“It did?”
She nodded. “Oh, yes. Because once you learned what you needed to know, you were able to command with authority and confidence.” She grinned as she used his very words.
“I see that I have a very intelligent wife.”
“And you show your own intelligence in recognizing that.” She chuckled, truly enjoying teasing him.
His eyes rounded before a slow smile curved his lips. “I do, indeed.”
She gazed at him, barely holding back a sigh at how pleasant he was to look upon when he smiled. “I may be intelligent, but I really should organize my correspondence a bit better.”
At the mention of her letters, he bent and retrieved the one on the floor and looked at it. “This appears to be notes on a how to find a comet.”
He lowered the paper for her to look at. “That it is. My teacher at school worked with Monsieur Messier for a time. Ever since I started studying the skies, I have wished to see a comet. But that wasn’t the paper I sought.”
She rose, intending to go through her papers to find the list about the ball.
“It’s of no matter. I trust your abilities in this. Come, I have something I wish to show you.”
“Show me?”
“Yes.” He held out his arm.
Curious, she took it, and he led her out of the room and up the grand staircase. “You said when you promised Peter that you would show him Draco that you may not be able to see it from your room.”
“That’s true, though I may be able to. Our rooms face west, and the best view from inside would be facing north.”
They reached the next floor, and he led her past their rooms. “Hawthorne Park is designed in a square shape, though various additions have been made over the years. I thought perhaps one of the empty rooms on the north side would be a better place for you to teach the children about astronomy, with no one becoming ill.”
Even as he said the words, she felt his arm tense beneath her own. “I agree that would be the best circumstances if the angle of the window will work. It can be rather complicated.” She was tempted to squinch her nose like the children but refrained.
“As it has been told, one of the marquesses who lived here in the past put his wife’s mother on the north side of the house, to keep her from meddling. When she complained about not being able to enjoy the summer air because it was such a long trek downstairs, instead of moving her, he built a terrace out of the rooms next to hers. Later, during my uncle’s stay here, he had the terrace glassed in, much like a conservatory. I believe it would be the perfect place for your stargazing without having to worry about the weather. It has been years since I’ve been there, but if I’m not mistaken, it’s the fourth door on the left.”
As she tried to imagine a glass room on the second floor of an estate house, Darius stopped.
He opened what looked like a door to a bedroom and led her inside.
She gasped, unable to close her mouth. Even with the partly cloudy day, the sky seemed to surround them. On a clear night, it would be almost like having her own observatory!
She finally closed her mouth and examined the room. There were comfortable chairs set about with small tables between them, two settees, a fireplace on each end, and two writing desks.
Her gaze fell on Darius, who watched her, and her heart filled with emotion. “This is the most wonderful present I’ve ever received. Thank you.” She strode back to him, took his head in her hands, and kissed him.
His arms wrapped around her as he spoke against her lips. “I’m pleased you like it.”
She wanted to tell him how much, but her thoughts wouldn’t stay still as he kissed her again, this time slipping his tongue between her lips. Again, her knees seemed to lose all strength, and she held on to him as he tasted her. She hesitantly touched his tongue with her own, not sure if she was doing it right.
His arms tightened around her, even as he drew back. He touched his forehead to hers. “I want to make you mine.”
Her heart skipped a beat at his words. Ellie was well aware of what he meant. She ran her fingers through the hair at the back of his head. “I want to be yours.”
His head jerked back, and his gray eyes turned a dark charcoal. “Ellie…”
Her name on his lips had her melting just before he lowered his mouth to hers and devoured her. It was all she could do to hold on as new feelings of desire swept through her. She tangled her tongue with his as she gripped his hair, not wanting him to stop. She felt beautiful, wanted, perfect!
Then he broke the kiss, much to her chagrin. Before she could protest, he unhooked her arms from about his neck and turned her around.
The familiar feeling of rejection cooled her blood instantly and her eyes began to water. She couldn’t even kiss properly.
