“I can’t imagine a more hazardous road than the one you took to your destiny, brother,” he said with a chuckle. “I’ll be looking for a more sedate experience when seeking a wife. No scandal and certainly no dramatics.” He waved a hand dismissively.
Perry raised his glass and nodded at the two men.
He hoped his brother got everything he desired.
Epilogue
The dark night floated around his shoulders, a pang of longing throbbing in his lower belly. The air was warm and intoxicating as the full moon cast an eerie glow over the garden. His gaze swept the lawn before him. He stood on the stone steps overlooking the gardens at Wildwood.
No sign of her.
This was absolutely ridiculous, yet he was captivated with the need to find her. His nymph, his garden fairy in hiding.
Only if you can catch me.
Her beckoning voice taunted him as he worked in his study, poring over papers and ledgers. His wife was well aware that he was a busy man, especially after the tumultuous few weeks they had lived. Yet she swept in before him, looking breathtaking in her nearly transparent cotton chemise. His mouth watered as his gaze dragged over his wife’s sultry curves.
He hardened immediately at the sight. How bold was she to be wandering the house in such a flimsy garment? The lateness of the hour almost guaranteed the vision was for his eyes only.
A devilish grin curved his lips.
Perfect. White would make her so easy to find in the night-cloaked garden.
Taking a step forward, he tried to hear past the chirping of crickets and the gentle lapping of the water nearby for signs of her presence. The anticipation was so familiar, as though he had dreamed of a moment like this before. The quickening beat of his heart only fed his eagerness as he quietly pushed aside bushes and walked along the pathway, attempting to hide his approach from his prey.
Fiddlesticks. She had hidden too well.
He would punish her for playing games once he found her. She should know by now that he took his devotion to his wife very seriously. Had he to do it all over again, he would have always chosen to take that bullet. It couldn’t compare to the shot his heart had taken when he first laid eyes on Lottie again. He would chase her to the ends of the earth and back again, because she was always meant to be his.
Curling his fists by his side, he swept the luxurious rose beds, fragrant in the warm night breeze, surrounding him with memories of the other roses and another moment they had enjoyed the intimacy of their private paradise.
Of course.
The little minx would hide where she would be concealed by a wildness that beckoned to her. Picking up his pace, he bolted to the secret garden, pushing aside a wild clump of ivy that covered the entrance. Upon opening the gate, he stood in silence, the darkness even more pronounced in this still-unkempt section of the garden. Closing his eyes, Perry inhaled, the thrill of the chase flooding his body with heat. She was here.
He could almost taste her.
His body ached to have her.
There were many places to hide, old trees with thick trunks and wandering roots giving them a distinct charm. Having a few optionson where to look, Perry picked his way quietly through the grass, which had been freshly cut, he was pleased to note. Peering behind the scraggly apple tree, he saw no sign of his wife. Continuing on, he eyed a bush that seemed the perfect size to hide his nymph. As he approached, Charlotte darted from behind the thick, untamed greenery with a giggle, running as fast as she could on bare feet toward the gate.
“I am done playing games, Lottie,” Perry shouted, his voice stern as he hastened to follow her footsteps.
Her laughter trailed behind her as she moved, brown hair tossing wildly in the night air. “I am not, my lord.”
His breath caught at her words, his cock aching to teach her a valuable lesson about teasing her husband. Lottie had much to learn. Her first lesson was that Perry was a fast runner.
She cried out as he caught up to her, her breath coming quickly as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to the ground beneath him. He loved when she looked this way. A familiar sense of abandon flared between them. Her cheeks were flushed with exertion and the long waves of her night-darkened hair spread beneath her like rays around the sun. Charlotte was the sun, the center of his universe, and he burned to be consumed by her.
This night was so familiar, their passion so unchanged from the days when the meadows were tall with grass and wildflowers. And he imagined his wife was just as eager for him as she had always been. In a brusque motion, his hands found the bottom of her nightgown and yanked it up over her sumptuous breasts.
Lottie gasped. “How dare you tumble me in the grass like a common wench? I am a countess,” she threatened playfully, her palms running over the tense muscles in his chest.
“A countess who is begging to be fucked,” he murmured against her breast, latching his mouth over her smooth, moon-kissed skin. Her taut nipple hardened in his mouth as he bathed it with his tongue. Charlotte moaned as he moved toward the other breast, bestowing it with the same lavish attention. His mouthsought her lips, hungrily devouring her kisses like a starved man. Sliding his tongue against hers, he nibbled her bottom lip, aching for more, eager to claim his prize.
As he trailed kisses along the side of her cheek, the nape of her neck, and her collarbone, his hand wandered slowly down her quivering stomach to her honeyed core. Perry moaned as he slid a finger inside her, relishing the feel of her silken heat.
His eyes widened as he gazed upon her face. “I see my countess likes a good chase.”
