Collette nodded, in perfect agreement with her fiancé.
They had lain together. And if that wasn’t reason enough to hasten their wedding, she wanted to lie with him again. Not doing just that was considerably…
Frustrating. Even sitting beside him now, she wanted nothing more than to scoot closer, and run her hands up his sturdy thigh and—
“You’ll be able to walk by the holidays. What about a Christmas wedding? At Easter Park.” Bethany’s suggestion broke into her thoughts.
Collette lifted the fan at her side and waved it, feeling unusually heated.
Christmas was nearly ten weeks away. Ten weeks!
“If you have a Christmas wedding, Lady Fiona can be present to witness your nuptials.” The duchess seemed quite open to this compromise.
Chase met her gaze. “You could invite a few of the friends you made at Miss Primm’s, as well.” His eyes twinkled. Because of course he was insinuating that she’d want to show them all that she’d not been broken by her dismissal.
“No doubt they’d be honored to attend.” Bethany was to be no help either. “For a former teacher to wed a duke? A feather in the school’s cap all around, I imagine.” She winked.
Oh, but this was not fair at all. Because they all made excellent points. Not that she would wish to invite her former colleagues in order to make a show of her marriage to Addison, but because she had genuinely liked some of them.
“We can invite Miss Primm, Miss Shipley, and Miss Fortune—and didn’t one of the other teachers write to you?” Bethany asked.
“Miss Priscilla.” One of the teachers Collette had barely had a chance to get to know had written to express how sorry she was that Collette had had to leave and that she’d objected to the decision.
“And Diana and the marquess will have returned from their wedding journey by then as well. With the ceremony at Easter Park, your mother won’t have to travel. What would you say to hosting a house party? Will you be up to that, Bethany?” Chase looked to his wife.
“I think that would be wonderful.”
Collette studied her brother with great affection, thinking how much it would mean to have both of her sisters present for her wedding. All sets of eyes watched her, seemingly waiting for her decision. Even Addison was leaving this up to her.
Ten weeks until Addison could make love to her again, though? Ten weeks until she could wake up beside him every morning?
Ten weeks of more wedding plans and being chaperoned and being dependent on her brother…
But having all of her family there… And if it meant getting off to a better start with his mother…
“I suppose a Christmas wedding would be nice.”
Addison groaned and Chase burst out laughing. “Christmas it is then!”
With that decision in place, Bethany and Chase offered to show Addison’s mother the garden and discuss more wedding plans, allowing Collette a few moments alone with Addison. It was a ruse, Collette knew, and she was coming to appreciate her sister-in-law more with each passing day.
No sooner had the door closed behind them when Addison lifted her carefully onto his lap and nuzzled the side of her neck.
“Ten weeks?” He sounded as disgruntled about it as she did. “Do you wish to torture me?”
“I know.” Collette moaned softly, her skin practically on fire from the heat of his kisses. “A cruel punishment indeed.”
“It doesn’t have to be,” he said. “There are ways…” His husky voice drew a shiver from her.
Collette smiled when she felt his hand drifting up her leg, beneath her skirts. “We’ll have to be discreet.” She gasped when his fingers grazed the tender flesh between her legs.
“No screaming.” He warned.
“I’ll be quiet,” Collette whispered, her voice already shaking from need. “No screaming. I promise.” But his fingers were touching her in the most glorious places and already she felt that delightful sharp feeling rising up. “Unless…”
Her body jolted and she arched herself into his touch. A little closer, a little more friction.
“Unless?” As though reading her mind, he gave her precisely what she needed.
