Chapter Thirty

I frown, then the blood leaves my face and I turn to Luke. His eyebrows are raised almost to his hairline. The room stills.

"I met with a client to give him some work he purchased." My eyes don't leave Luke's but his face changes, and gone is my carefree, happy man. He knows exactly who I'm talking about and he's pissed.

Fuck.

I forgot to tell him about meeting with Brad because it was the same day that we went to the cemetery.

"What's his name?" Sam asks and takes a sip of coffee.

"Brad," I murmur, watching Luke as he exhales and hangs his head. "I forgot to tell you because we went to the cemetery that day." My voice is low and thin.

Samantha frowns for a moment and swallows and she almost looks guilty.

Luke stares at me, his eyes ice cold and I feel tears threaten. "Don't be mad, I just gave him his photos, and he asked if he could make another appointment, but I told him you wouldn't like it. He offered to call you himself and talk to you to let you know that he's not interested in me like that. It was nothing."

"Why didn't you say something when you got home?"

"I really forgot. It was nothing."

"It didn't seem like nothing when you smiled at him and rubbed your hand all over his shoulder." Samantha shrugs smugly and I gasp.

"Sam," Lucy's voice is sharp and loud.

Luke's eyes don't leave my face and I shake my head.

I pin Sam with a glare and ball my hands into fists. How dare she?

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" My voice is shaking in rage.

"What did I do?" She widens her eyes innocently.

"I met with a client. I patted his shoulder when he expressed nervousness about talking with my protective boyfriend about the possibility of having a chaperoned photo shoot with me. We were in a fucking public place having a conversation.

"Is this how it's always going to be, Samantha? You questioning my motives with your brother for the next sixty years? Do you have any idea how much money I'm worth without Luke? I don't need his money or his contacts. When my parents died I inherited over twenty million dollars."

Sam blanches and I hear Lucy gasp, but I keep going.

"Your brother is famous. Get over it. I wouldn't love him any less if he flipped burgers for a living, if that's where his passion was. You seem to be the only one hung up on who he is.

"I am marrying him, Sam. I'm in it for the long haul. I'd prefer to have a friendly relationship with you. I think that if you gave me half a chance you'd like me.

"But I will not continue to be disrespected by you. I don't deserve it."

"I don't trust you," she spits out through clenched teeth.

"I don't trust you either, so I guess we're even." I look at Luke to see what he's thinking. His hands are in his pockets and he's gazing at me thoughtfully. "Do you want me to go?"

"No, don't go!" Lucy comes toward me, glaring at her daughter. "Samantha, you're being ridiculous."

I continue to look at Luke. He hasn't answered me. Neil and Mark are both also glaring at Samantha.

"Well?" I raise my eyebrow at him.

"No, this is your home," he says quietly and his eyes warm. Oh, thank God.

"Sam," he says quietly and walks around the table to her. She's still glaring at me but he turns her chin so she's looking in his eyes. Lucy grips my hand in hers and I smile thinly at her. I'm shaking like crazy.

"Stop this. I am marrying Natalie. I'm in love with her, Sam. She's nothing like anyone from my past. You have got to knock the chip off your shoulder and move on. I have."

He runs his hands through his hair and looks over at me, then turns his attention back to her. "If you don't trust her, trust me. Give her a fighting chance. She hasn't done anything to you."

Sam shakes her head and closes her eyes, and she suddenly looks tired. "I can't bear to see you hurt again."

"You are hurting me, Sam."

She gasps as though he's hit her. "What?"

"When you hurt her, you hurt me. Stop. This is our home, and if you can't respect her in it, you're not welcome here."

Holy shit. He's defending me to his sister and I just want to wrap myself around him and kiss him, but I stay where I am, riveted.

I look around the room, at Lucy, Neil and Mark, and decide this has gone on long enough.

"I'm hungry." My voice is calm and light. "Let's have brunch. I think Mark's about to eat all the bacon by himself."

Lucy smiles at me and squeezes my hand as we head to the kitchen to place the food on the table. Mark and Neil help us get everything settled, and I watch out of the corner of my eye as Luke murmurs something to Sam. He hugs her gently and joins me in the kitchen.

"I'm sorry." I hug him around his middle and breathe in his scent.

"Don't be. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm sorry for Sam."

I shake my head. "Let's eat."

"Okay."

We enjoy our delicious meal, and the mood lifts considerably. I'm relieved that the conversation isn't forced or uncomfortable after my altercation with Sam. She continues to eye me speculatively from across the table, but she's no longer glaring at me, so I figure we've leaped one hurdle.

"Natalie, let me see that ring." Lucy leans toward me and I show off my beautiful ring, a silly grin plastered on my face.

Lucy smiles at her son. "I did such a good job raising you."

Luke laughs and I nod. "That you did. He has good taste."

Luke kisses my hand and smiles at me, his eyes soft and loving.

After breakfast we clear the table. Lucy, Sam and I clean up the mess and join the men in the living room with fresh coffee.

"Presents!" I jump up and down and clap my hands, excited to give Luke's parents their gifts. Everyone laughs at me and I grin. "I love giving presents."

"You didn't have to get us anything at all." Neil informs me.

"You only celebrate your thirty-fifth anniversary once." I decide to give this olive branch thing another try and turn to Sam. "Will you please help me bring their gift in from the other room?"

Her eyes widen in surprise, but then she shrugs good-naturedly. "Okay."

I smile and lead her down to Luke's office where the large box sits on his desk.

"Holy shit, that's a big box."

I laugh. "I know, I had a hell of a time wrapping this sucker. Here, you take that side and I'll take this one."

We lift it together—it's really not that heavy, just awkward—and carry it out to the living room.

"What did you do, buy them furniture?" Mark asks dryly.

I stick my tongue out at him and Sam and I set the box on the floor in front of Neil and Lucy.

"Open it." I sit next to Luke on the couch and he drapes an arm around my shoulders.

They attack the box from opposite sides, tearing the paper and pulling the lid off.

"Oh my." Lucy's hand covers her mouth as she gazes at the contents. She begins pulling the black framed photos out of the box, one by one, and Neil takes them from her, arranging them on the floor. At the bottom of the box are the two larger frames of their wedding day and at my birthday party.

"These are wonderful." They hold the image from the party in front of them and gaze at it. "Natalie, you're very talented."

I blush, delighted that they like their present. "Thank you."

Luke kisses my hand. "There's more."

"What?" Neil frowns, not privy to this part of the present and I giggle.

"We're sending you on a second honeymoon to the South of France. It's all paid for, you can go whenever you like."

Their mouths drop and Lucy looks back at their photos and starts to cry.

"Geez, Mom, what's wrong?" Mark awkwardly pats her back, clearly uncomfortable with a woman in tears.

"I'm a bit overwhelmed, I guess. First last night's party, then my son is giving me a beautiful daughter in law, and now we're going to France. It's a lot to take in in such a short time."

Neil kisses her forehead and hands her a handkerchief. I didn't know men still carried those.

I freshen everyone's coffee, and we sit and chat about weddings for the better part of an hour.

"Have you set a date?" Lucy asks.

"No," I chuckle and look at Luke. "He asked me twelve hours ago."

"Winter weddings are lovely."

"I'm going to need help. Also," I frown and peer at Luke and he runs his hand over my back.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't want the paparazzi to get wind of it."

"Do you want a big wedding?" Neil asks.

"No, just family and close friends." I shrug. "I've never really thought about it."

"Every girl thinks about her wedding. It scares us men to death," Mark smirks.

I shake my head. "I'd never planned to get married. This wasn't even on my radar."

"I have an idea," Sam says softly. "What about a destination wedding? You can fly everyone somewhere and have a small wedding somewhere lovely, like Tahiti or something."

The idea takes hold in my brain and I smile. I look over at Luke and he's smiling at me.

"What do you think?" I ask him.

"I'm the man. You just tell me when and where to show up and what I'm supposed to wear and I'll be there."

I grin at Sam. "I like that idea. Let's talk about it some more later."

Sam smiles at me—smiles at me!—and I have visions of Luke and I getting married on a white sandy beach with crystal clear blue water surrounding us.

"So what are your plans for tomorrow night with Jules?"

Luke and I are snuggled up on the couch. It's Tuesday night, and he leaves for his trip tomorrow, which I've been trying very hard to not dwell on. I don't want him to go.

"I think we're going to be in the studio."

Luke raises his eyebrows and looks down at me. "Why?"

"She wants me to do some photos for her." I shrug. "I'm not sure why, she already has quite a collection."

"What do you mean?"

"You must not read Playboy."

"Not since I was a randy teenager. Why?" He looks perplexed as I turn on the couch to face him, then realization dawns and his eyes go wide.

"You're kidding."

"Nope. She posed for them in college." I laugh as I think back on that time. "She's the person I practiced on the most to get good at what I do. She did some work for Playboy for about a year, and then abruptly stopped. She said she was over it, and it was time to move on."

"Wow."

"Do not go on the internet and try to find naked pictures of Jules." I narrow my eyes at him and cross my arms over my chest.

Luke laughs. "No thanks. She's beautiful, but I've grown to feel very brotherly toward her. I do not want to see her naked."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"No, there's only one woman I want to see naked."

"Oh?" I ask innocently. "Who could that lucky woman be?"

"Just this gorgeous brunette I know. She's all curves and has the sexiest tattoos I've ever seen in my life." He pulls me onto his lap, so my knees are straddling his hips. I'm dressed in one of his T-shirts and my panties because we've been watching TV before bed.

"Do I know her?" I ask.

"I don't know. She always steals my shirts, and she's wearing a very fetching ring on her left hand." He pulls the shirt over my head and nuzzles a nipple with his nose.

"I think I know who you're talking about," I whisper and close my eyes as he sends chills down my back with that nose.

"You do?"

"Hmm...she's hopelessly in love with you." I grind my center over his erection, reveling in the feel of his jeans against me.

"Fuck, baby, I can feel how hot and wet you are through my damn jeans." His hands are on my hips and he's pushing up against me.

"I want you." I kiss his lips. "Now."

He slides me back to his knees, opens his jeans and shimmies them down around his hips. His large hands cup my ass and lift me over him, then down onto him.

"Oh, God! Luke, you feel so good." I begin to circle my hips, riding him, looking down into his molten blue eyes. His mouth is open, his breathing coming hard and fast.

He sucks a nipple hard in his mouth and I cry out. My nipples have been extra sensitive lately.

"Gentle," I pant and he releases the nipple from his lips and lightly runs his tongue over it.

"Okay?" he asks.

"Oh yes, more than okay."

He stands in one fluid motion, me still wrapped around him and without breaking our precious contact. He lays me down across the length of the couch and covers my body with his. He lifts my left leg, pressing it against my chest and over his shoulder, spreading me wide and begins to hammer into me.

"Luke," I cry out as sensation rolls through me. My hips are moving against his, and he's gazing down at me with such possession, such feral need I come fiercely.

"Yes," He lets go of my leg and pulls out of me abruptly, flipping me onto my stomach. He pulls my ass in the air and slams his cock back inside me, slapping my ass in the process.

"Holy shit!" I squeal and grip the cushions in my fists.

He reaches down and grips my hair in a strong hand and pulls back, just enough to tug, and grips my hip with his other hand, pulling me back hard and fast on his hard cock.

I love it when he fucks me.

His breath is coming hard and fast. "Come again."

"I can't." If I come again now I'll pass the hell out.

"Come. Again." He pulls harder on my hair and slaps my ass again and I can't stop it. My muscles tense and shudder in the most intense orgasm I think I've ever had. I scream incoherently, pounding my fist on the couch as my body bucks back against Luke and he roars my name as he explodes.

"Fuck me." He pulls out of me and pulls me to him, kissing my face, my cheeks, nose, eyes, cupping my face in his hands. "Are you okay?"

"Of course,"

I frown, not understanding. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I've never been that rough with you. Jesus, Nat, you devastate me. I forget myself with you." His hands run down my back, soothing me.

"Honey, I like rough sex with you. You know that. I trust you completely. I'm fine." I smile at him. "You can slap my ass any time. It's fucking hot."

Luke laughs, still catching his breath, and crushes me to him. "God, I love you."