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“Isn’t it?” Sam cocked her head to the side.
“No.” John cleared his throat. “You know my circumstances more than anyone. I need to marry an heiress. You have a sufficient dowry. We’ve also spent some time together, and I think we understand each other quite well. And after last night, it’s only logical…” He paused and grimaced, raking a hand through his hair.
Sam let out a nervous laugh.How romantic.
“And then there is the whole business where you saved my life,” John continued. “So, it is only fair that I at least shield you from scandal.”
Sam looked at the man standing in front of her. This beautiful albeit scarred man, this imperfect creature, but somehow perfect for her, and she wanted to laugh. Mostly at herself. She was infatuated with this man. She hoped he might return the feelings too. What an idiot. She shook herself out of her reverie.
“That is the most romantic marriage proposal I have ever heard,” she noted dryly.
“Even more romantic than when I proposed to the duchess?” He smiled crookedly and paced to the window. He stood for a couple of seconds looking out into the gloomy garden outside, then turned back to her.
“I know this is not what you deserve. You are beautiful, clever, funny. And I am certain you could have chosen from dozens of more romantic proposals that came before me, but you haven’t.” He ran his hand through his hair and tugged on his cravat again. “I am not the best prospect for you, I know that. I am rough, and I am difficult to live with—you don’t even know how much. I shall probably make your life a living hell.”
“This proposal just keeps getting better and better,” she murmured during a brief pause in his speech.
“I am surly, I have no social polish, I have no fortune, and I shan’t be coddling you the way your family does.” He took a deep breath and looked straight into her eyes. “But… I don’t speak a lot. I don’t have any hounds, I own but one horse, and I shan’t bore you with details about her. My estate is tiny, so I shan’t brag. And I’d rather sit in silence than fill it with idle chatter. The last time we spoke, you seemed adamant that these are the qualities you seek in a man.”
Sam let out a burst of laughter. She had said that, hadn’t she? It warmed her that he remembered. Which gave her hope that he cared for her, even if only a little.
John took several steps forward until he was standing in front of her. He raised his hand and cupped her cheek. Her eyes widened, then she lowered them, staring into his cravat. His heat, his closeness, muddled all her thoughts. Her breathing quickened, and her eyes couldn’t find a point to fix upon in the intricate, crisp white folds. Then his thumb started brushing her chin, slowly moving up to her lower lip.
“Are you…?” She swallowed and looked up into his eyes. He seemed to be mesmerized by her lips. She licked them self-consciously and tried again, “Are you proposing a marriage of convenience?”
“Yes.” His voice was strangely low and hoarse. “Please, say yes,” he continued in a husky whisper, “so I can kiss you again.”
“Kiss me first,” she murmured before she could think better of it.
He seemed surprised by her request, but he lowered his lips to hers. His mouth was warm and soft on hers. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the warm and pleasant feeling it evoked. He brushed his lips over hers several times. Then he opened his mouth and licked across her lips.
The sudden tingly caress was so unexpectedly delicious that she moaned in response. At that moment, his left arm came around her waist and pulled her up into his embrace. With his right hand, he tilted her head, and he slanted his mouth over hers fiercely, possessively. His thumb was playing across the corner of her mouth, coaxing her to open for him. She gave in under the onslaught, and he thrust his tongue into her mouth.
It was all too much for her untried senses and she felt as if she was falling. Sam grabbed at his shoulders tightly in order to hold on, and he gave a low growl of appreciation. His tongue was sweeping inside her mouth, over her most sensitive parts. Her hips came to press closer into him by instinct and his arm tightened closer around her waist. Her insides felt like molten lava; heat pooled inside her belly, and even lower. All her senses reeled with excitement.
She couldn’t understand what was happening to her. She wanted it to never stop, and at the same time, she required something more. She didn’t know what it was. What seemed like an eternity later to her, he finally withdrew his tongue and gave her light brushes over her mouth as if trying to calm her down. She whimpered lightly, not willing to let it end yet. Then he put his forehead against hers and just stood there with his eyes closed, holding her and breathing heavily.
Sam was panting too. Her mind was jumbled from the experience. Her hands were still clutching at his coat, so she forced herself to let go and took a step back.
John finally opened his eyes and ran soothing hands over her upper arms. “I’ve wanted to do that for far too long,” he said with a crooked smile. “You taste like heaven.”
Sam felt herself blushing fiercely. What did one say to that? She lowered her eyes and stared at the carpet. John gently pushed at her chin with the tips of his fingers.
“So,” he continued, smiling. “Is that ayes?”
Sam cleared her throat and gathered her wits, so she could think more clearly.
“Yes,” she finally answered. “Under certain conditions.”
“Naturally.” He nodded and looked at her encouragingly.
“I want children. I am from a big affectionate family, I might want a houseful.”
He looked her over from head to toe, lingering slightly on her mouth and breasts.
“That will not be an issue,” he finally said.
She nodded, color rising in her face.
