, tidbits that told her he followed her activities with avid interest.

Until her mother grew impatient and followed through with her threat to select the Vicomte de Grenier as Marguerite's husband-to-be. A few months earlier, Marguerite might have been pleased. The vicomte was young, handsome, and wealthy. Her sisters and friends exclaimed over her good fortune. But in her heart, she pined for Saint-Martin.

"Do you want de Grenier?" the marquis asked gruffly after following her to a retiring room.

"You should not ask me such questions."

He stood behind her in the mirror, his face hard and austere. "He is not for you, Marguerite. I know him well. We have spent more than one evening in the same questionable establishments."

"You seek to counsel me against a man who resembles you?" She sighed when he growled. "You know I have no choice."

"Belong to me instead."

Marguerite covered her mouth to stem a cry and he pulled her close.

"You ask too much," she whispered, studying his features for some hint of deception. "And you have nothing to offer in return."

"I have my heart," he said softly, stroking across her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. "It may not be worth much. Still, it is yours and yours alone."

"Liar," she spat, striking out in self-defense, painfully wounded by the flare of fruitless hope his words evoked. "You are a consummate seducer and I have resisted you. Now an acquaintance of yours is about to best you. That is the driving force of your interest."

"You do not believe that."

"I do." Wrenching away, she fled the room.

For several nights after, Marguerite took great pains to avoid him, a vain and belated attempt to kill her growing fascination with a man who could never be hers. She claimed illness for as long as possible, but eventually, she could remain hidden no longer.

When next they met, she was shocked by his appearance. His handsome features were drawn, his mouth tight, his skin pale. Her heart ached at the sight of him. He stared at her a long taut moment, then jerked his gaze away.

Worried, she deliberately stood in an intimate corner and waited for him to approach her.

"Belong to me," he said hoarsely, coming up behind her. "Do not make me beg."

"Would you?" The question came out as no more than a whisper, her throat too constricted to allow volume. His nearness caused tingles to sweep over her skin in a prickling wave, creating a sharp contrast to the numbness she had felt the last week. That their minuscule interactions had come to mean so much was frightening. But the thought of not having them at all was even more terrifying.

"Yes. Come with me."

"When?"

"Now."

Abandoning everything she knew, Marguerite left with him. He took her to the residence he presently occupied, a small house in a respectable neighborhood.

"How many women have you brought here?" she asked, admiring the elegant simplicity of the ivory and walnut palette.

"You are the first." He kissed the bared nape of her neck. "And the last."

"You were so certain of my capitulation?"

He laughed softly, a warm and sensual sound. "Until a sen-night ago, this place served a far less pleasurable purpose."

"Oh?"

"A tale for another night," he promised, his deep voice raspy with desire.

The house had been her home ever since, her refuge from the censure of Society for forsaking their approval to become his mistress.

"Je t'adore," Saint-Martin groaned, his thrusts increasing in speed and power.

Inside her, his thick cock swelled further, inundating her with delight. She whimpered and his embrace tightened, pushing her forward so that he could pump deeper. His lean, powerfully built body mantled hers, and his mouth touched her ear.

"Come for me, mon coeur," he whispered.

His hand slid between her legs, his knowledgeable fingers rubbing her distended, swollen clitoris with precision. His carnal expertise and the long, rhythmic strokes of his cock made the impetus to climax irresistible. Crying out, she orgasmed, her hands reaching behind her to cup his flexing buttocks. She tightened around him in rippling waves and he groaned, jerking with his own release, filling her with the rich creamy wash of his ejaculate.

As he always did in the aftermath of their passion, Philippe clung to her, his parted lips pressing open-mouthed kisses along her throat and cheek.

"Je t'aime." she gasped, nuzzling her damp cheek against his.

He withdrew from her and bent to lift her into his arms. The thick, golden strands of his hair clung to his damp neck and temples, accentuating the flush of his skin and the satiated gleam in his dark eyes. He carried her to the bed with the ease of a man accustomed to physical labor, a proclivity which led to his magnificent form. Marguerite could never have imagined that he was so beautiful beneath his garments, but then he kept a great deal hidden under his dissolute facade.

A knock came to the outer bedchamber door just as Philippe began to crawl over her reclining body.

He cursed and called out, "What is it?"

"You have a visitor, my lord," came the muffled reply of the butler.

Marguerite looked at the clock on the mantel and noted the hour. It was nearly two in the morning.

He cupped her cheek and kissed the tip of her nose. "A moment, no more."

She smiled, knowing it was a lie but indulging him regardless. When he had first confided his activities as an agent in something he called the secret du roi-a group of agents whose purpose was to further the king's hidden diplomacy-she had been stunned and unable to reconcile this new image of him with the one he cultivated in Society. How could a man known as a voluptuary who lived only for his own pleasure be in truth someone who risked life and limb in service to his king?

But as love grew from their lust and their daily interactions progressed to a true joining of the minds, Marguerite realized how layered her lover was and how brilliant was his disguise. The proliferation of mistresses had not been entirely an affectation, of course, but he was not heartless. To this day he felt remorse for luring her to her "downfall."

When she had professed a similar regret for leading him away from his wife, he'd held her and revealed a surprising truth: Marchioness Saint-Martin-so pitied in private discourse for her husband's excesses-maintained her own lovers. Theirs was a marriage of duty. It was not unpleasant and they were both content to proceed with separate agendas.

Marguerite watched him shrug into his robe of black silk, then walk to the door. "I will miss you," she said. "If you are gone too long, I might cry out in the streets for you."

He paused on the threshold and arched a brow. "Mon Dieu, do not believe that nonsense. It was one woman and her brain was afflicted."

"Poor thing. However, I doubt it was her brain you were attracted to."

Philippe growled. "Wait up for me."

"Perhaps…"

He blew her a kiss and made his egress.

As he shut the bedchamber door behind him, Philippe's smile faded. He belted his robe more securely and descended the stairs to the lower floor. Good news was rarely delivered at this hour, so he approached the coming discussion with grimness. With the scent of sex and Marguerite still clinging to his skin, he was more aware than usual of how vital her presence was in his life. She kept him connected with his humanity, something he feared had been lost by years of pretending to be someone he was not.

The door to the parlor was open and he entered without slowing his stride, his bare feet crossing onto the rug from the cool marble of the foyer.

"Thierry," he greeted, startled by the identity of his visitor. "You were to report to Desjardins this evening."

"I did," the young man replied, his cheeks still flushed from his ride. "That is why I am here."

Philippe gestured for the courier to take a seat on the settee while he sank into a nearby chair.

Travel-stained and disheveled, Thierry sat gingerly upon the edge. Philippe smiled at the care displayed to protect the new burgundy velvet. When the home had served as a bastion for secret du roi agents, the furnishings had been abused without thought. But the house had been abandoned after a time, an oft-used tactic to avoid suspicion, and he had removed all traces of the house's former use and refilled it with luxuries suitable for the love of his life.

"I apologize for disturbing you," Thierry said wearily, "but I have been ordered to depart again in the morning and I could not chance missing you."

"What news is so urgent?"

"It regards Mademoiselle Piccard."

Straightening from his semireclined state, Philippe studied the courier alertly. "Yes?"

"When I arrived at Desjardins', he had a visitor and I was asked to wait outside his study. I do not think he realized how clearly his words travel."

Philippe nodded grimly, having always found it noteworthy that such a slightly built man would have such a booming voice. He did not, however, find it interesting that the man would be discussing Marguerite. It was alarming because, quite simply, his very sanity rested with her well-being and proximity. Comte Desjardins was young, ambitious, and hungry for the king's regard. Those qualities made him dangerous to those who stood in his way.

"I heard the name Piccard," Thierry said softly, as if he might be overheard, "and though I attempted to turn my thoughts elsewhere, I could nor help but listen more closely."

"Understandable. You cannot be faulted for hearing conversations spoken within earshot."

"Yes. Exactly." The courier offered a grateful smile.

"About Mademoiselle Piccard…?"

"Desjardins was discussing how preoccupied you seem of late and how best to manage it. It was suggested that Mademoiselle Piccard was to blame for your decreasing participation."

Philippe tapped his fingertips atop his knee. "Do you know who this visitor was?"

"No, I am sorry. He departed through a different door than the one I waited outside of."

As he blew out his breath, Philippe's gaze moved to the banked fire in the grate. This parlor was considerably smaller and less appointed than the one he shared with his wife, yet this residence was home to him. Because of Marguerite.

Who could have foreseen how a reluctantly accepted invitation from the Fontinescus would become the turning point of his life?

Thoughts of Marguerite filled his mind, and he smiled inwardly. He had been unaware of how the many diverse and competing aspects of his life had been affecting him negatively until she'd brought his attention to it.

"You are so tense," she noted one night, her slender fingers kneading into the sore muscles of his neck and shoulders. "How can I help?"

For a brief moment, he had considered forgetting his troubles with a few hours of passionate sex, but instead he found himself telling her things he told no one else. She had listened, then engaged in a discourse with him that brought to light alternate solutions.

"How clever you are," he'd said, laughing.

"Smart enough to choose you," she replied with a mischievous smile.

There was no doubt that even had he known how meeting her would affect him, he would change nothing. Her beauty was astonishing and a source of endless delight, but it was her pure heart and innocence that won his deeper regard. His love for her filled him with contentment, an emotion he had come to think was not meant for a man such as himself. His joy was nearly complete; his only regret was his inability to offer her the security of his name and title.

Philippe inhaled deeply and looked again at Thierry. "Is there more?"

"No. That is all."

"You have my gratitude." Philippe rose and moved to the escritoire in the corner. He opened it and withdrew a small purse. Thierry accepted the proffered coin with a grateful smile, then departed immediately. Philippe exited the parlor after him and sent the butler back to bed.

A few moments later he rejoined Marguerite. She lay curled on her side, her lustrous blond curls scattered atop a pillow, her sapphire blue eyes blinking sleepily. In the light of a single bedside taper, her pale skin glowed with the luminescence of ivory. She extended her hand to him and his chest ached at the sight of her, so soft and warm and filled with welcome. Other women had told him they loved him, but never with the fervency that Marguerite expressed. The depth of her affection was priceless. Nothing and no one would ever take her from him.

He shrugged out of his robe and rounded the bed to slip between the sheets behind her. He draped an arm over her waist and her fingers linked with his.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Nothing for you to be concerned with."

"Yet you are concerned, I can feel it." Marguerite turned in his arms. "I have ways to make you tell me," she purred.

"Minx." Philippe kissed her nose and groaned at the feel of her warm, silken limbs tangling with his. He related the conversation with Thierry and stroked the length of her spine when she tensed. "Do not be alarmed. This is a minor irritant, nothing more."

"What do you intend to do?"

"Desjardins has high aspirations. He needs to feel as if every man working with him is as committed. I am not, which was proven when I began rejecting any mission that would send me to Poland."

"Because of me."

"You are far more charming than the Polish, mon amour." He kissed her forehead. "There are others who will give him the level of dedication he requires."

Marguerite pushed up on one elbow and gazed down at him. "And he will allow you to simply walk away?"

"What can he do? Besides, if he feels that my effectiveness is so diminished that he must concern himself with my private life, then my withdrawal should be a relief to him."

Her hand slid over his chest. "Be careful. Promise me that much.'"

Philippe caught her hand and lifted it to his lips. "I promise."

Then he tugged her down and took her mouth, soothing her fears with the heat of his passion.

The gathering of close friends and political acquaintances in Comte Desjardins's dining room was loud and boisterous. The comte himself was laughing and enjoying himself immensely when a movement in the doorway leading to the foyer caught his eye.

He excused himself and stood, moving to the discreetly gesturing servant with calculated insouciance.

Stepping out to the marble-lined hallway, he shut out the noise of his guests with a click of the latch and arched a brow at the courier who waited in the shadows.

"I did as you directed," Thierry said.

"Excellent." The comte smiled.

Thierry extended his hand and in it was an unaddressed missive bearing a black wax seal. Embedded within that seal was a ruby, perfectly round and glimmering in the light of the foyer chandelier. "I was also intercepted a short distance up the street and given this."

Desjardins stilled. "Did you see him?"

"No. The carriage was unmarked and the curtains drawn. He was gloved. I saw nothing more."

The same as always. The first letter had arrived a few months past, always delivered through a passing courier, which led Desjardins to the conclusion that the man had to be a member of the secret du roi. If only he could determine who, and what grievance the man had with Saint-Martin.

Nodding, the comte accepted the note and dismissed Thierry. He moved away from the dining room, heading toward the kitchen, then through it, taking the stairs down to the cellar where he kept his wine. The missive went into his pocket. There would be nothing written within it. After a dozen such communiques he knew that for a certainty.

There would be only a stamp, carved to prevent recognition of handwriting, imprinting one word: L'Esprit. The ruby was a gift for his cooperation, as were the occasional delivered purses of more loose gems. A clever payment, because Desjardins's wife loved jewelry and unset stones were untraceable.

The volume from the bustling kitchen faded to a dull roar as Desjardins closed the cellar door behind him. He rounded the corner of one floor-to-ceiling rack and saw the smaller, rougher wooden planked door that led to the catacombs. It was slightly ajar.

"Stop there." The low, raspy voice was reminiscent of crushed glass rubbed together, grating and ominous.

Desjardins stopped.

"Is it done?"

"The seeds have been planted," the comte said.

"Good. Saint-Martin will cling to her more tenaciously now that he feels threatened."

"I thought he would weary of the same bedsport months ago," Desjardins muttered.

"I warned you Marguerite Piccard was different. Fortunately for you, as it has led to our profitable association." There was a weighted pause, then, "De Grenier covets her. He is young and handsome. It would be a thorn to Saint-Martin to lose her to him."

"Then I shall see that de Grenier has her."

"Yes." The finality in L'Esprit's tone made Desjardins grateful to be this man's associate and not his enemy. "Saint-Martin cannot be allowed even a modicum of happiness."