Down by the River Ch. 03

Lucas and I just nodded. Satisfied, Grandmother told Lucas that he could look for his father and brothers and join them or stay guard to us as Mary, Grandmother and I bathe in the river.

It never occurred to me back then that it was so unlike Grandmother to do something like that. I would never wonder why she asked us to give those promises. Only months later would I understand, and from then on, I would always remember the promises we've spoken down by the river.

*****

Time seemed to pass by quickly after that. The gowns Mary ordered in town arrived two days before the coach from Uncle Matthew was supposed to arrive, and then we began packing our things. I was very amazed by the gowns that Mary bought, since I had never seen any clothes as beautiful. A few of them were so lovely that I instantly wondered where I could ever wear them.

"Lucas said that your uncle holds balls once every two weeks," Mary told me when I asked her why my gowns looked like that. "You cannot wear ordinary dress when you are attending those balls. I assure you that your uncle will even order more gowns for you when you get there."

"What will I wear when I am not attending those balls, then?" I asked, looking at the other dresses she was packing. "Those look way too nice to be everyday dresses..."

Mary chuckled at that and then embraced me. "Not by their standards. Your uncle is a rich man, and everybody expects those connected to him -- especially young ladies like you -- to have beautiful dresses, even everyday ones."

I winced. "Why am I suddenly scared that everybody I am going to meet there will judge me by the clothes I wear?"

"Because some of them will," Mary told me honestly. "But not everybody will do, so you have to make sure that you get close to those people who won't judge you by your appearance alone."

It was an advice I would follow any time.

I forbade Lucas to come to my room during those last few days, generally because I was very restless during the nights and I did not want him to worry about me. I was once again dreading the idea of meeting my uncle, although I would remind myself time and time again that it would be all right.

The night before our scheduled departure, I had grown so restless that I actually went downstairs in the middle of the night to slip inside Grandmother's room. As soon as the door opened, she was awake, and I tentatively smiled at her.

"Do you mind if I stay here for a while?" I asked her, slipping inside the room.

She sat on the bed and beckoned me to join her. "Are you nervous about meeting Matthew?"

"Yes," I admitted, climbing into the bed and resting my head on her lap. "I was never away from you, Grandmother, but tomorrow, I will be, and worse, I will be thrown amidst a company of people I barely even know."

Grandmother chuckled as she began stroking my hair. "Don't worry about it, Selene. Lucas will be there with you, and I doubt that he will let any harm fall upon you. Besides, Matthew and Susanna are both kind souls, and judging by Lucas' stories, their son is, too, so you have nothing to worry about. You might miss us for the first few weeks, but you will grow used to it, and then, life will be good again."

I looked up at her and smiled. "Are you going to write me often? I promise to write to you ever week."

She smiled. "I thought you hate reading and writing?"

We both shared a moment of laughter before I answered, "I do, but maybe I'll like them now, since that's how I'll know that you're always close to me."

"Then, yes, I will write to you as often as you do," she promised.

I closed my eyes and just savoured that moment as Grandmother began to hum the lullaby she always used to sing me when I was a small child. I smiled upon hearing that.

"I remember that song," I told her.

"You do?" There was a smile on her voice. "This was the lullaby that Catherine used to always sing for Lucas when he would spend the afternoon with us."

"Was Mother really close to Lucas, then?" I asked.

"Yes," Grandmother answered. "He always wanted to listen to you kicking from Catherine's womb, and he would curl up on her lap, putting his ears on her belly, every single afternoon Mary would bring him to us. Catherine would always sing him this lullaby, and then Lucas would be asleep in no time. He was closer to Catherine than he was to Mary. Sometimes, Mary would tell Catherine that she was jealous of how close her son was to her best friend, but the two of them would only laugh at that, since Mary was glad -- and Catherine knew it -- that Lucas could put a smile on your mother's face even after Nathan left."

I smiled and turned so that I could look at Grandmother again. "Is that one of the reasons why you prefer Lucas to Jim or Danny?"

"Partially, yes," Grandmother admitted. "Whenever I would see Lucas, I see not only the child who grew up with you and the man who loves you, but the infant who loved Catherine as if she were his own mother. Lucas may not remember Catherine now, since he was really young when she died, but I believe that his heart remembers, because every time I will sing you this lullaby and Lucas is around, he will pause to listen, too. Back when you were really, really young, he would even end up falling asleep beside you because he would not go away until the song was finished -- which it never would be, since it was supposed to end only when you children are already asleep."

I could not help but laugh at that. "Lucas must have been so cute when he was young."

"Oh, he was," she agreed. "Lucas was not like other children even when he was young. He was not as troublesome as either Jim or Danny." She paused before starting to stroke my hair again. "Do you know, Selene, that Catherine was the person Lucas called 'Mama' when she was still alive?"

"Really?" I sat up to be able to look at Grandmother eye to eye. "What was Mary's reaction?"

"Mary and Catherine were so close that Mary actually did not mind Lucas calling Catherine 'Mama'," replied my grandmother. "Mary loves your mother so much, Selene. They were like sisters, and it was Mary's love that taught her not to be jealous of Catherine. She did not resent the way Lucas referred to your mother, especially whenever she'd see Catherine's bright smile every time Lucas would call her so."

"I'm impressed," I whispered. "Mary is so nice."

"She is, and that's why we all love her," Grandmother told me, smiling. "Since Catherine was Lucas' 'Mama', he would always refer to Mary as Mary. I think it stuck. Even though we tried to teach him how to call Mary 'Mother' when Catherine was already gone, Lucas would seldom call her thus. She was always Mary to him."

"That guy..." I said, starting to chuckle again.

"He is a sweetheart," Grandmother said. "He has always been. That's why you are lucky to be the object of his love, Selene."

"I know that."

Grandmother reached for my hand and squeezed it. "As long as Lucas is with you, you have nothing to worry about, Selene. He will always take care of you. He will always be there for you. So, don't you worry about going to Matthew's. I doubt that you will not get along well with Matthew and Susanna, but if ever hell freezes over and you find yourself in bad terms with them, still remember that Lucas is with you and he will not let anything bad happen to you."

I nodded and leaned towards Grandmother again so that she could embrace me. She lovingly held me in her arms for a few minutes before gently pushing me away.

"Now, you go back upstairs and get some sleep," she said, kissing my forehead. "The coach will be here really early tomorrow and the journey ahead of you is rather long."

I kissed her good night before slipping out of her bedroom. She was right: there was nothing to worry about as long as Lucas was there.

Finally calm, I walked into my designated bedroom, and gave up a yelp when I realized that I was not alone. Thankfully, Lucas was able to cover my mouth with his hands, thus muffling the sound.

"You are going to wake everybody up," he hissed as he dropped his hand from my mouth.

I glared at him. "It was your fault! What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you that you are not allowed to visit me?"

He frowned. "I was just worried about you. I don't know why you don't want me with you these past few nights, so I thought I would ask tonight."

With a sharp exhale, I walked away from the door and sat on the edge of the bed. It was really hard to stay mad at somebody when you know that he was only thinking about you. "I was just sort of scared about going to Uncle Matthew's estate, and I did not want you to see me so restless."

Lucas sat beside me and pulled me towards him so that I could rest my head on his shoulder. "It will worry me more if you do not let me see you, Selene."

"I'm sorry," I said softly, closing my eyes when I felt his arms around me.

"Besides, there is no point in worrying," he said gently. "I will be there."

Smiling, I opened my eyes and looked at him. "That's what Grandmother said."

"And you know she's right," Lucas said, smiling back.

"Yes," I agreed, nodding. "I know she's right."

He smiled again before standing up, heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked, frowning.

"To my room," he answered. "I want you to have a good night sleep because we have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow. I doubt that you will get that if I stay here." He grinned. "I haven't made love to you for six days already, and you did not even let me kiss you for just as long. I know I'm not going to be able to stop myself tonight if I sleep here."

I stood up and walked towards him. Pressing my body close to his, I held his hand and begged, "Don't go. Just stay here with me."

"Selene," he groaned, guiding my hand to his cock, which was already semi-erect. "You know where this will lead me if I don't stay away from you."

I moaned and squeezed it through his pyjamas. "I know exactly where it will lead."

"And you still want me to stay?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

"Yes," I answered, letting his hand and cock go so that I could wrap my arms around him and nuzzle at his neck. "I need you, Lucas. I want you. I missed you inside me and now I want you to fill me up. If it is rest you are worried about, we can just get some sleep inside the coach tomorrow. If that will not be enough, we can get it in the inn, since I know you will get separate rooms for the two of us. But, right now, make love to me, sweetheart. Please..."

He needed no further coaxing. Gently, he lifted me up and carried me back to bed, where he, still gently, lay me down. I pulled him down for a passionate kiss, after which he pulled away, grinning.

"Perhaps, sweetheart, you should take over tonight," he said, using the end of my braid to tickle my face.

"Why?" I asked, lightly running my fingers down his body.

"Because I don't want to be rough to you," he answered, still tickling me. "I don't think I'd be gentle, though, because I so want to punish you for keeping my friend away from his hole."

As he said that, his hand slipped underneath my nightgown and then under my panty, gently stroking my sex. I groaned and arched my body towards him, running my fingers through his hair and pulling his head down so that his lips were almost touching mine.

"What if I don't want you to be gentle?" I murmured against those lips. "What if I want you to be as rough as you want with me?"

He chuckled, although I could tell that he was aroused by the idea. "Then, you are going to cry out in pleasure, and consequently wake the whole house up. Mary and George are going to run upstairs and burst into this room, and perhaps think that I am raping you, and one of them will end up killing me, provided that only one of them has a weapon to kill with."

The way he laid out what he thought would happen was so funny that I found myself laughing. "You are so morbid! They won't think you're raping me, because they actually know how far our relationship goes!"

"But since they'll be awakened from sleep and run here on impulse, they may still end up killing me," he said, shaking with laughter, too. "Especially because there's so little light in here. They might think that I'm just some rascal who broke into the house to rape you."

We just shook in laughter on the bed, and Lucas had to lie down beside me in order not to crush me under his weight. Pretty soon, the silent laughter that shook us would end up to full-blown, loud laughter, and we would both wake the whole house up and get in trouble, so before it could happen, Lucas captured my lips with his and did not pull away until the last of my laughter subsided.

As soon as our fit of laughter died down, Lucas' tongue pushed its way into my mouth. I readily met it with mine, twisting and twirling with it in a dance whose rhythm he set. I pressed my body closer to his, draping a leg over his waist so that I could keep him close. His hand started caressing that leg, moving up to my thigh, and then running back down.

Whenever I was at that high state of arousal, his slightest touch always would always send me aching for him to take me.A soft moan escaped my lips, and Lucas knew me enough to realize how much I needed him. With deliberate slowness, he undressed me, and then himself, and it frustrated me so much that I had to bite my lower lip in order not to growl out of dismay. All I wanted him to do was to take me, not to tease me so much that it hurt.

"Lucas," I moaned as I reached for him. "Lucas, please..."

He winked at me and grinned, moving away so that I could not reach him. "So, this is the kind of punishment that will work on you, isn't it?"

With a groan of frustration, I fell back on the bed, complaining, "Don't do this to me, Lucas!"

Aroused as he was, he could still find time to be amused. I narrowed my eyes and looked at him with vengeance in my eyes. He could not do this to me and get away with it!

I crawled to the pillows and positioned myself so that he could see all of me from where he stood. Slowly, I bent my knees, keeping them apart, making sure that I was exposed to him. When I had his full attention, I started stroking my own body, squeezing my breasts, pinching my nipples, without closing my eyes so that I could watch his reactions.

His eyes followed where my hands led, and his erection was proof that this was turning him on even more. Feeling extremely naughty, I started stroking my slit, feeling its wetness, revelling in the sensations that my caresses gave me. I found the little bud that always, always made me feel good when Lucas was teasing it, and slowly began rubbing it. And all the while, I was watching Lucas -- watching how his cock seemed to get harder and harder as he watched me.

"I really hope you'll change your mind about punishing me," I told him, groaning as I continued what I was doing. "I'm never one to suffer alone, Lucas..."

He grinned as soon as he heard that. "I should have been warned. You are my little minx, after all."

With that, he approached the bed, climbed on, and knelt in front of me. He gently took my hand off my sex and replaced it with his mouth. I gasped and arched my back as I felt his tongue flicking on my bud. Grasping the bedclothes with both hands, I bit my lower lip in order not to cry out. I felt two of his fingers sliding into my hole, teasing it as much as how his mouth was teaching the nub.

"Lucas," I gasped, lifting my head so that I could look at him. "Lucas, sweetheart..."

He looked up to meet my eyes, although his fingers still continued what they were doing.

"Lie down on the bed," I told him. "If you'll do this to me..."

I did not have to finish my statement before he knew what I wanted to say. He just did as I told him, and waited for me to climb on top of him, knees planted beside his shoulders so that I could lean forward and give attention to his hard member. He started lapping at me just as I began giving him head.

A few moments later, he asked me to get up, and I did, for I knew what was coming. As he had told me earlier, he did make love to me roughly. He pounded in and out of me hard, just as I wanted him to. I made him aware of my gratefulness through every whispered word, every satisfied moan, every fleeting kiss. I met his thrusts every chance I could, and when the moment came for the two of us to reach our climax, we reached it together, as we almost always did.

Lucas collapsed on top of me, but immediately rolled off so that I did not have to suffer under his weight. He planted a kiss on my shoulder as his hand sought my sex. I gasped when I felt his finger lightly touch my bud. It was still sensitive, and the lightest of touches had the ability to make me shudder in pleasure once more. Knowing this fully well, Lucas proceeded on rubbing it with his fingers, sending me to another climax in no time.

He pulled me close to him as we both waited for me to recover. I closed my eyes, panting as I laid my head on his chest. His hand was automatically on my head, stroking my hair.

Smiling, I pulled away to look into his eyes. "Thank you."

He smiled back and held my chin so that I continued to look at him. "Selene Katrina Kier, I love you very, very much."

With a sigh, I moved to kiss his lips, before whispering, "As I do, sweetheart; as I do."

"Now, rest, baby," he whispered to me, reaching for the blanket to pull over the two of us. "We still have that journey to start early tomorrow."

I wrapped my arms around him as I closed my eyes.

I did not care if I had to enter a new world in the morning. I was with Lucas, and he would never leave me. That was enough -- more than enough.