Flirtation in France

By Judith Falcon

Recently widowed, Fleur decides to go back to her native France. Aboard the ship taking her home she meets Quinn, a man with irresistible dark appeal. On the last night she goes to find him in his cabin. What has she to lose? They will go their separate ways once they disembark, and after a miserable, unsatisfying marriage, doesn’t she deserve to know what pleasure is?
After an explosive night with the beautiful Frenchwoman, Quinn cannot resign himself to letting her go before he has sated his desire for her. Upon learning that his brother is looking for someone to help look after his children, he offers Fleur up as the perfect solution to his dilemma.
She will help his sister-in-law by day – and entertain him at night!
But what was supposed to remain a temporary arrangement could turn out to be so much more – if they are brave enough to accept what they feel…

• Language: Unknown
• Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
• Release date: Jul 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9781509250028

Judith Falcon

I am passionate about history and romance, which seemed to be the perfect combination to start writing my own stories. Being a stay-at-home mum gave me the incentive to start doing so in earnest. As far back as I remember I have always loved reading and writing. I fell in love with the Middle Ages when, aged about nine, during a history lesson we were taught about the Hundred Years War. Imagining a beautiful lady atop the castle battlements with her veils fluttering in the breeze, staring into distance at her lord riding away to battle struck my imagination once and for all. I had fallen in love! As a French native married to a Welsh man I am knowledgeable and passionate about both our country histories and keen to feature them in my stories.

Book preview

What are you doing here? she asked in a whisper.

He gave an amused snort. What do you think?

I mean… Why me?

He took a step closer. In the dim moonlight he appeared like a demon sent to tempt her, and she felt like a victim only too happy to be taken.

Don’t think I haven’t noticed the way you look at me. You want me. I want you. I’m unattached, you’re a widow. No one will know. He took another step toward her and dropped his voice to a persuasive purr. Tomorrow we will go our separate ways and it will be too late. So it is now or never.

So simple.

Fleur did not ask how he knew she was a widow, did not pretend that she had not been watching him, or that she did not want him. All that mattered was that they were both here and desperate.

He was right. It was simple. Except for one thing.

I can’t fall with child, she blurted out. If she gave birth in nine months' time, the baby would never pass off as her late husband’s, who had been dead for just over two months.

Of course, he murmured. Well, I’m not going to pretend it will be easy, but I promise I will be careful.

She nodded and it was as if she had pulled the trigger on a gun.

Flirtation in France

by

Judith Falcon

Passport to Pleasure Series

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

Flirtation in France

COPYRIGHT © 2023 by Judith Falcon

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Contact Information: [e-mail]

Cover Art by Lisa Dawn MacDonald

The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

PO Box 708

Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

Publishing History

First Edition, 2023

Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-5002-8

Passport to Pleasure Series

Published in the United States of America

Chapter 1

Aboard a ship off the coast of England

1823

It was now or never.

Tomorrow the ship would arrive at Southampton, passengers would disembark and the sinfully handsome Mr. Graystone would disappear into the crowds. She would take another ship to France and never see him again.

Fleur bit her bottom lip. The idea was too dire to contemplate and gave her the strength to put her plan to execution. She knew this was his cabin, as she had followed him many a time, wishing she could find the courage to push the door open and enter.

Well tonight she would.

It was scandalous, of course, but she couldn’t help it. After ten long years trapped in a loveless marriage with a husband who had never satisfied her in bed, she just couldn’t resist the attraction toward this man who exuded raw carnality. He would not labor over her without so much as touching her breasts, he would be harder than granite and he would not give up until she’d come undone.

Tonight she would finally know pleasure in a man’s arms.

She pushed the door open--and found the cabin empty.

Her whole body sagged in disappointment. How stupid of her to think that a man like Mr. Graystone would be sleeping when so many more alternatives were offered to him! He was probably in Miss Gregory’s arms right now, pleasuring her until she could not move. Fleur had not missed the way the rich heiress kept throwing invitations his way. It was obvious she had bought the services of many a young lover with her allure and promises of rich rewards for their services.

Stomach roiling with the idea that Mr. Graystone was just as predictably corrupt as these men, Fleur made her way back to the other side of the ship to her own cabin.

As soon as she entered she knew she wasn’t alone.

Well, Mrs. Dufour, a deep voice said from the shadows, a voice she had only overheard from a distance thus far, a voice that sent shivers down to her core. How long did you wait in my cabin until you understood I would not be spending the night there?

Her heart skipped a beat, then started to beat frantically when she understood that the powerful Miss Gregory had lost and that she, little insignificant Fleur Dufour, would get to know what it was to be possessed by a skilled, virile, mouth-watering man.

She had obsessed about him all week, but how could it have been otherwise? From the moment she had set eyes on the handsome American she had been lost. Blue streaks danced in his midnight hair, his dark eyes glittered like precious gems in candle light, and his skin had a healthy, earthy glow to it that reminded her of…well, of gingerbread, the thing she liked most to eat in the world. And every night during the crossing she had dreamt of doing just that.

Tasting him, filling her mouth with every inch of his honeyed skin.

But now that he was here, about to tumble her into bed, she wasn’t sure how to behave.

What are you doing here? she asked in a whisper.

He gave an amused snort. What do you think?

I mean…Why me?

He took a step closer. In the dim moonlight he appeared like a demon sent to tempt her, and she felt like a victim only too happy to be taken.

Don’t think I haven’t noticed the way you look at me. You want me. I want you. I’m unattached, you’re a widow. No one will know. He took another step toward her, and dropped his voice to a persuasive purr. Tomorrow we will go our separate ways and it will be too late. So it is now or never.

So simple.

Fleur did not ask how he knew she was a widow, did not pretend that she had not been watching him, or that she did not want him. All that mattered was that they were both here and desperate.

He was right. It was simple. Except for one thing.

I can’t fall with child, she blurted out. If she gave birth in nine months’ time, the baby would never pass off as her late husband’s, who had been dead for over two months.

Of course, he murmured. Well, I’m not going to pretend it will be easy, but I promise I will be careful.

She nodded and it was as if she had pulled the trigger on a gun.

In the blink of an eye she found herself trapped between the cabin wall and a body as hard as rock. Hard everywhere.

My.

Fleur gasped. She had expected, indeed, wished for him to be more able to achieve satisfactory hardness than her husband but she had not anticipated that he would be twice his size! Her mouth fell open and she averted her gaze.

What’s the matter, sweetheart? Mr. Graystone asked, his voice thick with need. Are you afraid? You know I would never hurt you.

No, I know. It’s only…You seem very large, she stammered.

"I see. The late Monsieur Dufour was not so well-favored, was he? He gave something between a growl and a laugh. You have nothing to fear, I will make sure I fit. By the time I enter you, you will be dripping."

Before she could even register the crudeness of the words, he lifted her into his arms and sat her onto the table to his right. The table! Fleur let out a whimper.

You know there is a bed just…

Too far, he rasped, gathering up her skirts. I’ve been looking at you for a week, and fantasized about getting between your legs. I need you. Now.

With