“Come,” Richard said, pulling Mary away from the others. “Nobody will fault us for wanting to enjoy a little privacy.”
Arriving upstairs only minutes later, they headed toward the suite that Lady Duncaster had allocated them now that they were married. “Oh,” Mary said as she stepped inside. “This is... perfect!” The door closed with a quiet click behind her.
“I have to agree with you,” Richard murmured, his voice conveying all that she desired as it rolled through her: comfort, acceptance, love.
Glancing in his direction, the sensation expanded, tightening her skin with awareness as the warmth of his gaze slid over her. “Will you always flatter me?” The words were softly spoken—a silver thread of emotion extending between them.
He took a moment, appearing to consider the question before saying, “I think I might.”
Chuckling, she spun toward the window and pulled the translucent curtain aside so she could look out. “You are incorrigible.”
She listened to his footsteps against the carpet, her breath hitching a fraction as he stepped up behind her, encasing her in his strength. Placing his chin against the top of her head, he pulled her closer—so close that she could feel the rise and fall of his chest against her back. “Would you prefer me not to be?”
“No. I would never want you to be anything other than who you are.”
A moment of silence followed before he quietly asked, “How are you feeling?”
“Better,” she said, her voice a little more timid than before. It couldn’t be helped. Not when his fingers were playing softly against her arm. The effect was almost dizzying.
“Well enough for this?” he asked. Gently, as if he feared he might break her, he touched his lips to her temple, scorching a path down over her cheek.
Surrendering with a sigh of pleasure, she leaned further into his embrace.
“How about for this?”
His lips touched the curve where her neck met her shoulder and she immediately shivered. “Yes.” The word misted across the windowpane. Releasing the curtain, she allowed it to slip between her fingers and fall back into place before turning in her husband’s arms.
His hands glided over her, a delicate touch reminding her of sunbeams dancing across a field of wildflowers. Skimming her fingertips across the front of his jacket, she drew a shuddering breath before winding her arms around his neck. Her eyes met his. They were dark like the night, but filled with profound wonder. “I love you.” His honesty brought her lips to his—a precious kiss wrought from the knowledge that their hopes and dreams had been fulfilled. They had each other now, their hearts in perfect harmony, beating in time to the concert that now encompassed their lives.
“I love you too,” she whispered, her breath caressing the edge of his jaw. The words brought movement to his fingers, their touch like dewdrops upon the ground as they unfastened the buttons at the back of her gown.
Heat licked the length of her spine the moment his hands touched her shoulders, hovering briefly before nudging away the sleeves. Her gown, so light and airy, floated to the floor where it was met by her shift and stays.
“Exquisite.” The raw emotion with which he spoke drove away the anxiety that came from being so utterly exposed. Instead, she savored the feel of his hands sliding over her, caressing her and loving her with all that he was.
When he kissed her again, she welcomed it, conveying with every fiber of her being the longing that was in her heart, and as their breaths merged into one, he gathered her carefully in his arms and carried her to the bed, lowering her against the pristine white pillows.
Heat bloomed in her cheeks as she watched him undress, her curious gaze absorbing his strength and vitality, her brow puckering at the sight of the scars that continued down the side of his neck and over his chest. Registering his awareness of her regard, she held out her hand, willing him to come closer. He did so swiftly, his bare feet padding across the hardwood floor until he arrived at her side, his fingers touching hers as though they held the secret to everlasting life. “I am sorry for what happened to you,” she said as she drew him closer, “but the scars are a part of you now—a part of the man who can make me forget all else. They do not alter my feelings for you.”
His eyes—those dark, dark eyes—shimmered like a starlit sky. “You are a Godsend, Mary. I swear to you that I will always do everything in my power to make you happy.”
The mattress dipped beneath his weight as he sat down beside her, his closeness producing a delicious swirl of emotion in the pit of her belly. “I have no idea of what to do,” she hesitantly confessed.
Leaning over her, he placed a tender kiss to her forehead. “Yes, you do. You are just not aware of it yet.”
“But what if I do something wrong?”
His eyes widened a fraction, his expression bordering on incredulity. Slowly, he shook his head, conveying without words how impossible that would be. “Just love me as I intend to love you, and all will be well, Mary. I promise you.”
Nodding, she accepted his reasoning, her arms coming around his neck and drawing him closer. Tentatively, he ran his hand along the length of her in long easy strokes, caressing her until glowing embers sparked against her skin. Running his mouth down over her, he kissed her with reverence until she sighed with pleasure, her fingers mapping him in irresistible exploration.
As soon as she was ready, he lowered himself over her and drew her to him, uniting them both in the simplest way possible while golden rays of sunshine shimmered across the walls in a mystical movement of light. It was gradual, and it was attentive, their fingers weaving together while words of endearment whispered between them.
“I am yours.”
“Until the end of time.”
Chapter20
