His weight was pinning her to the mattress.Hell.He should roll off her, but that was the last thing he wanted to do. He could stay like this forever.
“Shall I move, love?” he rasped at last.
“Not yet,” she said. “I like you this close.”
He raised his head to gaze down at her, this fierce, beautiful woman he loved so much, and could not resist dropping a kiss on the freckled bridge of her nose. “Thank you for coming back to me, Julianna. For trusting in me. For trusting in us.”
“You are home,” she said simply.
Yes, he was. And so was she.
Epilogue
Women’s suffrage is a natural right. The time to rectify this egregious wrong is upon us. I advocate for equitable treatment and Parliamentary franchise for all, and I invite every man and woman to stand along with me. Together, we have the power to change the future for our daughters.
~Lord Shelbourne
fromLady’s Suffrage Society Times
Julianna dabbed some of her Lady Perfect’s Cold Cream to her cheeks as she sat before her looking glass. The rose and orange water, tinged with a hint of almond, provided an ideal, feminine note. She had been pleased when the factory Mr. Decker sold her had been able to produce her cream in large batches that matched perfectly to the smell and texture of the small lots of cream she had mixed herself.
She had been even more pleased when her new factory had been capable of producing enough cream for her business to ship to New York City, where the novelty of a cold cream developed by an aristocrat had undoubtedly contributed to its sales. From a quality standpoint, it made sense to produce the cream in the same factory, utilizing uniform ingredients. The care she took in her product reflected in sales.
Just this morning, she had received a telegram from New York City informing her that the demand for Lady Perfect’s was so high, every store carrying it had run out of stock. More orders were in place. She was already considering opening a second factory to aid in production, and she had only been selling her cream for a month.
“Congratulations on your success with Lady Perfect’s, darling. It has already exceeded your expectations.”
She smiled as she saw Sidney moving toward her in the looking glass. He was wearing a maroon, silk dressing gown, and his dark, wavy hair was deliciously tousled. His green eyes met hers, and heat unfurled within her.
“Thank you, my love. I could not have managed this without your help and support.” She finished rubbing the cream into her skin.
“Nonsense. You would have done it without me, and you know it. You are a frighteningly resourceful woman.” He reached her and swept her unbound hair to the side, revealing her neck so he could settle his mouth there, where she was particularly sensitive.
“Mmm.” She leaned against his chest, absorbing his heat and strength as he kissed behind her ear, then tongued the hollow there. “I do not want to do anything without you, however. You are quite stuck with me, I am afraid.”
He nibbled on her earlobe. “You are stuck with me as well,chérie.”
“I would not have it any other way,” she said, nuzzling him with her cheek, a rush of love so deep and consuming going through her that it left her breathless. “I am so happy, Sidney. Happier than I ever thought possible. Sometimes it frightens me, as if everything is too wonderful, and I shall wake to discover this was all a dream and that you were never mine at all.”
He kissed her throat as he caressed from her shoulders to her breasts. “Does this feel like a dream?”
His thumbs toyed with her nipples through the fine fabric of her night rail. She arched into his knowing touch, filling his palms.
“It feels wonderful,” she said.
He plucked at her nipples, tugging on them and bringing an ache pulsing to life between her thighs. “How about now?”
“Mmm.” She smiled as their gazes met in the looking glass. “I am not certain, my lord, but I think you are seeking to distract me.”
“I am not seeking to distract you so much as I am seeking to prove this is not, in fact, a dream.” He kissed her crown. “And that I am, in fact, yours.” He kissed her cheek. “Inextricably.” He kissed her throat. “Eternally.” One more kiss on the shell of her ear for good measure. “Yours. All yours.”
Her breath caught as he gave her breasts a gentle squeeze. They were incredibly sensitive now, but he could not know that just yet. “I am afraid I may need some convincing, Lord Shelbourne.”
“Why Lady Shelbourne, you wicked minx, you.” He grinned as he sucked on her throat. “Whatever shall I do with you?”
“I have an idea or two.”
His busy hands had now glided down to her hips where he had clasped the skirt of her night rail in two fists and was slowly lifting the hem. It traveled higher, over her thighs in the whisper of a caress that had her shifting on the seat, desperate for more.
