Page 37 of Always the Lyon Tamer

Rebecca gasped as John reached out and took her hand in his.This was—this was…

“You.The Miss Darby I met at the opera,andthe Titania I met in the bedchamber,” John said with a smile. “The one who commands me, the one who excites me. The woman I stole kisses from in the rain outside the opera house, and the woman who sat on my lap and drove me wild.”

Rebecca laughed as John squeezed her hand.

“I wanted to marry you before, and I did not have the courage. You knew I needed to be tamed. Marry me, Becca.”

The last sentence was more a plead than a request, and it took all of her self-control not to launch herself into his arms and allow him to kiss away all the pain of previous misunderstandings.

But first…

Rebecca took a deep breath. “You promised to marry me in this room not a few days ago. What…what makes this different? Are you going to keep this promise when we leave the Lyon’s Den?”

She could not bear to think John might not keep his promise, but she had to be sure.

John nodded. “You are the Lyon Tamer, and I am merely the lion. I will happily spend the rest of my life showing you just how much I love you—and discovering more about you.”

Rebecca stared into his eyes and saw the truth, giving her such happiness, she barely knew what to do with herself.

She was going to marry John.She would be the Marchioness of Gloucester, but more importantly, she would be Mrs. John Lennox.John’s wife.

“In that case,” she said, emotion spilling into each syllable, “I accept.”

“Oh, Becca!” John rose to his feet and pulled her into his arms, kissing her furiously.

Rebecca responded just as passionately. This was her husband. She would never have to be alone or misunderstood again.

“Becca, I love you,” murmured John as he broke the kiss and smiled. “And I cannot wait to be introduced to your father as your future husband, but—”

“Oh, lord,” said Rebecca with a wry smile. “That is going to be an interesting conversation…”

“But before then,” interrupted John, glancing at the bed behind him, “before we leave here…”

Epilogue

John took adeep breath in the cold, brisk air.

Well, after all his supposed cleverness, after thinking he was so witty, so impressive, this happy day had arrived, and really, he could claim no credit for it.

None at all.

It was all Rebecca. She had managed to seduce him, show him what he was missing, and given him—finally—the confidence to do something about his affection.

Love that had been waiting for the right time, he could see that now. Thank goodness she had been braver than him.

Now they would never have to be apart.

Time to go inside. They were all waiting for him.

“Where have you been?” Rebecca’s bridal gown suited her perfectly, a smile on her face.

Their wedding day.

“I just took a moment outside for a breath of fresh air,” said John, taking her by the hand. “You know, better than anyone, how easy it is to become overwhelmed.”

His last sentence was spoken low, so only his bride could hear him.

The ceremony had been short. John could barely remember it now.