He caught her up and kissed her with searing passion. Forgotten was the pain in her arm as he pressed her to him. She frantically tried to wrap her arms around him, growing frustrated with her sling and finally ripping it off.
A slight clearing of a throat had them jerking apart and turning to the door where they saw her parents standing in the doorway. “May we assume there is to be a wedding?” the earl asked pointedly.
“You may,” Gray said with a wide smile.
Tears shone in her mother’s eyes as she walked forward, hands outstretched to both of them. “Congratulations. I wish you every happiness.”
“Thank you, Mamma,” she whispered as she hugged her mother.
“Take care of her, young man,” the earl cautioned as he held his hand out to shake Gray’s.
“I will, my lord.”
“Come, Pen, leave them be,” her mother scolded. She shooed him out of the room and closed the door tightly behind them.
Jenna turned back to Gray. “Tell me I wasn’t dreaming. Tell me you really love me.”
He lowered his head to hers, kissing her eyes, her nose, her cheeks then her mouth. “I love you. I love you. I love you. I can’t imagine loving anyone more than you.”
She sighed in utter contentment. “And to think. We found each other all because I decided to take a lover.”
His eyes darkened, and he scowled at her. “I’m just glad you didn’t decide to proposition some other rake.”
“No, just a rake that turned out to not be a rake at all.” She grinned mischievously at him. “You almost missed me. We were set to leave for Westerleigh this afternoon.”
“I would have followed you to the ends of the earth,” he growled, capturing her lips again. “And I wasn’t going to take no for an answer.”
“I love you, Gray. I can’t bear the thought of being without you.”
“You needn’t worry. You will never be without me again.”
She snuggled deeper into his arms, closing her eyes as she inhaled his masculine scent. When she looked back at him, tears slipped down her cheeks. “Until midnight, my love. Until midnight.”
Epilogue
Agra, India
1820
“It’s more beautiful than I ever imagined,” Jenna whispered. Her hand tightened around Gray’s as the two watched the purple and golden hues of the sinking sun bathe the Taj Mahal in soft light.
“Still think it’s the most romantic story you’ve ever heard?” he asked in a teasing tone.
She turned to him and stared into the face of the man she loved more which each passing day. “No. I rather think our story is the most romantic.”
He smiled and lowered his lips to capture hers in a long, tender kiss. “I’m glad I could make one of your dreams come true.”
“You’ve made all my dreams come true.”
And it was true. In the four years they had been married, he had made every effort to fulfill everything she had ever dreamed. Together they had visited the pyramids of Egypt, made love on the sands of exotic beaches, and swam in the tropical waters of the Caribbean.
He had encouraged her to write about their adventures, and so she kept a journal of each place they visited. On cold nights, back in London, they would sit in front of the fire and regale the children with the tales of their travels from the endless pages she had created.
And now, here she stood living her dreams, not just dreaming them. It was almost incomprehensible. Tears pricked her eyelids, and the white marble spires swam before her.
“Are you all right?” Gray pulled her close to him and looked at her in concern.
“I couldn’t be better,” she said in a voice choked with emotion. “I love you.”
