She gasped. “That isnotwhy I liked Rome,” she said, tittering softly. “It was all so beautiful. All the sights. All the art. It’s why I had such high hopes for that damned bedchamber.”
“It was not a failure, Ivy. It’s actually quite a showpiece in an otherwise typical English manor house,” he said. “In fact...”
When he didn’t go on, Ivy furrowed a brow. “Go on,” she prompted.
“If it had been on the first floor, I would have made it into the parlor, but since it was next door to the master suite, I might have had it turned into my private salon,” he murmured. “Had a door added that leads into the master bedchamber so it’s all sort of an apartment now.”
Ivy blinked. “You’re not joking,” she said in awe.
“I am not. I rather like it. And so do the girls. They’ve both seen it since the remodel,” he said. “Although I couldn’t help but notice they still found it amusing. All that nakedness.”
Tittering, Ivy lifted a shoulder. “I don’t suppose it did any harm for the girls,” she whispered.
“Probably better prepared them for their wedding nights,” he murmured.
“Probably,” she agreed, her voice sounding breathy. When one of his hands slid up her belly and over one breast, she inhaled sharply. Both of her nipples were pebbled in the cool air over the top of the water. She could feel his manhood stiffening against her hip, and she shifted to give it more room.
“I meant what I said about you coming to York after Christmastide,” he murmured. “I don’t want us to be apart any longer, Ivy.”
She reached up and kissed him, the maneuver difficult given her position against the front of his body. “I guess a night of sleeping on it hasn’t changed your mind?” she asked, swallowing hard.
He shook his head. “I miss you terribly when you’re not with me,” he whispered.
She took a deep breath. “And the ghosts?”
Dipping his head so his nose was buried in her hair, he shook it. The last of the hairpins gave up their hold, and her flame-colored locks spilled down past her shoulders. “I think you’ve managed to chase them all away.”
Ivy relaxed into his hold and sighed contentedly. “Oh, Robert, I would make love to you right now if I thought there was enough room in this tub.”
She let out a yelp when he suddenly straightened, lifted and turned her until she was facing him, her knees coming to rest on either side of his hips. Her breasts swelled and hernipples tightened in the cool air above the water as waves of her coppery hair threatened to hide them.
“Of all the sights in the world, this is my favorite,” Robert growled. “Youare my favorite. The very best gift I could have on Christmas.”
“Oh,” she breathed. “As are you, Robert,” she whispered. “Happy Christmas.”
When he leaned back again, she guided the tip of his manhood until it was at her entrance.
As she impaled herself on it, Robert’s mouth covered one breast, his tongue laving over a taut nipple. Her gasp coincided with his first thrust. He answered with a groan and moved his mouth to her other breast, inciting frissons beneath her chilled skin, inciting heat in her core. Another thrust, and he was fully inside her, filling her with his manhood while his hands gripped her hips to guide them.
While waves of water splashed over the edge of the tub, she rode him until she felt the wash of warmth deep within and heard his growl of satisfaction.
They stayed half-emerged in the water for several moments, her head on his chest, the waves finally coming to rest.
“We’re never getting out of this tub, are we?” she asked, nearly breathless.
He chuckled as he resettled his body against the back of the tub. “Never say never, my sweet. If there’s a will, there’s a way and all that rot.”
It was a few minutes before he lifted her and she could get to her feet, another minute before she was safely out of the tub and could lend a hand to help him to stand, and another hour before they headed downstairs for a Christmas breakfast.
In the meantime, she made sure to mop up the water on the floor with as many bath linens as she could find.
