To tell the truth, Levi was startled too. He hadn’t known that he’d had that in him.
But now the words were out, and only one thing remained to do.
He caught her in his arms, waiting a moment to see whether she would try to pull away. After all, he couldn’t forget how distant she had been lately.
But she came to him willingly, formed her body to the shape of his. Levi’s heart beat madly at the thought of what was to come, at the sight of her supple lips so near to his.
He kissed her, wishing that he could drown himself in the scent and the taste, that he could forget all about the worries of the gossip and rumors of the ton. That he could just be hers and have her for his, and that it didn’t matter at all what anybody else thought about it.
Someday, he told himself,it will be that way.
Someday, maybe. But for now, it was going to have to be enough that they had each other. It would have to be enough to hold her and to kiss her and to trust that he had her heart.
He would put a stop to the rumors as soon as he was able to do so. He would make sure they were brought to heel.
Even though the ton might take his good name, they would never be able to take his wife.
Caroline was his, and he’d never let her go.
CHAPTER 30
The sunlight coming through the window woke Levi.
He was aware, for the first time in years, of a deep sense of comfort upon waking It was as though all was right with the world. For a moment, he didn’t understand where that feeling was coming from—and then he became aware of the presence of a warm body beside him. Pressed up against him. In his arms.
The memories came flooding back.
Caroline.
He lay there for a moment, allowing the night before to play through his thoughts. After their argument and their kiss, they had gone up to his chambers to be away from her family—in particular, her mother, who had seemed very strained and upset by the fact that Caroline had gone missing. They had discussed whether perhaps she had learned the right lesson from Prudence’s running away and meant to watch her daughtersmore closely from now on. They’d talked about what it had been like for Caroline to see her father and to speak with him about the troubled state of his marriage. And then, eventually, they had stopped talking altogether.
He had wondered, at the time, how far things might go between them. Whether it was about to become a different kind of night. But he hadn’t wanted to force things in that direction, and when she had begun to nod off, he’d decided to simply lie down and keep her here with him. In his arms, by his side.
She was his wife, after all, and simple pleasures like this were a thing to which they were entitled.
She stirred slightly in his arms now, and he knew she was about to wake up. He half wished she wouldn’t let this go on a little longer. Let the night last. Who knew whether there would be another once she awoke and remembered everything that had happened? She might decide that she didn’t want things to be like this between them. She might think they’d taken it all too quickly. Even if she was willing to consider coming to his bed again in the future, who knew how long it might be before that happened?
Her eyes opened. She stared up at him.
“Good morning,” he said gently.
She sat up slowly. She was fully clothed in yesterday’s wear—they both were, for neither had undressed last night beforefalling into bed. She looked around slowly, and he watched understanding dawn on her face.
“Oh,” she said.
“Good morning.” Levi kept his voice gentle, in case she was startled to find herself here.
“Good morning.” She gave him a soft smile that made his heart miss a beat. It was so different from any expression he had ever seen on her face before. Ordinarily, her smiles were either guarded or—at best—full of mirth. This was something else altogether. It was as if she was seeing him, truly seeing him, for the very first time.
Levi sat up as well. “I hope you had a good night,” he said.
“It was very restful,” she said. “But I feel as if I may have imposed on you by falling asleep in here.”
“No. Not at all. It was…” he paused, choosing his next word carefully. “Comforting,” he settled. “It was very reassuring to have you with me.”
“I can’t believe we did that,” she said.
They hadn’t done anything much, of course, so the thought of it made him smile. “We only slept.”
