10. Family

FAMILY

L uke hadn't realized he possessed such self-restraint. Since entering the military, he'd learned discipline he never could have imagined, but nothing had been as difficult as denying Naomi the physical satisfaction she craved.

Especially with the heat of her center pressing down on him and her mouth giving him all sorts of ideas… Every time she shifted, she created the most delightful friction along his cock.

But he couldn't think like that now. She needed comforting, reassurance. "On the contrary, I'm certain I have."

"Oh?"

He cleared his throat. He could do this. "I had just turned ten and three." He would do the right thing. "I'm not certain most comprehend the dynamic circumstances we second sons are born into. Although our birth is, in fact, celebrated, at the same time, we aren't really necessary. Being referred to as the spare has a way of making you feel somewhat expendable. And feeling expendable lends one to a certain… recklessness."

He had her attention now, and she'd even relaxed in his arms.

"A waterfall marks the edge of my family's land where it borders Gil's family's. In the springtime, I doubt I've ever seen anything more violently magnificent."

"How high is it?"

"At least fifty feet." For the sake of a good story, he'd exaggerate. In reality, it likely wasn't much higher than twenty. He bit back a smile at the suspicious narrowing of her eyes. "All right, forty-nine and a half. But not a foot less."

"If you weren't sitting here with me looking whole and healthy right now, I think I might be frightened of where this story is heading."

"And you would be right to be so. But you are interrupting my story, Miss Augustine." The shadow of a grin touched her lips that he would call her by her maiden name. "No more questions."

"Very well."

"Blackheart and I, Gil and Tempest as well, we swam there often." Before any of them understood the worries that came with entering adulthood.

"I'm a horrid swimmer." Her simple admission cut into his memories, replacing them with a sudden desire to teach her, to spend lazy summer afternoons with her, picnicking on a beach somewhere—perhaps in Brighton.

"I'll teach you someday."

Naomi smiled softly, stealing his breath. "I'd like that."

How could Lucas not fall in love with this woman? From the moment he'd met her, he'd been delighted with her perfect manners and countenance. But he'd also seen something different in her. When he'd rowed her across that pond, she'd removed one of her gloves to drag her hand along the surface. The wind had lifted her bonnet off her head and he remembered that he'd joked that he wouldn't dive in if it blew off.

She'd splashed him.

He'd feigned shock at her audacity, and she'd met his gaze in a way that dared him to see beyond her dress and manners. That had been the moment he'd known.

Damn Gil to hell.

"But what did you do back then that was so horribly stupid? Did you swim beneath the falls?"

He shook his head. "I rowed a boat over them."

Naomi's mouth dropped open, and she did not respond right away. Lucas could not suppress a slightly mischievous grin. He'd either impressed her with his bravery or stunned her with his stupidity. He imagined a little of both.

"Were you injured?"

"Not initially. Surprisingly enough, I landed upright after the initial drop. What I failed to account for was the amount of water that would fill my small craft. So much damn water. It swept me right out of the boat, and I was carried away for what felt like miles. When Blackheart couldn't find me, he returned home and reported my death to our parents. You can imagine the trouble I was in when I crept up on the men searching for my body at the base of the falls."

He chuckled at the memory. What's everyone looking for? He'd asked them.

Her eyes were wide now. "That's horrible! Your poor mother!"

"My poor backside." He grinned. "One would have thought I was too old for my father to take the strap to me, but on that fateful day, I found that such was not the case. And I may have suffered extra lashes for finding the entire incident hilarious."

She slapped a hand against his chest. "I should say so."

The fact that his own stupidity gave her cause to smile made it all worthwhile. "We all do foolish things from time to time."

"You were a boy."

He lifted one brow as though to contradict that and then pressed his forehead against hers. "Don't tell my former self that. In my eyes, I was quite grown up and much smarter than any of the adults in my life."

He studied her eyes as she gazed into his. The two of them were so close that he could see every stormy shade in those blue-grey depths.

"Were you close to your parents? Before all this?" he asked

She drew back and he almost wished he hadn't said anything. But he was curious as to the extent of the rift. He was going to have to leave soon, and he couldn't leave her here without plans in place to provide for her protection.

How would Luke feel if Blackheart disowned him? He couldn't imagine being forbidden to see his sisters when he wanted. Naomi had paid a high price for her indiscretions with Gil.

He wasn't sure if she would answer—he wouldn't blame her if she didn't—but after a moment, she relaxed into him with a warm sigh. "Closer to my mother," she said quietly. "My father is very strict, so it was harder to be open with him, but I've always loved him. Before last spring, I'd never disobeyed him in anything… not really. But when it came to Arthur, it seemed as though his demand that I keep away only made me want him all the more."

Lucas nodded. "What of the rest of your family? As I recall, you have one sister and one brother…?"

"Yes, Theodosia, she is the youngest, and Walter is the eldest. To be perfectly honest, I worry about Theodosia. Before running away with Arthur, I was… well, I was my parents' favorite. All I ever wanted was for them to recognize the potential of their second daughter. She is witty and thoughtful and delightfully pretty in her own way. If nothing else, I hope that they are at least finally showering her with some well-deserved attention." She exhaled a sigh. "I do miss her."

"Was your brother sympathetic to your situation?"

"Walter might have been, at one time. As my father's heir, he tends to side with him on most matters now." She fell into a melancholy silence.

"They'll want to know their grandchild," Luke assured her. And for the first time, he set his palm on her belly. He was gentle, hesitant, half expecting her to push him away, but instead she covered his hand with hers.

She would always have this part of Gil. His child.

A nudging sensation beneath the softly rounded mound had him meeting her gaze in surprise.

"That's her?" Rationally, he'd understood she carried a life inside of her, but until that moment, it had been an abstract concept. Another nudge pushed against him with even greater strength and he couldn't help but laugh out loud. "She's feisty, just like her mother."

"She could very well be a he," Naomi reminded him.

But Luke was strangely certain that it was a girl. "Does she do that often?"

If this woman were to carry his child, he doubted he could ever leave her side. Gil had squandered this gift.

" He does, usually when I'm about to drift off to sleep," she answered with a soft giggle that warmed him inside. "And I think he's getting crowded. Is it just me, or have I become even more of an elephant since you've arrived?"

Luke flattened his palm, amazed at the firmness. "If by elephant, you mean more beautiful, then I'll agree to that."

She rolled her eyes, reminding him of the lighthearted young lady he'd met last spring. But then she grew solemn again. "You don't have to stay here tonight. If anyone were to find out?—"

"I'm staying."

"I know it's not proper, really?—"

"Would you prefer to do the cooking, or should I?" He firmly cut off any more protests she might come up with. He'd hated leaving her unprotected before, and that was when she had Ester with her. She was a woman alone. The folks in this area seemed decent enough, as was usually the case.

That was, until it wasn't.

"Why don't we cook something together?"

Luke thought that sounded like a damn good idea.

He would wait for her. He would give her the comfort she needed but also the time society demanded. And then they'd make something together.