Page 75 of The Duke’s Wager

“This is quite the setup. I am impressed.”

He smiled rather happily at this and gestured vaguely. “Sister Agnes helped me set everything up. Evidently, she has been watching us… so she was rather eager to contribute.”

“Oh, God.” Lucy covered her face with her hands at this, and Edward laughed.

“Don’t worry, darling…” He whispered and leaned closer to her again. “I am rather certain that she is not watching now.”

Their lips met in another kiss, and he gently pressed her down on the blankets. The kiss deepened as Edward moved their bodies, hovering lightly over her as his hands explored her curves gently.

Lucy pressed her chest up against his and pulled him even closer, eager to feel more of his body against hers.

She was rather certain that she would happily spend eternity in his arms if she were fortunate enough to do so.

Edward was first to sit once again, and he offered a hand to her.

“Would you…” Edward’s voice was gruff, thick with emotion. “Would you like a glass of wine?”

“I would love one, yes… Thank you.”

Lucy watched him intently. His hands trembled as he poured and she beamed with happiness as she accepted it. She had been so worried about how nervous he made her, that she did not even consider for more than a second, the idea that she could make him nervous too.

It made her irrationally happy to know that she did. The wine was sweet, though not overly so, and she drank it rather quickly, grinning when he poured her some more.

“This… I must admit, it feels rather like a dream.”

Edward beamed. He took a sip of his own wine, before leaning forward and pressing another soft kiss against her lips.

“Oh, I promise you, my lady, we are wide awake.”

“Oh, really?” His lips were so close to hers. She tilted her head, eager to kiss him once again. “Remind me that we are awake, Edward.”

There was nothing soft about the kiss that followed. It was hard, and passionate, and his hands tangled in her hair, while hers explored the muscles of his back. When they finally broke away from each other again, they were both out of breath. It was Edward who broke the silence with a soft laugh. Without fully understanding why they were laughing, Lucy joined in.

“I love the sound of your laugh,” Edward sighed. “I believe that if I had to hear only one thing for the rest of my life, it would be the sound of your laugh.”

“You flatter me, my lord.”

Edward laughed and shook his head before pressing a hard kiss against her lips again. “Never… never call me ‘my lord’ again.”

Lucy laughed at this, and their hands found each other, fingers tangling. For a while, they merely lay there, hand in hand, looking at the stars.

“I have to thank you, Lucy.” Edward’s voice was thick with emotion.

“Thank me? Whatever for?”

Edward turned his head, their eyes meeting. “For making me feel again.”

Lucy waited quietly for him to continue, and Edward shot her a quick smile. “Losing my mother… It was impossibly difficult. But I was a child, too young to really understand what it meant. My father, on the other hand…”

He sighed deeply and looked away. Lucy only squeezed his hand in an attempt to encourage him to continue.

“I remember growing up with a father who had lost himself after my mother passed. He still loved me, but he was no longer there. Not really, at least. When she died, he became a shadow of his former self. He stopped eating, stopped playing with me, stopped laughing…”

Edward paused again.

“He spent most of his time locked away in his study. Drinking and crying. Until…”

Edward closed his eyes and Lucy moved closer to him in a bid to provide some comfort.