“That’snot what I was hoping for,” he said, exasperated.
“You just look so angry at me!” she laughed.
“Well, do you blame me? I’m trying to tell you how I feel!” He went to move back but she wrapped her leg around him and leveraged herself on top.
“Philippe,” she said. She stretched across him, weighing her body against the length of his. She reached up to his face and put her hands on his cheeks. “I love you,” she said. “Iloveyou. How could you expect a different response from me?”
He looked at her with his brow furrowed. “You’re a little hard to read sometimes.”
“I know.” She laughed, as she dropped her head to his chest. “I’m going to work on it.” She looked back at him and bit her lip through a grin.
“So,” he said, looking at her intently. “Is now the right time to ask you to stay with me? I don’t want to keep having to capture you.” He smiled now. “Though I certainly like what happens when I get my hands on you.”
“I will not make it quite so difficult for you to catch me anymore.” She looked at him coyly.
“Then marry me, Alex.”
She watched him for a long moment, feeling the weight of the words floating in the air. “Well, first,” she said, still teasing him. “First, I want a promise from you.”
“Anything,” he replied.
“I had always liked being your student,” she said. She arched her back, as desire for him began to roll through her body, knowing forthe first time that he was hers for the taking. “Teach me more,” she said and she licked the scar on the bottom of his lip.
His eyes grew heated again. Suddenly, he flipped her onto her back, and he was poised on top of her once more. “I agree to your terms.” He leaned in to kiss her. “Now do you say yes to my proposal?”
“Yes, Philippe,” she said, smiling as she pulled him close. “Yes, of course, yes.”
Chapter Forty
It was another week of official responsibilities before Philippe could lead the remaining men—both soldiers and prisoners—back to Chevalerie. Michel had taken the first group back a few days earlier, but Philippe waited on escorts from Chevalerie, who would oversee the Marquis’ transport back to Ponce.
Michel had conceded to place the Marquis under house arrest in Ponce until he was well enough to stand trial in Chevalerie, but given his condition, the brothers recognized that this temporary punishment may be indefinite. Philippe knew this could invoke his father’s fury. The Duke wouldn’t be keen to let the Marquis evade a trial and sentence, but at the same time, Philippe understood the futility of marching a gravely wounded man across the countryside just to be thrown into some oubliette. The threat had been neutralized. Now, Philippe just hoped to provide Emily with some stability. The Marquis du Ponce would be stripped of his title and would be required to pay off debts, as well as fund the Chevalerie soldiers who would have to become a permanent fixture in Ponce. Emily’s life would be very different from here on out. Philippe was troubled that she would now have to suffer the humiliation of her husband. Emily had proven herself to be an ally, so he hoped his father would provide her some consideration. At least for now, she would be occupied with the task ofcaring for her ailing and incarcerated husband. As for the Marquis, Philippe was sure Emily wouldn’t let him forget that there would be no more balls under his roof.
The morning was full of early sunshine as Philippe and his party crossed the southern gates of Aliette. Though they were on their way home, his job was not quite over. In addition to the Marquis, Giroux had to be dealt with. Also, the river towns, blameless themselves, could not be forgotten. Though each task weighed on him, Philippe felt the excitement of a new adventure, the best adventure. It was the life he would embark on with Alex, and the thought of it made him as light as a cloud.
She was trotting her horse a few yards ahead. He watched her strong, elegant form, which he now knew so much more intimately than before. As he stared, she turned her head to him and smiled. It was a simple gesture but something that made his heart race in his chest. Who would have thought that just a short time ago, he didn’t know what was missing in life, but now, with this wild woman at his side, he finally felt grounded. Solid. Terrific. He could take on the world.
He angled his horse closer to her. They were setting out on a two-day journey in which they would have to camp between towns. They would have no privacy, and he was already feeling antsy as his need for her was cropping up. Then she turned to him and spoke.
She turned to him and spoke low enough that no one else could hear, “You know that thing you do to me?”
Philippe smiled wickedly at her. “Which thing?”
“With your mouth?” she replied.
He shifted uncomfortably in the saddle, remembering her body spread open before him. “Uh huh,” he said dumbly.
“I want to do that to you.”
His brain moved slowly. “What do you mean?”
“I want to use my mouth,” she bit her lip coyly, “on you.”
It felt like everything in his body stopped. He couldn’t speak or think. His pants became two sizes too small and he lost feeling in his arms and legs. He could recognize the smug satisfaction in her face as the realization of what she had said crept over him. She was just teasing him now. When he could function, he spoke. “You can do anything you like to me with that glorious mouth of yours, little fox.”
“Then I think I would like to try that sometime,” she said. She turned to ride her horse ahead, leaving him to his mutinous body. Okay, well, she won this round, he thought. But he would get her back, sooner or later. Now he just had to rush the men back to Chevalerie so he could lock her in a room for a few days and take her up on that invitation.
Later that week, Duchess Laure paced around the sitting room. Michel had been trying to calm her while her husband sat behind his desk with his head resting on his hand.
