14. Luca

Chapter 14

Luca

The doctors didn't know why Knox went into early labor, they said it was just one of those things. I was convinced that Henry just couldn't wait to join the party. Despite coming nearly four weeks early, he was perfectly healthy.

He was a strong fighter, and we were discharged after a few days.

Knox recovered quickly. I joked that his blood replenished at twice the speed of normal humans since it was the second time I'd had to watch him nearly die of blood loss.

Those early days at home with the baby were the happiest of my life. I arranged to be completely off work, and the three of us existed in a dreamy nest of sleep and food and just staring at each other.

Knox read aloud to us, which Henry loved. He loved the sound of Knox's voice. I would bundle him up and walk him down to the waterfall. We'd stand and listen to the roaring waves then watch the white wall of water tumble down.

Henry's mouth would drop open as he stared at the movement with bulging blue eyes.

"I think he has your eyes." I hip-checked Knox as I was changing Henry.

He pinched my ass. "You think?"

I laughed at Knox's sarcastic tone. "Well, you know, they say you can't be sure of the color for a while, but they seem to be getting lighter and lighter."

Knox put his arms around my waist then squeezed. "Wanna go to town tomorrow?"

"Yeah?" We hadn't left our property since we brought Henry home three weeks ago. Leaving felt like it would break the spell of joy we'd been in, but I also wanted to show him off to people. "Okay, yeah. Let's make the rounds."

After that first outing, we got into the swing of having a baby in Gilded Lake, and a whole new side of the town opened up to us. Story times, song hours, puppet shows, baby-and-me events were our new forms of entertainment.

We also started meeting other parents, and Knox joined a postpartum group.

Before I was ready, it was time for me to go back to work. Knox decided to take more time off, and he knew I would support him even if he decided to never work again.

He rolled his eyes at me. "I was a federal agent by the time I was twenty-five. I might be just a little ambitious."

I'd already noticed that academic journals were starting to get mixed in with the stacks of baby books. Once or twice, I'd seen him peeking at his work email. He wouldn't be on leave much longer.

"I think I'll take Henry to work with me tomorrow. Maybe you can come in for lunch and take him home after that?"

"Oh, okay." His eyes lit up. "If you're sure."

"Yeah, I'll just wear him around. He's easy."

He really was an easy baby. I often wore Henry for hours, curled up in his little carrier. I loved it. It made me feel complete. It turned out that bringing him to work was kinda fun. Most of my job entailed meeting with people, and Henry gave us something nice and calm to talk about.

When he was asleep, he was practically unnoticed. And when he was awake, he was a distracting bundle of adorableness. Of course, there were moments that weren't perfect. Like, when I was meeting with several members of the governor's staff and Henry had a full blowout. But otherwise, I loved having him with me.

Knox slowly eased back into his job, settling for part-time until Henry was done nursing. Henry learned to roll over, then to sit up, then to push onto his hands and knees, and finally he was crawling. I started calling him "The Little Bundle of Terror" because the speeds he could get to while crawling were terrifying. We were suddenly in full-on baby-proofing mode everywhere we went. Our house became a maze of foam corners and baby gates. Knox and I turned into two circling hawks, hovering near Henry with our arms out, ready to swoop him up or catch something before it fell on him.

And then, finally, the walking started, early like everything else Henry did. We were both there for his first step. I turned to Knox. "This is going by too fast."

Knox put his arms around me and kissed me. "So we'll have another. And then another if we want more."

I pulled him in close and smiled. "And another after that? And then five more?"

He threw his head back and laughed. I kissed his neck. "I love it when you laugh like that."

He pushed me away. "Come on. We've got a birthday party to get to."

"Oh yeah. Who is this? Violet? Josephine?"

The little gaggle of baby friends Henry had made were slowly starting to turn one, and Henry was almost there with them. It felt like we had a birthday party every other weekend.

"Edith, I think."

"You'd think Henry lived in a nursing home with these names."

Knox laughed. "I know. And you make that same joke every time."

"Sorry. It's just a really good one. I need to make sure you hear it often."

After Edith's birthday party, we went to the hotel restaurant for dinner.

They weren't expecting us, and when we walked into the dining room, I saw that someone was sitting at our table. The host looked apologetic. "Sorry, do you want me to move him?"

"No, that's fine. We'll sit near the fountain."

But Knox was already walking to our table. "Trey?"

The man at our table turned, and I saw the face of Trey Benton. What the…? There was no way that was a coincidence.

I turned to the host. "Is that Trey Benton?"

"Yes, he's staying at the hotel. For quite a while, actually. He's booked a suite for a month."

"You know what? We'll join him. Please set up two places with Mr. Benton, and a highchair."

"Yes, Mr. Francesco."

I strode over to the table, where Knox was showing Henry off to Trey. "You finally decided to join us for dinner?"

Trey smiled and reached out to shake my hand. "I was hoping I would see you here." He gestured around us. "Beautiful hotel."

The waiters finished setting up the table and placing the highchair.

"I hope you don't mind?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way. Please."

We sat down, and the waiters brought Henry a bowl of frozen banana pieces.

Knox placed a few pieces on the highchair tray. "He's teething."

Trey watched carefully. "Interesting. He seems to like it."

"Yes. He loves them, and it really helps."

Trey pulled a small notebook and pen from his pocket. "Do you mind?"

We shook our heads and then he began to write. "Frozen…bananas…teething."

"Trey, what are you doing?"

He looked up. "Hmm? Oh, I just make notes of interesting things. Little details like that. I had no idea."

I leaned forward and looked him in the eye. "Trey, are you writing a book about my family? About the Francescos?"

Trey smirked. "No, Luca. I'm not. I would love to, but I'm not an idiot."

Knox looked uncomfortable, but I needed to know what Trey was up to.

"However, I am writing a book."

"In Gilded Lake?"

"Yeah." He looked around the dining room. "It's…hard to explain. I just had to come here."

My eyes narrowed. "What's your book about?"

"It's about a small town in Montana with a local legend about a curse."

"A curse?" It was Knox's turn to raise his eyebrows.

Trey looked excited. Just then the waiters came, and Knox and I ordered then turned back to Trey. He told us about the book he was writing, and I watched his face light up as he spoke. I realized that he wasn't a threat, but I was still confused about what he was doing here.

"It sounds like a great idea. It's just quite a coincidence that we ran into you near my house in Sardinia, and how you're in my hotel in Gilded Lake."

Trey smiled, but he looked pained. Knox reached under the table and squeezed my leg, signaling for me to soften up. Henry babbled nonsensically and offered Trey a slobbery banana chunk. Trey shook his head and said, "No, thank you," as politely as if he were talking to a grown-up. He was a strange, but likable, man.

"I know, Luca. It must seem strange. But you'll just have to take my word for it that I'm not here because of you at all."

I looked at Knox.

"Or Knox. Or Henry. Really. I'm just here to write. There's something in the air, an excitement, a thrill. It helps me."

I nodded, not completely satisfied but enough to drop it for now. We ended up having a lovely dinner with Trey. Once he relaxed, his stiffness fell away and he was quite funny, with loads of good stories. He'd traveled all over the world and had some wild adventures. Knox and I laughed so much my sides hurt.

Eventually, Henry needed to go to bed. Before we left, I gave Trey my phone number. "Call me if you need anything while you're here."

"Thank you. Let's do this again."

We said good night, and Knox squeezed my bicep with both hands as we walked to the front door. "That was too bizarre."

"I know."

We kept shaking our heads on the way home. I knew there was more to the mystery of Trey arriving in Gilded Lake, but I was content to let it be for now.

We got home and put Henry to bed, then settled into bed ourselves. I rolled onto my side and pulled Knox close. "Come here. I want to kiss my husband." I didn't think I'd ever get tired of that word.

Knox wriggled into my arms and pressed his warm body against me, then opened his mouth and gave me a long, deep kiss.

"Mmmm, yum. More please." I pulled him even closer and kissed him even deeper.

Knox slid his arms around my neck and sighed. "You make me so, so happy, Luca."

"I'm glad, baby. That's all I want to do, forever and ever. Take care of you and Henry and the fourteen other children we're gonna have, and make you happy."

He laughed and pushed me over so he could climb on top. I spread my legs and felt him growing hard against me. I slid down in the cool sheets until I reached his cock and slid my lips around him. He gasped and moaned, pulling himself slowly in and out of my mouth. I caressed his balls and ran my tongue along his shaft. I felt myself growing hard and full with desire for him.

I reached up and twisted his nipples with my fingers as I took the length of him into my mouth. He shuddered and moaned with pleasure. "Oh my god, Luca."

I slid my hands to his back and sucked harder, feeling his cock pulsate inside my mouth and his back tremble. I reached one hand down and began to stroke myself, feeling come dripping from the head of my bulging cock.

Knox withdrew from my mouth and kicked the blankets out of the way, then turned around and lay down alongside me. He pulled me onto my side and gently licked and nipped at my cock, sucking all the warm come off of it. I groaned and reached between his legs to pull him back to my mouth. We pressed tightly against each other, cock to mouth, both sucking and fucking at the same time.

Electric waves of pleasure coursed through my body. I rubbed my hips in a circle, feeling his tongue push and pull against me. Finally I couldn't take it anymore. I pulled back and climbed on top of him, turning around and pushing his legs up. "Come here. I need you."

"Yes, yes. Fuck me, Luca. Please."

I loved it when he begged for me. I loved to tease him, to drive him crazy. I hovered above him, teasing him with the tip of my cock. I could feel my come dripping down onto him. "You want me?" I leaned down and sucked on his lower lip, letting myself enter him just a little.

He moaned and arched his back. "Yes… yes."

I slid fully into him, letting his moans wash over me, feeling his desire as my own. He moaned and reached around, grabbing my ass and pushing me deeper inside of him. I went slow, letting him feel the long, slow length of me. He gripped my cock tightly, making me shudder with pleasure.

Knox wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me against his chest. I gave him my full weight, lying down on top of him. He cried out, wrapping his legs around my hips. I pushed as deep as I could go, my mouth on his, entering him with my tongue and my cock. I pulled back and thrust into him, hard. I reached up and put my thumb into his mouth, along with my tongue. I felt like I couldn't enter him enough times.

He moaned and his eyes rolled back. He laced his fingers through my hair and pulled. I felt his body beneath me, rocking in time to my cock's thrusts. We fucked each other fast and hard, our breath building between us. I pulled my head back so I could look down and see my cock moving in and out of him. His own cock bulged between us, bright and dripping.

I reached down and squeezed him, running my hand up and down his glistening shaft. Then I pushed myself onto my hands so I could give him the full weight of my thrusts.

Knox was not quiet. "Yes, alpha! Harder!"

I was glad for Henry's loud white-noise machine in his nursery. We needed this.

I hammered into Knox, feeling like I wanted it to go on forever and like I didn't know how long I could take it. I didn't know what felt better—his moans of pleasure or his tight, wet grip on me. I looked down at him beneath me, his face alive and glowing with desire, his chiseled chest and abs glistening with sweat, his blue eyes beaming with love.

"I love you, Knox." I smiled, feeling myself nearing climax. "I'm gonna come in you."

"Oh my god, Luca, I love you so much. Come in me. Give me another baby."

I wrapped him in my arms and hugged him close. I breathed him in, as I pushed in deep and hard, and then felt myself explode inside him. He came with me, moving against me as I locked inside of him. "This is it. This is all I want, forever."

"Me too."

Eventually, we rolled over and fell asleep, holding each other.

Like I did every night, I said a silent thank-you to whatever force had brought Knox Francesco into my life, then fell asleep holding him in my arms.

Omega Trey Benton is a famous writer of western murder mysteries, and he's hit a wall. While researching his latest book, he landed in Gilded Lake, Montana where he crossed paths with a sexy alpha named Walt. Now, Trey can't get Walt out of his mind and it's interfering with his writing. He's tried everything to forget about the alpha, but when he can't, he heads back to Gilded Lake to see if spending more time there will help break the spell.

Alpha Walt Osgood has been working as head of security at the Gilded Lake Resort for years. As cousin to the head of the family, Luca Francesco, he works closely with Luca to keep the town and its guests in line. But Trey Benton, that handsome author who passed through his town last fall, is staying at the hotel again.

He does his best to ignore the sweet omega, but when Walt and his crew go to dump a body in the lake one night, he realizes the one person he would do anything to shield from his lifestyle has become an accidental witness.