“Stop!” Noah shouted.
“Iain,” Flynn boomed. “I told you to behave. If you can’t, you will leave the table.”
Iain popped the raspberry he’d been about to hurl at Noah into his mouth and then he slunk down in his seat, his expression glum at being chastised.
Flynn reached for his espresso cup.
“Morning, hen,” he greeted, his voice rumbly and delicious.
It reminded me of the previous evening, when he growled low in my ear as he pleasured me.
“Morning.” I stole my hand across the broad expanse of his shoulders and then took the empty seat next to Hawk.
“You boys sleep all right?” I asked as I placed the white napkin in my lap.
Noah nodded. Iain swiped his dark hair off his forehead and reached for a piece of bacon on Hawk’s plate.
Hawk glared at his younger brother.
Iain gave him a cheeky grin.
“Mam, may I be excused?” Hawk asked.
My eldest son, and the one who looked most like Flynn, had jam splattered across his cheeks. His blue eyes were bright with energy, and he was unable to sit still.
“You may,” I allowed.
“Me too?” Iain asked.
“Aye,” Flynn said.
Hawk and Iain pushed back from the table and then ran toward the salon, the sound of their boat shoes hitting the deck as they sprinted into the living room area of the vessel. Noah continued to eat his parritch, not caring that he’d been left behind.
A member of the crew dressed in a black sweater and khakis appeared with a cappuccino on a tray. He set the coffee cup in front of me and stood back. “May I get you something to eat, Mrs. Campbell?”
“Crab Benedict would be wonderful,” I said. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” he said. “Sir?”
“I’m fine, thank you.” Flynn lifted his espresso cup to his mouth.
The attendant left, striding back inside. I took a sip of my cappuccino and nearly purred.
“Mam, I’m finished,” Noah said. “Can I be excused?”
I smiled at his manners. They came far easier to him than Hawk and Iain. “Sure. Are you going to go join your brothers?”
He shook his head. “I want to visit the captain. Can I?”
“Youmay,” Flynn said. “But be mindful that you don’t get in his way, aye?”
“Aye,” Noah agreed. He shot me a toothy grin and then slid back his chair.
He was gone in a blur, and I stared after him wistfully.
“You look tired, hen,” Flynn said quietly.
“What an unchivalrous thing to say,” I teased.
