She did.
He lifted his gaze to her.
“You can kiss me now, my lord,” she said.
Thank the gods.
He did.
He was drowning in her by the time the carriage stopped, andas he lifted his head, he saw she was the same.
She was desirable always.
Dazed by the desire he wrought on her, it was nearlyimpossible to resist.
“I think we should tell our driver to take a turn around thecity,” she suggested.
“I think I do not wish to have you for the first time on abench seat in a carriage with the curtains closed so it will not only beuncomfortable, but it will also be hard to see you,” he returned.
She frowned.
He touched his mouth to hers.
Her footman opened the door.
She was out, forgetting her hat, so it was he who carried itinside.
She was grinning at him, turned to look over her shoulder asshe walked through the vestibule, hands lifted to the sides of her head andtwirling, all while she teased, “I envision feathers and bows and streams andstreamsof tule flowing from my wedding hat.”
As a reply, Loren tossed the one he carried into the sittingroom.
She laughed.
“Satrine, baby!Is that you?”hermother’s voice came from down the hall, and it struck Loren, never in his lifehad he heard a lady shout.
There was something…particularabout that.
These women—both of them—were glorious and graceful, and yetartless.
It was astonishingly refreshing.
“Yes, Mom,” she called back.
“Come here, will you?”
She reached out a hand to Loren, he took it, and they walkedto where the voice came from.
Her father’s study.
They stopped just inside, in unison, because they both, atthe same time, were hit with all they were seeing.
Loren’s father stood at her back, just to the side, whileCorliss sat at the desk, neck deep in ledgers.
Maxine was curled into a couch at one side of the room,watching the proceedings, a finger twisting in her hair, though not withnerves.Her mother was near, therefore she seemed quite content.
And what appeared to be the entire household staff (sansa groom and footman) stood at attention in a line across the other side of theroom.
Corliss lifted her head when they entered and asked, “Howdid it go?”
