Somewhere in His Arms (83 page)

             
“Faster!” she panted in his ear, biting down on her lip as the first painful tremors began twisting its way through her. “Oh!” Lucy sobbed, her cries cut off by his tongue. The orgasm was a rapturous agony, and she wept with the severity of it. She felt him stiffen above her, and she grasped his tongue with her own, taking his soft moans of pleasure. Alec gasped and shuddered, his muscular body wracked by the most intense orgasm he’d ever had. Her arms clutched him to her, and she gasped at the familiar warmth flooding her womb. Their sweaty bodies lay entwined, shuddering with the delightful aftershocks of passion.

              When he felt he could breathe again, Alec raised his head and peered down into her lovely eyes. “The answer is still ‘no’,” he said, and silenced his wife with his kisses.

     Lucy lay beneat
h her husband and held him to her. She didn’t know how, but they
were
going to have their house, one way or another. All she had to do was work on him. It was
her
money and she wanted that house. He was just being hardheaded. She’d have to do something about that.

              Christmas came and went and with it the new year. London was finally blessed with snow or as Pat called it, a damnable mess. They were snowed in for a few days with Gavin driving them all loony with his new video game console and insisting upon challenging all of them to a game in which he either ran them over with a car or shot them dead in the street. Maggie finally lost her temper and Pat stood back, chuckling with glee when she confiscated the toy and ordered Gavin to read a book.

    
Alec took his wife upstairs to get away from his brother’s whining. As much as he loved living with his mum and dad, the living situation was becoming intolerable. They had to share a bathroom with Gavin, who seemed determined to scrub away his sin with several baths a day. There was also the lack of privacy. Alec and Lucy could only make love when no one was in the house or asleep, as the walls were so thin. He’d been giving a lot of thought to her offer of giving him the money for the house.

     “Did you really mean it…about the money, I mean?”

     “Of course,” she said, surprised that he felt he even had to ask. “What’s mine is yours.”

     “We’ll have to talk to the solicitor and get
an estimate,” Alec rattled on anxiously, feeling guilty. “You d-don’t have to,” he amended hastily. “We can find another house. It’s cheaper anyway.”

     “You don’t
really
want to do that,” Lucy said, smiling at her guilt-stricken husband. “If you did, you would have sold off the property years ago.”

     “Well,” he said, scratching his nose, “that’s open for debate. But I won’t do anything without your approval.”

     “Is that so?” She went to him and slid her arms around him. Rising on tiptoes, Lucy kissed his scruffy cheek. “You’re awfully sweet, English,” she sighed and drew him down with her onto the bed. “But I want to do this. We’ll do it together, just you and me like we’re supposed to.”

             
“What about school?”

             
“What about it?”

             
“You’ll pay your student loans first.”

             
“And then?”

             
“Don’t you want to go back and be an archaeologist?”

             
“I can do that for free. The whole house is an archaeological dig,” she quipped.

     Alec smiled down at her, feeling for the first time in his life that he was actually worthy of the incredible woman that was Lucy. “Promise?” he asked shyly. “I-I mean…are…you sure?”

     “I’m sure,” she sighed happily and pulled his head down to hers.

     “I adore
you, Mrs. Barrington.”

     “I know, my darling.” Lucy smiled
, and stroked his hair. “I know.”

* * *

             
Gavin bounded down the stairs, not knowing what he was going to do. “She’s coming!” he shouted to anyone who’d listen. They were all gathered around the kitchen table eating lunch and staring at him like he’d fallen off his trolley.

     “Who’s coming?” they asked in unison, barely glancing up from Lucy’s shepherd’s pie. “Don’t tell me the Martians are finally invading after all these years!”

     “Very funny, dad!” Gavin frowned, waving the missive for their eyes to see. “Rudy’s coming to visit for the summer and he’ll be bringing Connie!”

     “Who’s Connie?” Maggie asked in confusion.

     “She’s a girl Gavin rescued from these hoods, mum.”

     “Oh. Is she a nice girl?”

     “Of course, she’s a nice girl!” Gavin rolled his eyes, and began muttering to himself. “What’ll I tell her? No, wait! I’ll bathe in the River Jordan. Yes, that’s it!” Maggie didn’t know what he was talking about. But Pat, Alec, and Lucy exchanged knowing glances and told him to calm down.

     “Calm down?” he nearly shouted. “How can I be calm at a moment like this?” Then he tore back upstairs, eager to get Connie on the phone so they could make plans.

     “She must be quite a girl.” Maggie commented. “I haven’t seen anyone act this strange since Pat proposed.”

     “Hey now
, woman,” Pat protested, “I was in love with you!”

     “Exactly!”

     They looked at each other and burst out laughing. Maggie didn’t know what was with any of them today. “What’s so funny?”

     “I think Gavin’s in love.”

     “Is he?” Maggie sniffed, and helped herself to another portion of pie. “It’s about time!”

     They all shook their heads and Lucy and Alec decided it could
n’t have happened to a nicer fellow.

              “So, what are you giving my brother for his birthday?” Gavin asked Lucy while shopping one day. “I think he’s got everything a man could want.”

     “I’ll think of something,” she said cryptically, while Gavin gave her a weird look and shrugged.

     Gavin began to wonder what it would be like to be married. Not that he was inclined to hitch his wagon to a filly, but he liked to entertain the possibility of it some day…

     They browsed for a little while, with Gavin deciding on a DVD box set of Busby Berkeley musicals
for Alec. Lucy, he noticed, left empty-handed.

              Alec drove Lucy up to the house so she could see how her money was being spent. He’d kept her updated on every minute detail. The house had been gutted as the contractor had said that it was best to begin with a clean slate. Though the structure was sound, every last bit of wood and plaster had been rotted through and it had taken nearly four months just to clear it out. Every piece of wiring, every piece of plumbing that had ever been put in was stripped and laid bare. The only thing that hadn’t gone to the dump was a pair of grandfather clocks. The most expensive item on the list was the roof. That had been the first thing to go. The contractor had looked upon the old thatching with a mixture of horror and disgust. He’d said it was a miracle the whole thing hadn’t crashed down onto their heads.

   
Lucy nodded in approval at the progress the contractor was making, but it would be at least another year before they could actually move in. Alec was disappointed, but she had something she was sure would put a smile back on his face. “Here,” she said, handing him a brightly wrapped box. “Happy birthday, English.”

  
 
“You didn’t have to get me anything. You’ve already given me so much.” But he took the box and shook it, grinning in spite of himself. “What is it?”

     “Open it, silly.” Lucy sat down on the courtyard steps and patted the spot beside her. “I think it’s something you’ve been wanting for a long time.”

     “I can’t think of anything…” his voice trailed off as he opened the box. Inside was a plastic wand of some sort with a cap and a weird blue mark on the side. He stared at it in disbelief and his eyes flew to hers. “Is
this
what I think it is?”

     She nodded, blushing and holding her hands to her face. “I-I wasn’t sure. I wasn’t feeling well…but I wasn’t sure. I went to the hospital after I took that and made sure.”

     “B-But the doctor said…he said...” Alec couldn’t speak. In fact, it hurt to breathe. “You’re
sure?”

    “I’m sure. I wouldn’t have told you if I wasn’t.” Lucy was getting worried. He was pale and shaking. “I-I mean it’s all right
, isn’t it? I know the timing is off with the house and everything…”

    “Lucia
,” he said softly, tears welling in his eyes.

   
“What, my love?”

   
“Hush,” Alec commanded hoarsely and took her in his arms. They were both laughing and crying. “I think it’s the best present you’ve ever given me, besides your virginity.” He reached down and covered her still flat belly with his hand. “We’ll have to be extra careful with this one.”

    “Then it’s all right?”

    “Hush your mouth, woman and kiss me!”

    “Yes
, sir,” Lucy sighed against his lips, and not for the first time in their marriage, happily obeyed.