“I need to tell you something.” Dom’s lips covered hers, kissing her as if he couldn’t get enough. “I will never hide or run from you again. Ask me anything you wish. I love you with all my heart.”
This was everything she had wanted with him and had been afraid she might not have. “I love you, too.”
“I must tell you what I discovered today. . . .”
At the end of his tale about what his uncle had done, Dotty could have screamed with rage and sorrow for him. How much Dom had missed, not being allowed to be a child, or to have any of the adventures other young men had.
She couldn’t give that back to him, but she would ensure he knew how much she loved him. “Let us go to bed.”
He scooped her up into his arms. When they reached the corridor, he had to turn sideways. “I can walk.”
“No, I’ve wanted to do this since this afternoon.” He kicked open the door to his chamber. “There. Not so difficult.”
Dotty winced at the noise it made bouncing against the wall. “Someone is bound to have heard that.”
Dom set her down next to the bed, then shrugged. “What if they do? It’s my room.” He grinned wickedly. “Soon to be ours.”
He untied her wrapper, pushing it over her shoulders. It fell silently to the floor.
“Somehow I do not think that reasoning will persuade our parents.” She slid her hands under his banyan, spreading the halves apart. The heavy, embroidered silk made a whooshing sound as it joined her wrapper on the thick Turkey rug.
She caught her breath as Dom’s lips covered hers. When he probed with his tongue, she opened to him, tasting him as he tasted her. Heat roiled within her as he fluttered kisses down to her breasts. Taking one tight bud into his mouth as he played with the other. Streaks of pleasure shot through her, coalescing in the apex of the thighs. She spread her legs, encouraging him, wanting him.
“I love you.” His voice was deeper and huskier than ever before as he kissed his way down her body.
When he licked the pearl nestled in her mons, Dotty almost came off the bed. “Oh, Dom, I love you, too.”
He entered her slowly, and though she willed herself not to tense, she was unable to stop.
“It won’t hurt this time, sweetheart. I promise.”
He took her in a searing kiss and the only thing she was aware of was their joining. No pain; only him moving slowly, stoking her to even higher levels of bliss. Her nipples rubbed against his chest, increasing her desire and need with each stroke. She wrapped her legs around him, urging him on. Then the pressure spiraled, like spun glass, and she gasped for air. “Dom, please, please.”
His breath rasped as he chuckled. “Soon, my love.”
“Ah, there.” Her legs trembled as she flew apart into a thousand pieces, and he plunged so deeply into her, she could feel his release.
Dom rolled off her, pulling her with him, stroking her hair, raining soft kisses on her head and neck. Her heart pounded against her chest. This was how it would always be with them.
A cool night breeze blew over Dotty, chilling her.
Dom dug his way under the bedcover, pulling it back, and somehow maneuvering her underneath it.
Once he had tucked the sheets around her, he rose. “I had wine and food prepared for us this evening.”
She raised a brow. “You were quite sure of yourself.”
Leaning over, he gave her a swift kiss. “No. I was sure of us. It wasn’t until today that I realized the depth of feeling I had for you and you had for me.” He lifted a domed cover from a large tray that had been placed on his writing desk. “I’ll have to give my new valet a raise.”
He handed her one of the glasses of wine that had already been prepared.
“I agree.” Warm now, she sat up against the pillows. “What else did he bring us?”
“A little of everything.” Dom placed the tray on the bed before climbing carefully in on his side.
There were regular-sized sandwiches as well as smaller pieces of bread, some topped with ham, or beef, or cheese. “This is wonderful. You should indeed keep him.” She took a bite of one of the small squares covered with beef, horseradish, and some sort of green. “This is delicious. What is his name?”
He devoured a ham sandwich. “Wigman. Paken found him.”
