“So, when you’re not shootin’…not on tour…then what?” He cocked up one eyebrow in what seemed a mixture of curiosity and concern.
“Daddy!” Georgia exclaimed, “That’s enough of that. I told you, no third degree, and I meant it.” She turned to her brother, pointing. “And that goes for you too, so don’t go gettin’ any ideas!”
I had to stifle a laugh “It’s alright, Georgia. Mr. Graham, we still have to figure a few things out. I’m sure, though, we’ll spend some time in England, and some time here in between shooting. We still have time to figure that all out, don’t we, darling?”
Georgia took my hand and smiled. “Yeah, we do. If nothin’ else, we have to go where our work is, and we gotta do a good job finishin’ this season strong before we know what’s next, right?”
Adam and Rome had been smoking a pork but all day in preparation for dinner. Against my insistence that she take it easy after a long day of travel, Georgia insisted on making an apple crumble for dessert. Everything was delicious, and I was appreciative of being welcomed into the Graham home. After dinner, Georgia got one of the ATVs out of the shed and took me down the harvest road at the back of the house, saying there was something she wanted me to see.
We turned right at a large tree, and she pulled up beside an iron fence that surrounded an ancient-looking collection of headstones. “I know this might seem strange to you. Ya’ll don’t talk to your dead. We do. I come see Mama all the time. I talk to her, tell her my troubles, and talk about things that we did together when she was still here with us.” Georgia said, taking my hand as we walked back to the giant Magnolia tree and she gestured to the stone beneath it.
“Hi, Mama,” she said, leaning down to wipe the leaves and twigs from the stone. “This is Lucas. I told you about him the last time we talked. He’s been takin’ real good care of me. He came home with me for our birthday. I know I told you I was excited about us starrin’ in the show together, but you can’t believe everything that’s happened since I was here last. Lucas and I are dating now. He’s a good man, Mama. You’d like him.” She looked up at me. “He’s pretty good-lookin’ too.” I put an arm around her shoulder. “I sure do miss you, Mama. I’ll come talk to you again before we have to leave.” She kissed her fingertips and touched them to the stone before we turned and left.
Georgia climbed onto the ATV and started it, then I patted her shoulder. “Just a minute,” I said, dismounting, and returning alone to the spot where Mrs. Graham was laid to rest. I kneeled down in front of the stone to show respect.
“I’ve never done this before, so I hope I’m doing it properly. I’m Lucas Nash, Mrs. Graham. I’m in love with your daughter. She doesn’t know it yet, but I’m going to marry her if she’ll have me. I’m going to make sure that this property is safe for your family for generations to come, and I’ll do anything - I’ll lay down my life if I have to - to make sure she is safe and happy. I know you can’t exactly give me your blessing, but I’m going to talk to your husband this week and hope to get his. Thank you for raising such an amazing woman.” I patted the top of the stone gently and returned to Georgia.
“What was all that about?” She asked, cocking her head to the side, her brows furrowed.
“Private conversation,” I said, winking. “Let’s go - your sister should be here soon.”
We sat in the living room, chatting, as we waited for Celia to arrive. Thankfully, Georgia had subtly replaced the glass of tea I was served with a glass of lemonade. I was willing to try anything new, but iced tea just wasn’t something I could stomach. After about half an hour, the front door opened, and a tall, leggy, gorgeous blonde walked in. She had Georgia’s eyes, but she was darker and trimmer than her sister, without her womanly curves.
“Hi, ya’ll! I’m here, I finally made it!” Celia said as she came in the door, then suddenly, she looked in my direction and stopped in her tracks. “Holy shit! You’re real!”
I threw my head back, laughing, and Georgia joined me. “Of course, he’s real, silly!” She said as she jumped up and hugged her sister. “I’ve missed ya, Celia. You look amazin’!”
Rome joined his sisters in the embrace, as did Adam. I stood and walked over to Celia, glancing at Georgia, who gave me a subtle nod and a wink. “Celia, it’s such a pleasure to finally meet you,” I said, taking her hand and depositing a kiss on the back of it with a bow.
“Holy shit, Georgia!” She said, smiling. She didn’t have the same southern drawl as her siblings, but certain words that punctuated her speech gave a nod to her roots.
“Don’t let all that English charm fool ya, Celia. He’s just a regular guy.” She winked at me, and I feigned injury at the comment, eliciting a laugh from the ladies.
After we chatted for a while longer, Rome showed me to his room where a spare bed was set up for me. Celia was going to bunk with Georgia. I hated the idea of spending the night without her, but I had to be careful - show Adam the respect he deserved. I was under his roof, after all, and was about to ask him the most important question of my life.
CHAPTER 27
Georgia
“So, you do realize we aren’t sleeping until you tell me everything,” Celia said as she slid her nightshirt over her tall, slim frame and got into the twin bed across from me.
“What is there to tell? We spent so much time together…you see how ridiculously hot he is…,” I said.
“Fuck yes, he is! I mean, damn, Georgia. I’m trying not to be creepy, seeing as he’s your boyfriend and all, but that man is gor-geous!” She giggled.
“I know, he is, ain’t he?” I giggled too. “Celia, he’s just not at all what I expected. I heard all these awful stories about him, and don’t get me wrong - I’ve had a few moments of doubt - but he just does everything in the world to make me happy. I feel like I’m in some kinda fairy tale.”
“I’m really happy for you, sis. I mean it. You’ve been so busy taking care of everyone else for so long…it’s about time someone took care of you,” Celia said.
“Thanks, Celia. I do feel lucky. And you don’t know the half of it, either. Not only is he gorgeous, charming and talented, but - get this - he’s a Lord! His family has estates and titles in England. Can you believe that people still live like that? It’s crazy!” I laughed.
“Wow! I had no idea!” She said.
“He keeps it under wraps - acts like it’s not a big deal,” I replied.
“Speaking of under wraps…girl, you gotta give me some details. I’ll fess up - I’ve seen the dick pics online. Is he as spectacular naked as he is with his clothes on?” Celia leaned up on one elbow in her bed, waiting with baited breath on the answer.
I rolled my eyes. “Well,” I sighed, “If I’m honest…Celia, he’s amazin’. I mean, the guys I dated in school were good lookin’ and all, but they were boys. Lucas Nash is all man!”
Celia rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, sighing. “Damn, you’re lucky, Georgia. I wish I had anything interesting going on, but to be honest, my dating pool seems to have dried up lately. I only seem to attract douchebags or losers lately.”
“Speaking of your datin’ pool… You know, before I had my accident, I ran into Mike Pennington in Barcelona. He was there when I got hit. I had forgotten how gorgeous he is. I think he still has a thing for you. I can’t believe you two never got together.” I raised an eyebrow at her.
“Mike? Really? I haven’t seen him since college.” She rolled onto her back again, staring at the ceiling. She stared off for a moment, suddenly seeming miles away. “Yeah, there was a time I thought…anyway, I think you’re wrong. He doesn’t have a thing for me. That was ages ago. Things got…complicated. He knew how I felt...he...didn't feel the same.” Her face fell, and I could tell I struck a nerve. For maybe the first time, I felt sorry for the big sister I had always admired.
The next day, Lucas and I went to see Tasha. I think she wanted to lay eyes on me for herself and make sure I was really okay. As soon as we a
rrived in the office, Tasha was in the reception area waiting for us. It was odd behavior for the agent who had always made me wait at least fifteen minutes to see her, so I knew she had been worried.
“Thank God! I have never been so happy to lay eyes on someone in my life. Come here, girl! Let me look at ya!” She wrapped her arms around me, then stepped back, taking my good hand in hers and twirling me around to inspect the damage. “I have to say, Georgia, for a girl that gave me the scare of my life, you look good! Damn good!” Tasha exclaimed after she was satisfied that I was, in fact, recovering as we had told her.
“I’ve been on her to rest and take it easy,” Lucas said, scooping up Tasha in a one-armed hugged as he deposited a kiss on her cheek. “She’s hard-headed - you never warned me about that.”
“Lucas, honey, that would be like me calling the pot to warn it about the kettle,” she rolled her eyes. “Come on in, ya’ll. Have a seat - let’s catch up. Dara? A couple of waters for my stars here please, honey, and a shot of whiskey for me,” she paused and looked at her watch, “Oh, wait - it’s not noon yet. Put that whiskey in some tea…make it look respectable.”
We sat in Tasha’s office, and she went over the updated production schedule. “So if you look here, the shooting schedule gets more aggressive toward the end of the run - that will let the network catch up on some of the lost time. Then you’ll be back here to film part two of the finale, and from there, well, we’ll just see what happens,” Tasha explained. She looked at Lucas and me, took off her glasses, and put her palms down on her desk. “Ya know, I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it myself.”
“What’s that, then?” Lucas asked, squeezing my hand as he held it on his knee.
“This,” Tasha pointed back and forth between us with the arm of her glasses. “I thought you two would have a crazy good time together, but this? That ain’t what this is. This is somethin’ else. What exactly am I lookin’ at with you two?”
I looked at Lucas, returning his smile, and shrugged. “I’m not sure we know, Tasha. It’s not what either of us expected, I don’t think,” I said.
“Right. But, whatever happens with the show, this,” Lucas raised my hand to his lips, “this is definitely something.”
“Good Lord, I never thought I’d see the day. I’m happy for ya’ll, I truly am. You two okay with me sending out another press release with some updates?” We both nodded, and Tasha told us goodbye and saw us out.
After dinner with the family, I took Lucas out to the back of the property to show him my favorite spot up by the creek. We rode the four-wheeler up in the early evening, about an hour before sunset. As we walked through the field toward the creek, a few remaining lightning bugs sparkled in the late summer sky. It was a beautiful evening, and I felt really good - healthy and strong - for the first time since I’d been out of the hospital. Part of it was my body healing, but I knew part of it was being home and having Lucas with me.
He took my hand, and we walked down to the water. “Are those crawfish in the water?” He squinted and leaned forward.
“Yep - we used to catch ‘em when we were little. We’d spend hours down here chasin’ em or looking for bream. It was a great place to grow up.” I smiled remembering the hours of fun I’d had with Celia and Ro just running around the farm being kids.
“I bet I could catch one now,” Lucas said.
“No way,” I said, shaking my head.
“Watch me!” He said defiantly, sliding out of his shoes and pulling up the legs of his jeans to his knees. He waded into the creek and grabbed at a shadow passing beneath the surface with a splash. His shirt was immediately soaked. He unbuttoned it, peeling it off, and tossed it onto the bank.
He stood there in the creek, pant legs rolled up, no shirt, his chest glistening with water as he looked determinedly for his prey. The last of the evening sun glinted through the trees off the copper highlights I his hair. I had never seen him look sexier. He had come halfway around the world for me, and I knew that I loved him with my whole heart.
“Right! That’s it! I concede. I don’t know how you catch those things. They’re insanely fast!” He laughed as he walked up onto the bank.
“Practice, honey, lots of practice!” I laughed. “Here, I think I’ve got a couple of towels back here. I pulled two towels out of the box on the back of the four-wheeler, along with a bottle of wine I’d stashed in there earlier. “Wanna sit on the bank a while until the sun goes down?” I asked, holding the wine bottle up.
“Absolutely!” He smiled as I tossed him the towel and he wiped himself down. I spread the second, oversized towel out on the grass and sat on the edge of it, opening the bottle of wine. “No glasses, then?” He asked as I took a swig from the bottle.
“Nope! And technically, I’m not even supposed to be drinkin’ this until tomorrow,” I grinned as I took a swig.
He sat back beside me and took the bottle, gulping it down. “That’s not bad,” he said, examining the bottle.
“It’s from Northfield Vineyards - it's not far from here. There are several wineries in Tennessee, believe it or not,” I winked at him as I took the bottle and downed another sip. I pushed the cork back in and dug the bottom edge of the bottle into the ground.
I stood up and looked down at Lucas. “Lay back,” I said as I bent down and shimmied my panties off from under the sundress I was wearing.
“Georgia! Here? What if your Dad comes around? If he sees us, he’ll kill me!” He looked worriedly around me as I kneeled to straddle him.
“He ain’t comin’ down here. Nobody’ll see us,” I said, reaching down to unbutton his pants as he leaned back on his palms.
“Are you sure? Not that I didn’t miss being with you last night. Not to mention you look hot as hell in that dress,” he smirked.
“Positive,” I said, leaning forward and putting my mouth on his. I cupped his face in my hands, scratching his stubble with my nails as I slid my tongue against his. He let out a low growl in response, wrapping his arms around me and putting his big, open palms on my back. Having his hands on me felt incredible. “Lean back,” I told him as I reached down to free his cock from his pants, pulling them down to his ankles, then off.
“Fuck me, I’m a lucky bastard,” he said as he looked up at me. “You look so beautiful, Georgia. How’d I ever get lucky enough to deserve you?”
I smirked and rose up on my knees, then lowered myself down onto him. He leaned back with a groan of pleasure. There was something about being on top of him - having initiated and taking control, that was especially sexy. Lucas was mine - I was sure of it then, and he was everything I wanted.
I rocked my hips back and forth, and circled from side to side. As I moved up and down, the sensation started to overcome me, and I knew I would lose my rhythm. I leaned forward, and Lucas took my cue, grabbing my hips to move me. “That feels…yes, Luc! Yes!” As I called out his name, he was done. He rose his hips to meet my movements, and we came together.
After we finished, I stood up and sat down on the towel beside him. Lucas stood and pulled his pants up still paranoid someone could happen upon us. He laid back on the towel and pulled me down to his arms.
As I laid there, tucked up in his arms, I was happier than I could remember being since my Mama was alive. “Georgia,” he said, turning to me.
“Hmm?” I asked, turning to rest my chin on his chest.
He ran his left hand around my back up and around my shoulder and stroked my cheek with his right. “My sweet, talented, beautiful Georgia,” he smiled at me sweetly, his deep blue eyes moist. “I am so in love with you.”
My heart was full. “I’m in love with you too, Lucas. I want to stay like this, with you, forever.”
CHAPTER 28
Lucas
I had asked Adam to give me a tour of the property. I had to be careful how much I divulged – I wasn’t supposed to know the full extent of the farm’s financial woes. I did, however, plan to use the pretext of talking ab
out our property in England to open up the conversation.
“So, this is all soybean?” I asked as he drove me along one of the dirt roads in his truck.
“Yep, been farming this land for generations,” he said, pulling along the road to park. As we got out, he took off his cap and wiped the back of his forehead as he walked down to the crop line. “See this right here, though?” He plucked at one of the plants and held it up to show me. “Soil ain’t no good anymore. Yields are too low. I gotta figure out somethin’ else. Can’t let the place just go to rot, but the crops ain’t growin’ anymore. Nothin’ grows but hay, and that ain’t enough to earn a livin’,” he shook his head as he dropped the stunted bit of plant from his fingertips.
Sweet Promise (The Grahams Book 1) Page 20
