Taken by You (47 page)

Luca’s dark eyes sparkled wickedly. “Some things have not changed, my love. You are the same handsome rogue who came into my life like a whirlwind and carried me to rapture. If not for you I would never have known such bliss existed.”

“If I recall correctly, you wanted to become a nun,” Morgan said with a twinkle in his eye.

Luca sent him an impudent grin. “I did not know then that I would burn so hotly for you.” She bent down, kissing him full on the lips. “All I want now is to be your wife forever.”

“From the beginning I recognized the passion you tried desperately to deny. Even as you fell to your knees in prayer, your sultry dark eyes hinted of a boundless desire just waiting for release. I love you, Luca.”

Luca’s eyes glowed happily. “I love you, Morgan. Once you are well I’ll show you how much.”

“Lie beside me,” Morgan urged, holding back the covers. “I need to feel you in my arms.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I can’t love you properly yet, I just want to hold you.”

The urgency in his voice shattered her resolve. Gingerly she sat on the edge of the bed, preparing to slip in beside him.

“No, not like that, take off your clothes.”

“Morgan, I… it’s not a good idea. You need to rest.”

Morgan smiled crookedly. “it’s a wonderful idea. I want to feel our child move against me when I fall asleep.”

Luca didn’t resist when he lovingly undressed her and made room for her on the bunk. When he curved his bruised body around hers, he felt renewed vigor surging through him; he felt whole again.

Epilogue

Andros Island
1592

“I
sn’t it spectacular, Morgan?” Luca sighed as they watched the sun slowly sink below the sparkling water. Luca rested her head on Morgan’s shoulder as the sky turned from brilliant orange to subdued gold to mauve, sprinkling a blanket of glittering diamonds on the placid sea stretched out before them.

“Every sunset is spectacular when I’m with you,” Morgan replied, hugging her tightly. “Do you regret coming to Andros with me?”

“I love it here,” Luca replied dreamily. “it’s what I always imagined paradise would be like. And the village is growing by leaps and bounds. There are plenty of playmates for Richard. Stan and Renalda’s daughter is but a year younger than our son, and Renalda is expecting again.”

“Were you upset when Clyde Withers brought Rouge to Andros?” Morgan wondered. “I have to admit it came as a shock to learn that he had met Rouge on one of his voyages and fell head over heels for her. Do you want me to send her away?”

“They seem truly taken with one another,” Luca allowed. “As long as Rouge doesn’t set her sights on you, she’s welcome to stay.”

Morgan laughed. “No need to worry about that, I’m well and truly taken and she knows it. I do believe Rouge has found true love with Clyde.”

Luca nodded, her thoughts turning to their other friend. “I’m glad you made Stan part owner of the lumber business,” she said, quickly losing interest in Rouge and Clyde. “He and Renalda have been such good friends to us throughout the years. Isn’t it ironic that two men who hated Spaniards would end up with Spanish wives?”

“Stranger things have happened. I never thought I’d be content without a deck beneath my feet,” Morgan contended. “You and Richard make every day an adventure; I no longer feel compelled to roam the seas. Did you enjoy your father’s visit? He appeared quite loath to leave yesterday.”

“Very much. I know you still don’t feel comfortable around Father, but he enjoys his grandson so much that he wants to return in a few months. He wants to bring Cordero and Arturo next time. On their last visit home they expressed their desire to meet their nephew.”

“I’m reconciled to the fact that your father and brothers are a part of our lives.”

“Morgan, do you regret being banished from English shores?”

“Not in the least,” Morgan said earnestly. “One day the Bahamas will be populated beyond our wildest expectations. The islands have been more or less ignored since being discovered, but I foresee a time when people will flock to our private paradise.

“Perhaps we can return to England in time, for a visit. The queen is ailing. My solicitor informed me that Bess sent envoys to his office inquiring about my well-being. I think she’d welcome us back to England if we wished to return.”

Luca wrinkled her nose. “I do not like England.”

Morgan chuckled. “And I’m not welcome in Spain. We seem to have the best of two worlds right here on Andros. Shall we go back home and rescue our son from Lani? She spoils him outrageously.”

Luca gave him a provocative smile. “Not yet.” She took his hand and led him along the beach to a thick stand of palm trees. The grass beneath was thick and spongy, and she pulled Morgan down beside her.

“What do you have in mind, wife?”

“it’s been a long time since we’ve made love beneath a swaying palm on a balmy night. Make love to me, Morgan.”

Morgan’s eyes glowed darkly. “An invitation like that is hard to resist.”

His lips sought hers, taking satisfaction in the hungry joy of her response. Luca had come a long way from the frightened girl whose ambition in life was to become a nun. He pressed her down into the moss, slowly undressing her and then himself. They came together in splendid passion, their naked bodies vessels of adoration as they stroked and caressed and worshiped with hands, lips, and mouths. A gasp of splintered wonder sent Luca’s teeth sinking into his shoulder when he thrust mindlessly between her thighs.

“My God, this is madness,” Morgan gasped as her heat surrounded him. “I want you as much today as I did five years ago. Sweet nun, you’ve held me spellbound since the moment I set eyes on you.”

“Don’t talk, Morgan. When you’re inside me I can’t think clearly. I can only feel.” He flexed his hips and drove himself deeper. She arched upward, rejoicing in his hunger, his unbridled passion, in his expanding thickness. Deep rapture stole her breath and her thoughts, and she cried out her pleasure.

He covered her mouth with his, her hoarse, gusting cries of ecstasy joining with his as she convulsed around him. The ferocity of her climax triggered his own tempest as utter fulfillment coursed through him.

Their mouths still clinging, Morgan shifted to lie beside her. He drew her into his arms as the last pulsebeat of pleasure shivered through them.

“We might have made a baby tonight,” he whispered into her ear. He tried not to sound too hopeful, but their son was over three years old and he thought it was time to give Richard a brother or sister.

“That’s impossible,” Luca said with certain knowledge.

Morgan tried to hide his disappointment. Didn’t Luca want another child with him? Renalda was already expecting a second child. “What makes you say that? How can you be certain?”

Luca touched his face with exquisite tenderness. Then she took his hand and held it against her flat stomach. “it’s impossible to make a baby tonight because I’m already carrying your second child.”

A slow smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “Are you sure?”

“As sure as I can be.”

“I can’t recall a time in my life when I’ve ever been happier.”

“Nor I,” Luca vowed. “Let’s go home, my love, our son is waiting for us.”

About the Author

Connie is the bestselling author of 60 books and novellas and counting. Her tales of passion and adventure are set in exotic as well as in American locales. Connie has won awards from Romantic Times and has been listed in Who’s Who of American Women for several years. Connie makes her home in Tarpon Springs, Florida.

Connie is a world traveler. She has visited every country in Western and Eastern Europe, Greece, Asia and Northern Africa. Also, countless islands in the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas. Connie enjoys spending time with her three children, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Visit her Website and
www.conniemason.com
.