Page 27 of Miss Compton's Christmas Romance

“I know, which is why I intend to make him a lucrative offer.”

She spun toward him. “But you’re already giving me five hundred pounds. I couldn’t possibly—”

“You’re my wife, Leonora. Helping you when you need me to, supporting you and encouraging you in your goals will be my top priorities from this day forward.” He walked toward her slowly, giving her heart a chance to speed up. “Of course, Mr. Becker may refuse to sell, in which case we’ll find another location, even if it means turning one branch of The Gentlemen’s Emporium into Paradise Fruits and Flowers.”

A smile tugged at her lips, her skin heating as the distance between them grew narrower. “I rather like the ring of Dalton’s Oasis.”

He stopped before her and placed his palm against her cheek, stroking her gently with his thumb. Sparks ignited and a shiver rolled through her. “Whatever you wish,” he murmured and then dipped his head to kiss her.

He tasted of cake and champagne, a flavor Leonora could not get enough of. So she wrapped her arms tightly around him, letting her fingers rake through his hair. Dragging him closer until he was pressed up against her, sandwiching her between him and the wall, she nipped at his lip like he’d done before and deepened the kiss immediately after.

Mmm...Delicious.

A growl was his first response to her fervor. And then his hands were everywhere all at once, tugging on fabric and unhooking buttons as if he were in some sort of race against time. She followed suit, fumbling slightly with his cravat until it came loose. Her fingers trembled, but that didn’t stop her. She pushed his jacket from his shoulders while he kissed his way down her neck, branding her with each searing caress.

His waistcoat came off as her gown dropped from her shoulders. She pulled his shirt free with hasty movements and was pleased when she managed to get it over his head and send it flying before he was done relieving her of her stays. Her palm settled gently against his chest, and he sucked in a breath. Leonora quietly cheered. The way she affected him, the way they affected each other, was incredible. A fact of which she was soon reminded when he drew her chemise up over her waist, skimming her body with his fingers as he did so.

She sighed in response to the tingles that followed, then again when the garment vanished completely and his hands clasped her firmly against him, reminding her of a new way in which they would soon be joined. Although for that to happen, he would have to take off his trousers. Gasping as he bent to kiss his way down the length of her body, she hooked her fingers in his waistband and managed to free one button before he caught her by the wrist.

“I like how eager you are,” he told her gruffly. The low timbre of his voice slid across her nerves, heightening her awareness. And then he moved her hand, placing it just there, on the part of him that intrigued her the most. “I’m eager too, Leonora.”

There was something in the way he spoke and the gesture itself that ignited her even more. “I need something I cannot define.”

He chuckled, low and wicked, and with every assurance that she was about to be thoroughly ravished. “You need me.” His mouth met hers again, hard and demanding, and then she was swept up into his arms and carried toward the bed.

He laid her down gently and then went to work on the rest of the buttons, opening the placket, heightening her anticipation, until he removed both trousers and smalls in one swift, elegant movement. Leonora sucked in her breath. She’d never imagined such blatant masculinity, such strength and such beauty.

“It’s too late for regrets now,” he told her wryly, “so I hope you like what you see.”

She smiled, appreciating his effort to ease her potential concerns for what was to come, to make her feel comfortable and perhaps less unsure. But she wasn’t unsure. Not about him or about what happened next.

“No regrets,” she promised as she held out her hand, inviting him to join her. “You are the most magnificent man I’ve ever seen.”

“You’ve seen a lot then, have you?” He raised one eyebrow, which caused her to laugh.

“Not naked like this of course. Oh, you know what I mean.”

He chuckled and climbed onto the mattress. It dipped beneath his weight, causing her to shift. His knee settled firmly between her thighs, and he hovered above her as if considering where to begin. Leonora’s entire body hummed with expectation, and the tips of her fingers tingled with a desperate desire to touch him. So she did, eliciting a rumble from deep within his throat.

His eyes darkened. “I think it’s time for me to show you just how magnificent I can be.” And then he did, causing her world to converge to one fine point in which only they existed, before expanding and exploding in colors she hadn’t even known existed until then. It was fantastic, the best experience of her life, and all because of a man and his knowing touch. But it was more than just that. When he reached his own peak and tumbled over, following her into the calm, she felt more complete and satisfied than ever before in her life.

“I love you,” she told him sincerely, hoping he’d know how deeply she meant it.

He kissed her shoulder, then her cheek, and finally the edge of her mouth. “I love you too. With all my heart.” His arms wound around her, strong and sure, and then his mouth met hers, conveying not only his passion for her but the truth in what he’d just said. And as she kissed him back, imparting her own truth with each caress, she looked forward to the days and years that followed and to building a new life with Philip by her side.