A Stormy Spring (26 page)

‘What on earth is the matter?’ demanded Moira as she burst through the door.

Lucas turned on her. ‘What the hell happened here this afternoon?’

Wringing her hands, she stared at Becca in dismay. ‘Justin was here. He didn’t stay long so I assumed Becca was asleep. Look at the state of her.’

A brisk knock on the bedroom door heralded the arrival of Sinead.

One look at Becca told her all she needed to know.

‘Right, everybody out.’

Lucas didn’t budge. ‘I found her on the floor in the shower. Apparently she had a visitor this afternoon. Her dance partner, Justin. He’s been causing problems.’

‘Okay, thank you for that.’

He opened his mouth but Sinead simply raised a brow so he closed it again and followed Moira from the room.

Then parked himself in the hall determined to remain outside the door.

Becca realised someone was brushing her hair in a lovely soothing motion.

‘Ah, you’re back with us now. Would you like a cup of tea the lovely Moira has left us?’

‘Thank you,’ Becca said her voice hoarse.

Sinead handed her a biscuit, poured her a cup.

‘Is your head banging?’

‘It was, but it’s not so bad now.’

Sinead perched on the bed and put an arm around her.

‘Want to tell me what happened?’

In hot fast spurts it all tumbled out of Becca.

‘God, I can’t stop crying.’

‘Nothing wrong with a good cry. With everything that you’ve had to deal with I’m surprised it’s taken this long for you to break. Sounds to me as if you’re well rid of him.’

‘It hurts,’ Becca said, blowing her nose.

Sinead simply stared at her in amazement.

‘Of course it hurts. That’s why he did it. To cause maximum damage. He knows you very well. He knows where your insecurities are. He has the power to hurt. You need to take that power back. The question you need to ask yourself is are you going to let him win or are you going to look after yourself and those babies and talk about your feelings rather than letting them rule you. Because I bet after talking to me you feel better, don’t you?’

Becca nodded. ‘I do. I thought my head was going to explode.’

‘Okay. Now go and pee in the pot.’

She did as she was told while Sinead did the stick dipping thing and Becca went back to bed feeling so raw and emotional it was as if her brain had been scrubbed with a steel brush. Becca knew pregnant women were at the mercy of their hormones, but she didn’t have to like it.

When the blood pressure cuff was puffed up really tight, Becca winced. The measurement was probably through the roof.

‘Well, there you go. It’s down a wee bit, a miracle after what went on here today. This is what happens when you release your anxieties, your feelings and the way to do that is to deal with them and talk about them.’

After that little homily, Sinead left and found Lucas lounging against the wall with a look on his face that would curdle cream.

‘You heard that?’

‘
Si
, every word. She hasn’t wanted to talk about Justin and I didn’t want to upset her by forcing the issue, and other things.’

The nurse shook her head.

‘You cannot protect a person from the stresses and strains of everyday life. Shit happens. It’s how we deal with it that matters. That girl needs to get it all out. Every bit of what’s eating away at her deep inside.’ She looked at him through narrowed eyes. ‘And I bet you’re just the boy to do it.’

It felt bizarre to be called ‘the boy’ from a woman so much younger than he was.

‘
Si
, communication is my business.’

‘For it to work it needs to be honest.’

Lucas nodded. ‘
Si, gracias
, Sinead. Can she get up for dinner?’

‘Sure she can. Tomorrow we’ll talk about how to keep her amused and stop her losing her tiny mind. She’s not someone who’s used to lazing around and it’s going to be hard for her if this turns out to be a long-term thing.’

Lucas recognised that in thinking ahead he’d thought of how the situation affected him and his extended family. Now Becca and the babies’ needs must take priority.

‘Could it be a long-term thing?’

Intelligent green eyes met his and for once they were serious.

‘Let’s not assume anything. But I always believe in being prepared.’

After seeing Sinead safely out Lucas strolled through the house looking for his deeply upset housekeeper.

At least he’d managed to call off the paps hanging around his front door.

But Lucas was under no illusions, they had the scent of blood and Justin had made it clear he was a bad enemy. He’d underestimated the man’s capacity to inflict a mortal wound.

Lucas didn’t believe in just getting angry. In business and in life, he believed in getting fucking even.

Moira was chopping vegetables with a lethal looking knife and by the expression on her face and the speed she was dissecting a red pepper, Justin Cope’s balls were in the forefront of her mind.

Lucas put his arm around her shoulder and the woman who was as dear to him as a mother rested her head on his arm.

‘I’m so sorry I let him in. He was so charming... He....’ Her voice broke.

‘It is not your fault. He is a clever man and I underestimated him. It will not happen again.’

Anxious eyes met his. ‘Is she all right?’

‘Blood pressure has dropped a little.’

A hard light entered her eyes now. ‘You can’t let him get away with this, Lucas.’

He gave her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

‘Have you heard of Karma?’

‘Of course. But in my experience it tends to take its own sweet time.’

‘In this particular case Karma is already on its way.’

Later, in his office, Lucas sat at his desk doodling with a ball point pen on his blotting pad.

His hair was still wet from the shower and he wore his habitual soft jeans, a sweater of grey cashmere and his feet were bare. His brother was exactly the same. As soon as he was relaxed and at home off came shoes and socks. Although Jacob had sent him email support when his father had gone ballistic, it had been a while since he’d spoken to his brother and he was long overdue for a catch-up.

He’d left Becca sound asleep. Ideally he needed to get her out of town, but knew his hands were tied until her condition improved. And he wondered how she would react if she ever found out what he was about to do. Justin Cope had crossed not just one line, but many lines with him. He frowned. By his behaviour he wondered if the man was in fact quite stable. Justin appeared to believe he could do whatever the hell he liked and never be held to account for his actions.

A court case for slander and loss of earnings would be protracted and ugly. Becca didn’t need the stress. And although the idea of Justin getting off with what he’d done stuck in Lucas’s throat, Becca’s needs must come first. However, he wasn’t about to let the bastard walk away unscathed especially after the wound he’d inflicted this afternoon.

To be ruled by anger and emotion was a weakness Lucas could not afford. He used his fury, channelled it and thought long and hard of the possible consequences of his actions. One of which might be that Becca may leave him, never forgive him for the damage he was about to inflict upon her former partner and former best friend. If there was one thing he admired about Becca it was her loyalty. He’d give anything for her to believe in him as much as she had believed in Justin.

She’d been the sweetest thing in bed with him earlier and he’d loved her gentle caresses. Her kisses had blown his mind. His instincts told him she was falling for him. Christ, he hoped so. He was still hungry for her and had a feeling that those emotions would never leave him. If he lived until he was a hundred, he’d still get hard for her. But today had not been about lust. It had been about intimacy and caring and looking after the one he loved more than life itself. Once he picked up the phone and set in motion certain events he needed to ensure he was prepared to face the potential consequences of his actions. Doing nothing was simply not an option. Was it worth the possible risk of losing her?

Lucas picked up his Blackberry, scrolled down and hit a number.

He smiled when one of his best friends answered.

Lucas’s response was typical of their relationship,

‘Hey, Nico. How the fuck are you? I am good. Yeah, it is true.’

He grinned as Nico Ferranti crowed with laughter on the other end of the phone that his friend and supposed confirmed bachelor was indeed getting married.

‘Becca’s great. Yeah, she is a doll. How are Bronte and the kids? Yeah?’

He laughed as Nico described sleepless nights in a voice dripping with happiness and joy.

‘Listen, pal. I need a favour. I was wondering, if I can get the doctor to agree, if Becca and I could come and stay at The Hall for a few days. The paps are driving us fucking crazy.’

Nico told him not a problem and that they must visit The Dower House to see Bronte and the twins. She’d love to meet the woman who had finally captured Lucas’s heart. And what was the matter with Becca?

‘She’s pregnant. Yeah, I know, how the mighty have fallen. Twins!’

At Nico’s howl of laughter, Lucas held the phone away from his ear and shook his head.

‘Nope. She has high blood pressure. I have done nothing to cause it. She has been through a lot, Nico, and needs a break.
Si
, I will let you know. Oh, and Nico, there is something else I need from you. It is a delicate matter ....’

Twenty minutes later, he stared at the phone and hit another number. He held the phone to his ear and grinned when he heard Burt Lindstrom’s booming voice.

‘Hey yourself, Burt. I am good. Yeah, she could be better. Our friend Justin visited her. Remember that matter we were discussing?’

An hour and four calls later he placed the phone on his desk and released a long steady breath.

The wheels were set in motion.

As he went up the stairs to his bedroom, Lucas searched his conscience for a single sign of regret. He opened the door and simply stared at the beautiful woman sleeping soundly. The mother of his children, the keeper of his heart and couldn’t find a solitary grain of remorse.

The bastard deserved everything that was coming to him and Lucas Del Garda would sleep easy in his bed this night.

Ten days later Becca stretched like a warm lazy kitten feeling all loose and limber.

Arching her back she turned to grab her cell phone and squinted at the time.

Eight-thirty in the evening and all was quiet except for a car door in the street below. The paps had slunk off to find fresh prey. She shivered, remembering how trapped and under siege she’d felt.

Padding into the bathroom, she cleaned her teeth and cleansed her face. Feeding her skin moisturiser she checked her reflection with a critical eye. The dark circles had all but disappeared and there was a distinct bloom in her cheeks. That haunted look had gone too and her spirit certainly felt lighter as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

No wonder she looked and felt better, she’d never slept so much in her life.

She ran her tongue along the top of her teeth as the lingering aftershocks of an erotic dream warmed her cheeks. Which naturally led her thoughts to segue into wondering where Lucas was? Probably in his office or in the orangery. The glass room was his favourite relaxation space where he went to channel surf or to listen to music. Since it was Moira’s night off she’d left plenty of choice for dinner in the fridge with careful heating instructions. But was she hungry? Biting down hard on her bottom lip, Becca decided she was hungry all right and it wasn’t for food.

Over the last few days, she’d admitted to herself she was falling deeply in love with the big beautiful Spaniard and who could blame her? Lucas had been so caring, so gentle and tender with her. Maybe too caring, too gentle and too tender?

He had needs and she was very much aware that he was keeping himself under an iron control. For the eighth day in a row her blood pressure had stabilised well within normal perimeters. Sinead was doing a happy dance and Becca herself felt fabulous. An idea was taking shape and after her dream she decided to take things into her own hands, as it were.

She boogied over to a drawer and pulled out a skin coloured satin and lace concoction she’d bought from Victoria’s Secret on the internet. She’d managed to sneak it past the ever vigilant Lucas.

Stripping off her cotton skinny vest and low slung pantie shorts, she slid into the bustier. Her breasts were filling out, not by much, but for a woman who’d never had a bust it was a heady sensation to see them suddenly separated, lifted and full. Grinning like a crazy person she slid on tiny matching frilly panties. A quick slick of clear gloss on her lips and a run of her fingers through her hair and she looked like a woman who badly wanted to be bedded.

Pulling on a towelling robe, in bare feet Becca skipped down the stairs keeping an ear open for any sign of life. She popped her head into his office. His laptop was fired up on his desk, one of his Blackberry’s sat next to it. She still hadn’t recovered from the shock that he had
three
cell phones. No sign of Lucas. Hmm. Heading to the kitchen and finding just empty space she tracked him down in the orangery.

The sight of her very own big gorgeous male flat on his back on the couch made her drool. One leg was bent at the knee, his dark head resting on his arm.

By his appearance; damp hair, jeans, bare feet and one of his ubiquitous sweaters, he’d had a shower and was deep in relaxation mode as he watched the news through drowsy eyes. Oh goodie.

Becca had no idea how she managed to suppress the deep throaty purr of a hunting tigress.

Gliding over to the couch the scent of a clean healthy male assailed her senses. She ran her fingers through his damp hair and bent to gently remove the TV remote control from his hand. Switching off the flat screen and dumping the remote, she slid around to stand in front of him.

Dark eyes glittered up into hers.