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"Mmm. Then it was worth it."
Wesley chuckled at the satisfied way she said it. His coc
k responded as well, but he knew she needed some rest. A nap. They had plenty of time for more bed play. Their whole lives in fact.
A year ago he wouldn't have thought it possible to be this satisfied, thinking about having just one woman in his bed for the rest of his life. But he was savagely determined that she be his, all and only his. And he would be hers.
******
"Well, I don't think they'll be coming back," Eleanor said, highly amused by Wesley's antics. His mother looked equally resigned and pleased as her son carried Cynthia away from the room. Probably weighing the social scandal (which wouldn't be all that great, really, as newlyweds were always granted quite a bit of leeway) against the possibility of grandbabies sooner rather than later.
Speaking of...
"Are you ready to go, my dear?" Eleanor's father put his hand down on her mother's shoulder, taking the Countess' attention away from Grace. Her mother looked up and smiled.
"Yes, I think so."
Before Eleanor could speak up, Edwin was already stepping forward, keeping one hand on the back of her neck. It was no longer a teasing touch, but more possessive than anything else. As if he couldn't bear not to touch her. She rather liked it, even if she didn't want to like anything about him right now. He may have stopped teasing her, but that didn't mean her body's needs had quieted.
"May Eleanor and I accompany you? We'd like some time with you before we depart tomorrow."
The Countess brightened, beaming at her son-in-law. "Yes, that would be lovely." She turned her head to look at Grace. "Would you like to come too, dear?"
The invitation was made out of social necessity, although Eleanor didn't mind if Grace was there when she and Edwin told her parents that she was with child. But Alex was suddenly standing beside his wife as well, holding out his hand to help her stand.
"Grace and I are staying in tonight," he said mildly, his voice ever so polite, but firm as well. "We have our own discussions that we need to have."
Grace bit down on her lip and shot Eleanor a look as she placed her hand in Alex's and stood. Eleanor could only shrug in response. Even though she did think that Alex and Grace should talk, she couldn't blame her friend for wanting to wait until tomorrow. But there was nothing Eleanor could do right now.
"Write to me, as soon as you arrive," she said to Grace, accepting Edwin's hand to help her stand. He came around from behind the chairs so that he could stand next to her, his hand on the small of her back. Again, not teasing, and yet her body reacted anyway.
Damn him.
"I will," Grace promised. They kept their voices light, but Eleanor was quite sure that neither of the men were fooled. Surprisingly, Alex just smiled at her.
Then again, perhaps she shouldn't be surprised when he'd praised her loyal friendship to Grace in the past. Still, she hadn't thought he would still be appreciative when it was his actions she was checking up on. That smile reassured her more than anything else could have.
Eleanor was sure that Grace and Alex could have a happy marriage like the rest of them, because she was sure that they were in love with each other. If only they could bring themselves to admit it.
"I wonder if Wesley and Cynthia will come visit when the others do," Edwin said, musing, on their way out. "Or if they'll be too ah... busy."
"They had better not be that busy," Eleanor said, her hand automatically going to her stomach, where her and Edwin's child rested. "I'll want friends around."
Edwin's dark eyes glowed as he looked down at her. Taking her hand in his, he raised it to his lips. "Then I'll make sure they’re there, love."
Frustrated with her husband or not, Eleanor's heart filed with warmth.
Chapter 13
It was such a lovely day that Alex chose to dismiss the coachman and walk with Grace back to their house. She seemed tense for some reason. Being cooped up in a closed carriage with him, even for a short period of time, probably wouldn't help, he decided. They had made a great deal of progress in becoming more easy in each other’s company, but today she’d seemed to take a step back from that.
Indeed, she relaxed the moment he suggested strolling home.
The hot air didn't seem to bother her at all as she turned her face to the sun, basking in its glow. Alex couldn't help but smile, remembering the scandalized high sticklers back at Wesley's wedding brunch, all of them horrified that he'd carried his bride off while it was still daylight. At his and Grace's wedding, he wouldn't have dared to do such a thing. They'd waited, very properly, for that night to consummate. Although he wished he'd had the balls to do as Wesley had.
He wished he had the balls to do it right now. It was probably fortunate that he didn't, as Grace would not thank him for carrying her off down the street. They were causing enough talk as it was, just by being in each other's presence.
"Did you have a good talk with Eleanor and her mother?" he asked. He already knew that she had, she'd been smiling the entire time, but he didn't want to spend the entire walk in silence. Perhaps they couldn't discuss the important issues, but he enjoyed conversing with her, and the more they did so, the more natural it was becoming again. Their conversations had become much less stilted, especially over the past few days.
