Ten
Daphne exhaled, reveling in his warmth and intoxicating scent. She let her eyes flutter shut as she leaned into the velvet-softness of his chest. Her body felt limp and heavy with pleasure, every inch tingling from Alex's tender caresses. His heart pounded steadily beneath her ear, a reminder of the passion they had shared that was destined to be fleeting. Before long, she would have to face the consequences of her actions. But in this moment, she allowed herself to quietly savor the delicious satisfaction of what they had shared.
“I went to the village yesterday.” He ran his fingers through her hair, capturing one tendril and twisting it around his finger. “There is an account in your name with ample funds for Henry’s education.”
She lifted her head, her gaze searching his. “But, our wager…”
He tensed and his mouth tightened into a thin line. His gaze was piercing as regret washed over her. The air between them felt heavy, and she desperately wished their time together did not have to be reduced to a bet. It was ugliness amidst the beauty they had just shared—the stollen moment they were still living in.
He held her chin in one hand and looked into her eyes. His voice was stern but his grip gentle as he said, “I don’t give a damn about the wager. I want to see Henry’s future secured and I do not want you to fret over it." With a great deal of tenderness, he guided her head back to his chest.
Tears stung the back of her eyelids, and her chest tightened as she snuggled against Alex. “You should not have. We are not your concern.”
Allowing him to give her money would tarnish every moment they had spent together. She would have to return the funds at once. It would be wrong to keep them. More so, to keep them would mean she had sold herself to Alex.
“You will keep the money,” he said in an authoritative voice as he stroked her back in small circles. "No matter what happened between us, I meant for you and Henry to have it."
Daphne had no wish to argue with him. Not now. Not here, so she simply snuggled closer. Regardless of how she felt about what Alex had done, she believed his heart was in the right place. She could not fault him for wanting to secure Henry's future.
Daphne marveled at what a wonderful surprise Alex had turned out to be and wondered at why he had never married. Why he was so averse to the very notion. This kindhearted, giving, good-humored man should have been brought to heel years ago. He deserved to love and be loved. Curiosity overwhelmed her, and she asked, "Have you ever been in love?"
As her fingers grazed his arm, his body grew tense. But when he felt the warmth of her hand on him, he let go of a deep sigh, and entwined one of her golden curls around his finger.
She held her breath, not daring to break the heavy stillness that had settled in the room. The curtains seemed thicker somehow and the shadows longer, as if the very room was waiting in anticipation. When he finally spoke, his voice was barely a whisper.
“Once.” His reply hung between them like a heavy fog.
Daphne knew she should not press the topic, but her curiosity won out. With one hand gently cupping his arm, she softly asked, “What happened?”
He continued twirling the single strand of her hair, slowly and carefully winding it around his finger. She could feel the tension in the air, as she waited for his response.
After what seemed like an eternity, he exhaled deeply and looked up at the ceiling with a hint of something she could not name in his voice. “It was a long time ago...” he said quietly.
She leaned closer, gently encouraging him to continue, her eyes full of unspoken questions. "What happened?" she whispered.
He let out a deep ragged sigh, his chest rising and falling beneath her cheek. “The lady jilted me for another.”
Daphne reached up, her fingers grazing the coarse stubble that covered his cheek. His eyes had a hard edge to them, and she could see a deep hurt buried in their emerald depths. She leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on the edge of his jaw before pulling back to look into his eyes once more. “I am sorry,” she said, her voice tender. “The lady must have been a fool to let you go.”
“In the end, it was I who looked the fool,” Alex said, fire flashing in his gaze, erasing the hurt Daphne had seen there a heartbeat before.
At a loss for words, she snuggled against him, listening once more to the steady beat of his heart. Her mind grappled with the revelation he'd made. She wondered why the lady had cast him aside. Had he given her cause? Was he a rake even then? Or had the woman’s actions turned him callous? She feathered her fingers over his chest as she contemplated.
“Did you love your husband?” Alex asked, breaking the silence that had settled over them.
Her breath caught, the question taking her by surprise. "Very much so," she said before exhaling a deep breath of shame, regret and guilt mingling together at the thought of Roland. This moment suddenly seemed like a betrayal.
"Is that why you have not remarried?" Alex stroked her back as he spoke.
"Yes. No. Partly." She drew in a shaky breath. "He wished for me to remarry. Made me promise I would if something should happen to him. I just... I have not met another who…" Her words trailed off, the room growing quiet once more.
Alex lightly grazed her arm with the tips of his fingers, creating feather-light circles that spread warmth throughout her body. His voice was soft and gentle as he spoke. “He must have loved you a great deal to be so selfless. I am not sure I could do the same.”
As Alex held her close, a wave of conflicting emotions crashed through her. The raw desire for him was unmistakable yet mingled with guilt—what would Roland think of her actions? Had he truly wished for her to move on? The thoughts raced through her mind, but she pushed them away determined to savor the moment. Let tomorrow be for regrets, tonight she would take what was in front of her, what Alex offered, and allow herself to live.
Daphne felt her heart gallop as she perched atop him, her breathing heavy and shallow. Alex’s hands roamed up and down her back as she bent forward and kissed him deeply. She shuddered with pleasure as his thick shaft filled her, and then began to move against him in a way that was at once desperate and beautiful. With each thrust of their hips, the fire between them rose higher, until finally their moans melded into one primal wail of ecstasy.
Eleven
