Chapter Twenty-One
Vanessa woke up slowly, basking in the glorious warmth of Adrian’s body pressed against hers. She breathed deeply, not wanting to wake him, determined to soak up these moments of peace and contentment for as long as she possibly could. Knowing Adrian, she feared that once he woke, the beautiful tenderness he’d shown her last night would fade and he’d once again start questioning everything and doubting her love for him.
Love.
The word gave her pause, but once she’d given thought to it, the truth resonated within her. She’d given herself to him last night, heart and soul. If he couldn’t find it in his heart to forgive her, she didn’t know how she’d bear it. Especially now that she knew just how good it could be between them
He shifted against her, his sudden tension alerting her that he’d awoken.
Hoping to delay him from thinking too much, she stretched sensuously, kissing his throat. “Good morning, husband.”
“Good morning, wife,” he replied gruffly, his arms tightening around her.
“What are your plans for the day?” she asked, truly curious. She had no idea what he did with his time when he wasn’t donning a mask and cape and jumping across rooftops. She had so much to learn about him, but for the first time since he’d agreed to marry her, she had hope that he might allow her to discover the answers. That’s all she wanted, for him to open up and let her in, the way he’d started to when he’d visited her flat in the dead of night.
“I’ll be in my lab,” he informed her. “I’m working on a project for a friend of mine, and I promised him I’d have it done tomorrow.”
“Your friend?” she asked, so surprised she didn’t stop to think about how that sounded.
“Yes.” He drew back a little, staring at her with a wry smile. “I know you find it hard to believe, but I do have a few friends.”
“That’s not how I meant it,” she hastened to reassure him. “I’ve just never heard you talk about anyone besides your brothers.”
“In the course of my work, I often find myself with questions. Sometimes there is nothing to be done for it but to brave the world and find the answers.” He laughed a little, stretching beside her. She closed her eyes, enjoying the flex of his long, lean body against her. “I find that intellectual people are for the most part too involved in their own minds to worry about my scars. So most of the people I count as friends are doctors or scientists of one kind or another.”
“I count you as a friend,” she told him seriously. “And I am neither of those things.”
“No,” he murmured, running his hand lingeringly down her body. “You certainly are not. You are a mystery to me, my darling.”
She was a bit disappointed that he hadn’t reciprocated her claim of friendship, but at least he hadn’t rejected her outright. She supposed that was a step in the right direction.
She rubbed her hand up and down his back, glad to be having a normal, pleasant conversation with him. She cast about for something else to talk about, wanting to stretch these moments out.
“I don’t quite know what to do with myself,” she mused, continuing to rub his back, eliciting a soft appreciative sound from him. “All my life, I’ve had to work or rehearse nearly every day. It’s only been two days, and I’ve already run out of things to do.”
“Do you want to go back to acting?” he asked, his voice carefully neutral.
The fact that he seemed to be giving her that option melted her heart completely. He truly was an enigma, like no other man she’d ever known. If she continued to act, his reputation would suffer even more than it had already. Yet she sensed he didn’t care, if that’s what she needed to be happy.
“No,” she assured him. “I’m done with all of that. I just feel like I need to be doing something worthwhile with my time. I don’t want to be just a decoration in your parlor.”
He shifted against her again, and she realized he was aroused. She caught her breath, trying to remain focused on their conversation.
“Perhaps you could volunteer at Brookhaven,” he murmured, lifting his hand to caress her breast. “Fiona takes on far too much and could use the help of someone who truly cared about the children.”
“That’s a wonderful idea,” she exclaimed, wondering why she’d hadn’t thought of it herself. “Gabriel would probably enjoy returning sometimes to visit with his old friends.”
“Do your best to find ways to make the children more comfortable, and then insist Fiona take our money,” he said, with mock sternness. “I fear she’s far too penny-pinching. I’ve never had any luck getting her to take more than the bare minimum that place needs to function.”
His hand drifted lower, forestalling any response she might have made. She sighed and parted her thighs, granting him full access. He smiled wickedly and kissed her passionately, erasing all thoughts of the gulf that still lay between them from her mind.
* * * *
EARLY THAT AFTERNOON, an invitation to dinner at Morgan and Anne’s house arrived. Vanessa’s hands were trembling with excitement as she opened the envelope and skimmed the contents. This was the first invitation they’d received, and it gave her the sense of belonging that she’d desperately wanted to find.
“Thank you,” she told the handsome blond footman, and then unlocked the desk drawer where the household funds were kept. “Can you run a quick errand for me as well?”
“Of course, ma’am,” he told her.
