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“I cannot believe you are here. I mean, it was what I wanted, but I worried that I had gone too far,” she said as he raked her fingers through his hair.

“I think I fell in love with you in the long gallery, comparing ancestors. You are everything I never knew I needed in my life, Rose. You do not back down, and you do not give in. You fought me at every turn. It was only after you left that I realized that you were fighting for me, not against me. For Max. For our future. There is no way I could ever repay you for what you have done for me.”

“Just love me,” Rose said, cupping his cheeks. “Just love Max.”

“That’s the easy part,” he replied before bringing his lips down on hers again. This kiss was deeper, as if he was pouring his soul into her through his kiss. Telling her all that was in his heart. Rose did not need to be told. She could see it in his eyes, feel it when he touched her. Hear it when he spoke her name.

“I love you, Edward Ashton. Take me home to Ashtonvale. Take me to your bed and love me.”

And that is exactly what he did.

Chapter Twenty-Five

The wedding was a small family affair, held in the summer garden at Ashtonvale. Everyone he loved was there. The wedding breakfast took place on the terrace, and the children played in the sun as the adults watched. His great grandmother’s ring, a simple yet beautifully set sapphire nestled between two diamonds, still adorned her finger. Now a gold band joined them together.

The last few weeks had been the happiest of his life. Edward had never laughed so much, and his favorite thing to do was to listen to Rose and his daughter play duets on the pianoforte after dinner. He and Max would take turns reading out loud her most beloved scenes from Shakespeare, where she would scold him if he was not saying it with enough drama.

As the wedding festivities wound down and the guests either departed or went to their own rooms, Edward took Rose’s hand and led her up the stairs. When they entered the ducal bedchamber, Rose gasped.

“I got us a new bed and had the other one burned. I do not want any reminders of her here. This is our room now. Yours and mine.” He led her farther into the room. “Now, I want to make love to my wife, my duchess.”

“It still does not seem real.”

“Never fear that my love for you is not real. You are my heart. It does not beat without you. Now turn.”

Rose did as she was told, and Edward took his time undoing the many buttons and laces that kept her dress together. He pulled out her hairpins with care and ran his fingers through her golden locks. Pushing the sleeves of her gown down her arms, taking her chemise with it, he soon had his wife naked before him. He feasted his eyes on her body. “I am a blessed man indeed,” he said, before crushing her lips under his. He lifted her with ease and took her to their bed. Then ripped his cravat from his throat and divested himself of his clothes in record time while she watched, fascinated.

“Behold my husband,” she announced when he was finally as naked as she.

“You can hold any part of me you like,” he purred as he climbed onto the bed.

“Oh, really.”

“I am at your pleasure, Duchess.”

Rose smiled. “Lie down, Your Grace.”

He did as he was bid, and she smoothed her hands over his chest. He made them jump, and she laughed and then quoted him, “It’s just a muscle just like any other,” she said in a low voice.

He laughed. “Do you remember every word I utter?” he re-quoted her. “I could hardly tell you that your touch did things to me back then. You can see how your fingers affect a certain part of me.”

“I certainly do. May I touch it?”

“It’s yours to command,” he said with a smirk.

Her fingers reached out towards it, awkward and unsure. He took her hand and guided it over the length of his cock, showing her how he liked it. Then he lay back, enjoying the sensation of her hands on him. When he felt her warm mouth enclose him, his eyes shot open. “Rose?” He looked down to see her eyes wide.

“Did I do it wrong?”

“No, you are doing it just right, though how long I can stand it is another thing.”

Rose lowered her head again, working him with her hands and mouth until he was about to burst. He stopped her hand and dragged her up his body, kissing her fiercely. Then he rolled her over until he was on top of her and her legs raised up to hook over his hips.

“I want you inside me now,” she whispered in his ear.

He tested her readiness and, finding her wet for him, guided himself into her willing body. He would never get used to how her body reacted to his, so in sync with each other that he sent a prayer of thanks to the heavens.

As she clutched his shoulders and cried his name, he knew he was finally home, finally where he should be. He finally succumbed to his climax and buried his head in her shoulder, breathing in her scent and kissing her neck.