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His mind suddenly filled with tasks that needed to be accomplished without delay, and he continued, “When we get back to your home, I think we should give the reconstruction of the house more thought. I think we should build a larger one.” He took her arm, hurrying her along toward the convent. “I do not want our children to lack for room in which to play and grow.”
“Larger, Michael? It was of considerable size; perhaps you cannot visualize it as well as I can, but it was an enormous house.”
“You were a child when you last saw it, and I’m certain houses must seem larger to children. No, I am right, you will see.”
She opened her mouth to argue that the proportions should not be changed, but then she began to laugh with a delicious giggle that made him laugh as well. “I am certain you can build a magnificent home, and as long as you agree to reside there I will be content. You have changed your mind about not living with me, haven’t you?”
“You must have known I could never have kept that
vow,” he admitted with a rakish grin.
“I only hoped that you would not wish to,” she teased playfully. “May I tell you again that I love you? I know I cannot hear it too often from you.”
Mylan pulled her around to face him, his slow, deep kiss the only response he cared to give. She truly had changed, but so had he. She was no longer the high-spirited young woman he had wanted to tame, but the wife he adored. He pressed her close, wanting only to savor her nearness to the fullest before they joined the others, but when he drew away, her eyes were bright with mischief, not tears.
“My mother was so terribly frightened by your arrival I doubt she has had sufficient time to recover, and I can hear the sounds of hammering, so your men must already be working upon the door. Must we go back just yet?” She raised her hands to his chest, then his neck, as she whispered seductively, “Must we?”
They had made love in the forest near his farm, as well as all along the coastline on their journey to France, so it seemed quite natural to take her hand in his and lead her back to the soft bed of leaves in the small clearing where they had stopped to talk. “I believe I fell in love with you the moment we met, and if it takes the rest of my life to make up for taking so damn long to admit that truth, I will gladly do it.” He sent hungry kisses down her throat as he peeled away her silken garments. She was so precious to him, and he had had no hope the reception she would give him that day would be such a warm one.
“Had I known how dearly you love me, Celiese, I would never have left you, never.”
She returned his playful kisses before she replied, “Now you do know, but I know how much you love to sail, so I do not expect you to be content to stay at home. All I ask is that you make your journeys brief ones, so I will not perish of loneliness while you’re away.”
“That is a risk I’ll not take.” He pulled her into his arms, lost in the enchantment of her tender affection, and he knew, even though she did not, that he had sailed solely for the thrill of discovering new worlds. It had been an exciting quest, but it was over, for no adventure he could have would ever equal the thrill of knowing her love. It was a secret he would keep for the moment, but with one thing or another, he would be unlikely to have the time, let alone the inclination ever to leave her side. He would be more than content with being a husband and father for the time being, and perhaps he might even learn to love farming with the assistance of his charming bride. Hagen would be eager to help him handle Robert’s trade, and his brother was clever at arranging high profits, so the duke would present no more problems.
Celiese snuggled against him, her fingertips tracing the scars crossing his chest, as she wondered what he might be thinking. “Do you realize that had that bear not cut you to shreds you would be married to Estrid? And I shudder to think where I would be now.”
“I will remember to thank God for creating bears every night in my prayers, but now that you are with me, I plan to make the most of it.”
Celiese hummed softly as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and soon lost in his delicious kiss, she planned to make the most of each and every moment they had the good fortune to share.
The End
