“I am.”He bumped herbackside with his pelvis.“Both in bed and out.”
Heat flushed from Lara’s core to hercheeks, then her uncertain belly threatened to revolt.Clamping ahand over her mouth, she held her other up to Talon, motioning forhim to stay where he was, and bolted for the stables, Wolf on herheels.She glanced back over her shoulder at Talon standing whereshe’d left him, gape-jawed and head cocked, then she disappearedinto the dusky coolness of the stables and made her way to Shadow’sstall.She leaned against the wall as a wave of nausea overtookher, then left her midday meal on the straw-strewn floor, rolledher forehead against the wall, and swiped her mouth with hersleeve.
“When are you going totell him?”
She swung her head around and leanedagainst the wall until Phillipe stopped swimming before her.Thenshe shuffled straw over the puddle of her vomit with the toe of herboot.
“I’m not.”She fixed himwith a jaundiced eye.“And neither are you, or Berta, or Patience,or anybody else who knows.Who else knows?”
“Berta told Anglbert hersuspicions, and he told me.”
“Swear to me you won’ttell anyone else, that they won’t tell anyone else, especiallyTalon.”
“Why not Talon?”Phillipeasked.“I assume he’s the father.”
Lara raised a chary brow.“Of coursehe is.”
“Then why not tell him?Hehas a right to know.”
Lara shook her head, adamant.“Youknow him as well as I do,” she said, her cheeks flushing hot as heglanced down at her rumbling belly with raised brows.“What do youthink he’d do if he knew?”
“Marry you.Give yourchild a name.”
“And when he leaves forWorms, for Saxony?When he’s on a battlefield and should beworrying about himself, his men?”
“He’d be worrying aboutyou and the babe.About you both surviving childbirth.”
“Exactly,” she said,assuaged by the fact that his best and longest-standing friend knewthis about him as well.“I want him to come back to me, alive andin one piece.You understand now, don’t you, why he mustn’t know.Not until he comes back and finds me and his child alive andwaiting for him.”
“I understand.But I don’tagree.Neither will Talon.”
Lara took a deep breath in and let itout slowly.“You let me worry about that.”
“I don’t know.”Phillipeshook his head.“If he ever finds out I knew and didn’t tell him,there’ll be hell to pay.”
“Please, Phillipe.I needyou to do this for me.Promise me.”
He laid a hand on her shoulder, givingit a brotherly squeeze.“All right.I promise.”
“What’s this?”Talon’svoice boomed from the stable’s door.He strode over to them andglared at Phillipe.“Still trying to steal my woman fromme?”
“Damn.”Phillipe winked atLara before turning to face Talon.“You caught me red-handed.”Heheld his hands palms out.“Alas, as always, she will not have me.It seems her heart is set on a certain arrogant ass.”
“Aye.”Talon laid apossessive arm around Lara’s shoulder and pulled her into his side.“An arrogant ass who bleeds for her.”
He leaned in to kiss her, and Laraturned her face so his kiss landed on her hair rather than hermouth, which surely reeked of vomit.His arm stiffened around her.“What were you two talking about?”
Phillipe shrugged.“Nothing inparticular,” he said before sauntering away.
“It looked a seriousconversation for nothing,” Talon rumbled, shooting daggers intoPhillipe’s back.
Lara tried to shrug as nonchalantly asPhillipe had.“We, ah, I ah, made him promise mesomething.”
“What?”
“To bring you back to mealive and in one piece.”
His arm relaxed around her.“Is thatso?Afraid I’ll find some big-bosomed Saxon wench to warm mybed?”