She felt a presence, but she wasn’t sure if it was conjured or real. It wasn’t until a shadow moved at the end of the bed that her heart began to pound furiously as she imagined all sorts of unsavory scenarios. She clutched the coverlet to her chest and dared to call out to the intruder. “Who’s there?”
Then, as if her dreams had produced him in the flesh…
“What, in God’s name, where you thinking to leave Eversleigh House in the middle of a storm?”
Alister quietly strode forward. He was dressed in a pair of charcoal trousers, and a matching waistcoat, although his shirtsleeves were rolled up and his jacket had been removed. He stood, looking down at her, practically dripping wet, and she nearly burst into tears at the very sight of him. She didn’t realize, until that moment, just how much she’d missed those warm brown eyes and that tousled red hair. She wanted nothing more than to launch herself into his arms, but his even expression kept her at bay.
“Do you have any idea of the torment I’ve been through tonight?” He exhaled heavily. “Or over the past few days?”
Lyra felt her heart break. “I’m sorry. It was wrong of me to leave, but I just wanted to…” She shook her head, knowing that excuses were empty at the moment. She slowly sat up. “Oh, Alister, I was so wrong about everything.” Her voice fractured. “Can you ever forgive me?”
He said nothing, just continued to stare at her in that detached manner. But at least he hadn’t rejected her apology out of hand.
She dared to take it one step further. She reached out and clasped his larger hand with hers. “Have you talked to Roarke? Oh, of course you have, otherwise you wouldn’t have known—” She broke off, knowing that she was rambling. “The doctor says that everything is fine.”
For a moment, they both fell silent, either because they didn’t know what else to say—or simply because there was too much.
In the end, the waiting became torture. “Please say something,” she pleaded, the fear that she might have pushed him past his tolerance frightening her as much as when she thought she’d lost the baby. If Alister spurned her, she would be nothing. At this point she didn’t care if she begged or pleaded, she would do what she must to earn his forgiveness.
Finally, he said softly, “I love you, Lyra.”
This time, the tears that threatened Lyra’s vision spilled over and trailed silently down her cheeks. “I love you too. Oh, Alister, I’ve missed you so much.”
His only answer was a gentle kiss as he bent down and touched his lips to her forehead. When he pulled back, his eyes were glittering with barely contained emotion of his own. They seemed to burn through her very soul. Gently, he began to wipe her tears away with the pad of his thumb. “I missed you too.”
“Kiss me.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.”
He claimed her mouth, teasing and nibbling and drinking her lips. It wasn’t long until Lyra was trembling with her need for him. She reached for his waistcoat and began to undo the buttons, but he put a hand over hers. His breathing was heavy when he asked, “What about the baby?”
Lyra smiled as she reached out to touch his face, the one she had come to adore more than her own. “Dr. Harris assured me it was safe to resume our marital activities. And I must say I’m particular eager on that score.”
Alister blew out a breath. “Thank God.”
After that, no more words were said.
In one, smooth motion, Alister had her chemise over her head and tossed to the floor. In turn, she helped him divest himself of his clothes, the pile of discarded items quickly growing.
After that, hands and mouths were everywhere, seeking to fulfill the desperate void of separation, and hearts too long denied.
When they finally came together as one, Lyra closed her eyes at the sheer joy of being joined with Alister again. She knew she would never tire of his embrace as long as she lived, and when the waves of pleasure crashed over her, she sighed his name on a benediction.
* * *
Alister awoke the next morning with Lyra snuggled next to him. She nestled into the crook of his arm with a pleasant, feminine purr and it caused him to grin. He trailed a hand through the strands of her golden hair and closed his eyes to savor the moment of being perfectly content. After a lifetime of loneliness and being misunderstood, reconnecting with Lyra had been like a gust of fresh air that blew in and brought new meaning to his existence.
Granted, he might have saved her from the Tower initially, but she had rescued him from a loveless future, and for that he would be forever indebted to her.
It made him think of the surprise he’d planned for her.
So when she stirred, he glanced at the crown of her head and said, “I have something I’d like to show you.”
She chuckled, her breath tickling the scattering of hair across his chest. “What, here?”
“No. At Thorn Hall.”
She sat up then and gave him her most brilliant smile. “Then let’s go home.”
