Read Acquisition for Free Online Page B

wanted him to have a tentative connection with Luka, though at the time she’d assumed neither would ever know of the other’s existence. It had seemed like the safest course to protect her child, though she had hated not being able to share his birth with Luka.
    “Show me where my son is.”
    She shivered at the intensity of possessiveness in his tone, her heart sinking as nausea churned in her stomach. Luka still didn’t release his hold on her wrist, but he loosened it slightly to allow her to lead the way to the baby room. As they stepped inside, her gaze immediately focused on Lucas, though there were three other infants also still waiting for pickup.
    She went straight to him, surprised when Luka released his hold on her as she neared the crib where Lucas was napping. She bent over and picked him up, cuddling him against her before pressing a kiss to his forehead as she enjoyed the feel and scent of her baby against her. How she hated leaving him, especially for long hours every day.
    That probably wouldn’t be a concern any longer, unless Luka permanently removed her from his life. The thought sent a pang of fear through her, and she inadvertently tightened her arms to the point where Lucas squawked in protest as his eyes opened.
    Luka drew in a deep breath. “My eyes.”
    She nodded, not bothering to argue. She couldn’t anyway. Most babies were born with blue eyes, but Lucas’s had been that whiskey-brown shade right from the start, fringed by thick eyelashes, and accompanied by a robust head of black hair. He looked like a Rinaldi, and there was no point in trying to pretend otherwise.
    “Let’s go.”
    She shook her head, holding the baby tightly.
    “Don’t even try to push me on this, Abby. I’m so angry at you right now…” He trailed off, seeming to be beyond able to express the depths of his anger.
    She glared at him, feeling a surge of spirit return. “Don’t pretend like this all falls on me, Luka. If you’d been honest with me about who and what you were, there never would have been a baby to start with. I wouldn’t have gotten involved with you.”
    His glower was even fiercer than hers. “You think I don’t know that? Why do you think I never told you? You’re one of those people who sees the world in strictly black and white, good or bad, and you have no room for compromise. Well, you’re damn well going to compromise now, so get your ass in the car.”
    “I can’t leave without his car seat and bottles.” She shook her head. “You can’t drive around in an SUV with a baby in your arms.”
    He sighed impatiently. “Is the car seat in that wreck on wheels you were getting into?”
    She shook her head. “Just the base. The seat itself is over in the corner.” She nodded in the direction of where four infant car seats were lined up against a shelf. Lucas’s was the plainest of the bunch, purchased at a big-box store and without some of the fancier features. “His is the black and gray one.”
    “Can it be used without the base?” As he asked the question, he strode to the car seat, his gaze never wavering from her. Perhaps he expected her to try to make a run for it. She might have attempted it, except she knew he had two goons with him in the SUV, and likely a whole contingent somewhere nearby. Trying to escape right now was futile. “Yes,” she snapped, giving no further answer or information.
    He returned with the car seat a second later, placing it on a table nearby. “Now what?”
    She didn’t respond as she laid Lucas in the car seat and began fastening the straps and adjusting the buckle. When she was satisfied with the fit, she nodded and clicked the handle into carrying position.
    When she started to reach for it, Luka’s hand reached it first. “I’ll carry my son.”
    She nodded, a little surprised when he didn’t take her wrist this time. Apparently, Luka had realized as long as he had Lucas, he had her full compliance. She wasn’t going to try to run