Wesley watched her face, her eyes squeezed shut.“Thea.Look at me.”
She opened them, and there was a hint of sadness in her expression.
“I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart.”He drove into her harder, gripping her hip to hold her steady.“You have nothing to fear.”
Her eyes were wet with unshed tears, but she pulled him down and kissed him again, her tongue sliding against his, her body rising to meet his thrusts.
“I love you,” she said against his mouth.“I love you so much, Wesley.Please always remember that.”
“I love you too.”
Her hand slid between them, her fingers finding where they were joined, circling herself while he thrust into her.The sight of her touching herself while he took her nearly undid him.
“Christ, Thea.”He drove into her faster, harder, chasing the release that was building at the base of his spine.“I’m not going to last much longer.”
“Me neither.”She tightened around him, her fingers moving faster.“I’m so close.”
He felt her body clench, heard her cry out, and then he was following her over the edge—spilling deep inside her with a groan that felt like it was torn from somewhere deep in his chest.His hips jerked through the aftershocks as her body milked every last drop from him.
They lay tangled together afterward, both of them breathing hard.Wesley traced patterns on her shoulder, waiting for his heartbeat to slow.
She curled against him, and soon her breathing evened out.Wesley lay awake, staring at the ceiling, the knot in his chest tightening with every passing minute.
She was keeping something from him.But whatever it was, they would face it together.
Chapter 7
Thea
Ifhermother’sstrongopinions about wedding planning didn’t kill her, her worry about speaking to Wesley certainly would.
Thea sat in her mother's parlor, surrounded by various samples of flowers and menu items that her mother had already requested.Lady Hasting had taken to the task of planning a wedding with terrifying enthusiasm.
Wesley sat beside her, close enough that his knee brushed hers beneath the table.He'd arrived an hour ago with his mother to discuss the ceremony.The event seemingly mattered more to their mothers.Wesley focused only on Thea.Every time their eyes met, she felt the warmth of the previous night and remembered how she had almost pouted when she woke to find him gone.
She still hadn't told him.And the longer she waited, the worse it was going to be.But every time she tried to form the words, her throat closed around them.
“The Ashworth family must be seated near the front, of course,” Lady Hasting said to the duchess, consulting a chart covered in tiny names.“And we'll need to consider the Pemberton situation—Lady Pemberton and the Dowager Countess cannot be placed within sight of each other, not after what happened at the Whitmore ball.”
“What happened at the Whitmore ball?”Wesley asked.Thea could hear the amusement beneath his polite tone.
“You don't want to know,” Thea murmured, and his mouth twitched.
“The flowers are another matter entirely.”Lady Hasting shuffled through papers.“The florist insists that roses are traditional, but I've always thought lilies more elegant.What do you think, Theodora?”
Thea stared blankly back at their mothers.“Whatever you and Her Grace think is best, Mama.”
“That's not an answer.You're going to be a duchess.You need to have opinions about these things.How will you manage a household if you can't even choose flowers for your own wedding?”
Thea's jaw tightened.“I'm sure I'll manage.”
“Will you?Because you've never shown the slightest interest in such matters.Always traipsing off to do heaven knows what instead of learning the things a proper lady should know.”Lady Hasting turned to Wesley with an apologetic smile.“You'll have to forgive her, Your Grace.I've done my best, but Theodora has always been ...difficult.”
“I don't find her difficult at all,” Wesley said, his voice mild but his eyes sharp.
“You're kind to say so.”Lady Hasting returned to her papers.“Now, the guest list.We must—”
“Mama.”Thea pressed her fingers to her temple.“Could we perhaps continue this tomorrow?I'm getting a megrim.”
