A series of blistering embers erupted against the touch of his lips as he claimed her mouth once more. They rained through her with fiery anticipation, prompting a sigh of pure and uninhibited pleasure. And then she felt her stays loosen around her and the cool air brushing her skin when he drew her chemise up over her head and sent the silk piece of clothing flying.
Breaking their kiss, Thomas drew away a little, eyes dark beneath lowered lashes. His lips drew up with wolfish hunger. “God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured. Stepping back, he allowed his gaze to trail the length of her body.
An unfamiliar vulnerability shook her—this sense of being completely exposed and watched as strange and uncomfortable as it was provocative. But then she saw him raise his hands to his cravat, unknotting and unwinding the fabric with a slow deliberation that made her ridiculously impatient. His shirt followed, revealing the chest she’d felt with her hands. He was just as stunning as she’d expected, with toned muscles defining his abdomen, and arms strong enough to hold her forever.
“So are you,” she whispered, her eyes riveted on the movement of his fingers as he undid the fall of his trousers and pulled them down over his legs. When he paused to meet her gaze with gleaming eyes that seemed to devour, she sucked in a breath and then daringly asked, “What about the rest?”
A wicked smile slanted his mouth. “As my lady commands.”
He stripped off his smalls, discarded his stockings and stood before her, magnificently nude. “Perfect.” No other word could describe him.
All humor slipped from his face. He went to her like a pirate determined to claim his treasure. That thought alone sent a thrill shooting through her, more so when he scooped her up, his mouth seeking hers. With a sure stride, he carried her straight to the bed.
“Amelia.” His voice caressed her brow as he laid her upon the silk-covered mattress and climbed in beside her.
Reaching for him, she pressed herself to his warmth, removing the distance and adding closeness. “Yes?”
“I am the most fortunate man in the world.” His hand found her hip and stroked over her thigh, exploring her body while she explored his. A sense of calm had settled over them, bringing with it the delicate touches of being adored and savored. “I will do my best to be gentle with you—to make this new experience as good for you as possible.”
He kissed her then, touching her for long languid moments until she got drunk on his essence. When she explored him, he seemed to grow increasingly restless, his strokes demanding an arousal that made her desperate for what came next.
Shifting, he settled between her thighs, and as she ran her hands down his back, clutching him to her, he eased his way forward, forging a path that would join her body with his. A smile broke on her lips, not of humor, but of deep and profound satisfaction, because the man she loved was finally hers, and nothing in the world had ever felt more glorious than that.
“Amelia.” Her name was a pure benediction.
“Yes,” she said on a sigh. If there had been pain, she’d been oblivious to it. All she could do now was beg for more.
Moving gently at first, he gradually increased the pace, bringing her to that wonderful place where clouds parted and sunshine spilled through. And then he sent her soaring, taking flight with her while clutching her tight.
When his body sank over hers, hugging her to him as he rolled over onto his side, she set her palm against his chest and felt the rapid beat of his heart.
“I love you,” Amelia whispered. The dim afternoon light faded and darkness descended upon the room.
“As I love you,” he said for what had to be the hundredth time. “I always will.”
Chapter 24
“This is wonderful,” Gabriella said as she came to stand beside Amelia. “Is it everything you imagined it would be?”
“It is even better,” Amelia said. Glancing around, she admired the transformation the house she had bought had undergone. Six months had made a tremendous difference. It looked just as presentable as any town house she had ever visited, with polished wood moldings and floors that gleamed from waxing. “I could not have done it without Thomas, though.”
Gabriella responded with a knowing smile. The glow of pregnancy suited her tremendously. Raphe was naturally ecstatic with the thought of becoming a father soon. Another couple of months and the child was due to arrive. Gabriella had apparently kept that secret safe until she and Raphe had been alone together in Paris. “It would appear that he cared for you greatly long before he knew it himself,” she said.
Studying her husband who stood in conversation with Raphe and his friends, the Earl of Wilmington and Baron Hawthorne, Amelia felt her heart swell with joy.
Sensing her perusal, he turned his gaze toward her, excused himself to the others and came to join her. “Your school will be a success when it opens,” he told her. “Everyone I have spoken to agrees.”
They had invited all the investors to come to visit the building before the opening, which would take place that coming Monday. Lowell and Burton were naturally in attendance, as was half of Mayfair, it would seem. Apparently the two gentlemen had acted as ambassadors, encouraging everyone they’d come into contact with to donate to Amelia’s cause. She’d scarcely known how to thank them when she’d discovered their efforts.
“It does appear to have made the world forget about my heritage,” she said. It still surprised her how little gossip there had been about her and Thomas. Apparently, a duke could withstand almost anything without scandal, even marrying a woman who came from the slums of St. Giles.
“It just goes to show that you had nothing to worry about,” Gabriella said.
“Worry about?” Thomas asked.
“She did not think herself deserving enough to be your wife.” With that remark, Gabriella removed herself to go to speak with her husband.
Thomas’s arm came around Amelia without hesitation. He did not seem to care how inappropriate such a public display of affection might be. “You are more deserving than any other—a perfect wife and mother.”
