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“What were you thinking about?”

That was it. The difference.

Allie was more confident.

“I was thinking . . .” He looked down at her bulky cloak and wondered, for the first time, why such a garment was necessary. It was drafty, aye, but it certainly wasn’t that cold. “I was thinking of your sweet lips.”

When she licked her lower lip, Reid was lost.

“And how much I will enjoy saying the vows that will bind us together for life.” Lest she start to think him overly sentimental, he added, “And the feel of your legs wrapped around me.”

Allie was up to something. He could sense it in her secretive smile.

But he still nearly fell to his knees when she reached up to push her cloak back over her shoulders and revealed what was beneath.

He found himself staring at a lace-trimmed, sheer chemise that skimmed her breasts.

Reminding himself to breathe, Reid looked up and immediately lost his breath again. The adventurous glint in her eyes told him Allie knew exactly what she was doing.

His soon-to-be wife was seducing him.

“If I touch you now, you will not say your vows a virgin,” he said honestly. His fingers itched to touch her, to undo the dainty ties that denied him a full view of the treasure that lay beneath.

She didn’t answer. Instead, Allie took the last remaining steps between them and reached for him, the implication clear.

His hands moved so quickly to the ties that Reid hardly had time to appreciate the soft fabric beneath his fingers. His mouth slammed against hers, their tongues tangling as he slid the chemise from her body and splayed his hands across her shoulders and back.

As he explored, Allie began tugging on his tunic. Finally, he pulled back for long enough to lift the offending garment over his head. He tore off his trews too, kicking them aside, and then stood blessedly naked next to the woman who would be his wife.

She laughed as he pulled her back to him. A lighthearted and joyous sound that he could not help but emulate. He was hard, ready, but Reid would not take her so quickly. Instead, he lifted her under the arms and carried her to the bed. They fell atop it together, grinning as if the world were simply perfect. Outside this chamber, it may not be. But here, with her . . .

“I love you,” he whispered into her ear, using the opportunity to nip at her earlobe. Moving lower, he kissed her neck, tasting the sweetness he’d dreamed of as he made his way toward his goal. The sound she made when he took her breast fully into his mouth, tasting and kissing first one and then the other, set his blood afire.

“More,” she breathed, the arch of her back telling Reid she was ready for him.

Not yet.

He lifted his head and captured her mouth once again, moving his hand downward until he finally found his goal. Ahh, so slick and ready for him. He moved his fingers slowly at first, not intending to bring her to climax just yet. But when he felt the vibrations of her moan against his mouth, Reid wanted more. He wanted her to cry out in ecstasy, and so he pressed and circled, his fingers and tongue working in tandem until he was rewarded.

She broke from him and made a sound he vowed to hear every day of his life. Reid did not relent, making sure to draw out every last syllable of pleasure.

When he did, he laughed aloud at the expression on her face. He couldn’t recall ever laughing this much while making love to a woman, but she looked as amused.

“I don’t believe I’ll become accustomed to that,” she said finally.

“I should hope not.”

He waited until her body relaxed, all of the tension seeping out. When she smiled at him as if he’d given her a gift, Reid positioned himself over her.

“I want to say the words now,” he said, surprising them both.

She knew what he meant, and nodded. “I’d have said them a fortnight ago.”

“It will be our secret,” he said conspiratorially, wondering why they’d not made it official already.

Poised over her, Reid said, “I, Reid Kerr, by the life that courses within my blood and the love that resides within my heart, take thee to be my chosen one.”

Without pause, Allie repeated the words back to him.