“I am not bothered in the slightest by your noises, or by being awoken.But I cannot abide the thought of you suffering alone while I am right next to you.”He shook his head, running a hand through his hair.“Please allow me to help you.”
“Hold me please.”Ana sniffed and held out her arms.
“Here?”Peter sat at her side, but it was clear by the way that his eyes kept darting back to his room that he was not comfortable in Ana’s space.Curious.But her head was pounding.She desperately needed sleep and didn’t want to deliberate any longer.
“I go with you.I need to feel safe.”
Peter scooped her up.He seemed to hesitate for a moment, looking around, before he carried her to his room.She sighed heavily, letting her eyes, so heavy with exhaustion, fall closed at last.His warmth, his closeness, was the only thing that could stop the pounding of her heart.
* * *
Ana woke up in the most stunning bed she had ever seen.Rich mahogany wood shone with hues of red and copper, swirling into four intricate posts that nearly touched the ceiling.The mattress was supportive but deliciously soft, the yielding beneath her indicating modern and luxurious rope supports below.Numerous blankets swirled around her in soft textures and delicate patterns.
But the most comforting feature of all was the presence of Peter beside her.She was tucked into his side, her cheek resting upon his chest as his arm circled her back and waist, pulling her to him.Ana felt entirely safe, more than she ever had before.
“Buen día,” he whispered above her.
Ana rose on one elbow, turning her head to meet Peter’s eyes.His cheek was lined with the mark of her hair, and his eyes were squinted from sleep.And he had never looked so handsome.
“Welcome to my room.”Peter’s cheeks reddened adorably as he cast her a sheepish smile.
Ana gazed about the space.It was all so beautiful.And so decidedly feminine.More graceful details greeted her in the form of dried floral bouquets, gilded candelabras, various leather-bound books, and a large painting of a young mother and two rosy-cheeked boys.Then it dawned on her.
“This was your mother’s room,verdad?”
“Yes.It is foolish of me that I didn’t have you stay in here from our first night.”
“With you?”Ana’s cheeks heated, and her breath caught in her throat.Had he really desired her closeness all this time?She would admit that the feeling of waking alongside his warm, comforting body was one she had relished.Perhaps they had made a mistake in taking to their separate rooms for so long.But when she looked upward, Peter’s cheeks were brighter than her own.
“I didn’t mean to imply...that is, I would never insist upon your company...unless you were willing.Although I certainly have no complaints about your being in my bed this morning.”His cheeks were flaming now, and Ana found he would not meet her eyes.“I meant to say that from the beginning, I should have offered you this room instead of my father’s.This one is certainly more feminine and perhaps more suited to your tastes, although it is quite English, is it not?
“My room does not bother me,Pedro.But is there a reason why you feel more comfortable here?In the room of yourmamá?”
Peter began to tap his hands nervously on the bedclothes.Ana was certain that if he weren’t comfortably tucked in next to her, he would be pacing the room.It seemed he was always moving when something was troubling him.
“Qué?”she pressed.“What is it?”
“Your rooms used to be my father’s.And although he rarely came here, I still had no desire to be connected to a space that used to belong to him, not when I am also trying to determine how to be the sort of husband and father that I want to be.”
“Did yourPapáspend much time here?”
Peter tilted his head in thought.“In all honesty, I don’t remember him ever coming here.But Mother always wanted to keep his rooms prepared if he did decide to appear.At the beginning, the three of us lived in constant fear that he would descend upon us.Although I don’t believe he was bothered in the least by our absence.He had Heathridge Hall to himself for all sorts of diversions.”
It all made sense now.His reluctance to spend time in her rooms.His enthusiasm at her desire to redecorate her dressing room.His private nature when it came to the time he spent in his own rooms each morning.Clearly it was somewhat of a haven for him, a safe space.But if he felt so about a mere room that his mother had once occupied, why didn’t he want to spend more time with Lady Ashmore?Of course, they had been hiding Ana’s condition for a few months, but now that Lady Ashmore knew, perhaps they could travel to see her more often.If it would bring peace to Peter’s heart, Ana desired that it be done.
“Pedro,” Ana spoke, her voice quavering slightly.“You are not your father, just as I am not my mother.”
“I know.”His arm tightened around Ana’s waist, pulling her in closer to him.“And your being with me in this room helps me to feel even more sure of that.”He traced circles on the delicate skin of her upper arm, sending delicious tingles racing up her neck.Ana had to stifle a sigh of contentment.She never wanted the affection that was flourishing between them to wilt.But Peter’s continued touch made Ana foolishly bold.
“Entonces,quizásI should sleep here with you,no?If you would be happier.”
Peter’s fingers froze.Ana’s heart dropped.
“I’m so sorry.I speak my mind too fast, no?”
Had she jumped to a conclusion that he was not yet ready to make?To share a room with her husband was no small feat...it was something Ana had once feared she might never do.But their shared kisses and soft words had transformed the trust between them into something more delicate, more valuable.They were a great distance from the formalities of their original marriage those months ago.The closeness between them was new but increasingly precious.And Ana found that she wanted more.She knew she could trust him to care for her so completely.
She propped her elbow beneath her so she could look into his face.His brow was not scrunched in frustration, his jaw not set in distress.Instead, his eyes were wide and clear, a new, shimmering emotion visible there that made Ana want to cry or kiss him senseless.Or both.
