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Epilogue
Half an hour later, they were married. The church of spectators erupted into thunderous cheers as the Vicar pronounced them husband and wife. It seemed as if the Duchess had invited all of the Ton to the wedding.
Edward smiled at his bride as he lifted her veil and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips when all he wanted was to lift her in his arms and press her to him until she was aflame. But he would wait for that later.
Afterward, they went around receiving blessings from their elders and meeting other members of the Peerage. Again, the Duchess wanted them to be introduced to everyone. After what felt like a thousand handshakes and greetings and smiles, Edward was finally able to pile his bride into the carriage that was waiting for them at the entrance to the church.
“I wish I could take the veil off,” Ariadne said. “It feels heavier than my dress.”
“Then, take it off,” Edward said.
“I can’t. We have the feast to attend.”
Edward gave her a wicked smile. “We aren’t going there.”
Ariadne’s eyes widened. “Where are we going?”
Edward loosened his cravat. “I haven’t decided yet, but for today, a countryside inn only a few hours from London. We’ll be there before noon.”
Ariadne settled against the plush cushioned seat and shook her head. She felt both nervous and excited. She would finally be with him alone and the best part was that nobody would interrupt them…they were now married. The possibilities made her shiver.
“Are you cold?” Edward asked.
Ariadne coughed. “No.” She would be mortified if he figured out her thoughts. As the carriage rode on, the London streets gave way to the countryside, the houses and establishments became sparser until they came upon long, unending green fields. True to Edward’s words, they reached the inn a little after noon. As the carriage jerked to a halt, so did something inside her.
She let Edward help her down the carriage, her stomach fluttering at the brief contact of their gloved hands. The innkeeper and his wife, a rotund woman with a nice smile, welcomed them in. Ariadne looked around. It was well-kept with green fields stretching beyond it as far as she could see.
The innkeeper's wife led her upstairs while Edward remained downstairs to sort through the financial matters. Ariadne tried to calm herself. The Duchess had tried to explain to her what the wedding night was all about but she was not very successful. After all, it involved her son.
The sky outside was overcast and even though it was just midday, it had darkened considerably. Before Ariadne could gather her thoughts, Edward entered the room. He smiled her at her briefly before dropping his waistcoat to the chair and ungloving his hands. Ariadne swallowed. She didn’t know why she was so nervous. She had quite literally seen him without his shirt before. But this felt different. He belonged to her now, as she belonged to him.
“Do you want to eat something?” he asked. When he drew nearer, he took her hand and started ungloving the left one. Ariadne swallowed. “No, I’m not particularly hungry.”
“Good,” he said, meeting her gaze, “because I had something else in mind.” Ariadne’s gasp caught between their lips as he pulled her in to kiss her. Her head fell back and she put her arms around him as his lips plundered hers, making her dizzy and awakening all her senses.
He took her in his arms and walked to the bed where he promptly deposited her. Ariadne was panting and before she could recover, he was already pressing down on her and kissing her. There was something urgent in his kiss this time. He trailed his mouth from her lips to her jaw and then traced a path downwards to where her throat met her collarbone where he nipped at her gently. Ariadne moaned.
At the sound of her voice, Ariadne noticed the expression on his face changed. He pressed his hips into her and her eyes widened at the hardness. “Do you feel that?” he asked in a whisper.
She nodded. His desire for her couldn’t be more evident. A soft light cast through the windows so that she could see his handsome face clearly. “I’m afraid,” she admitted.
“Don’t be,” he said, “I would never hurt you.”
“I know.”
He held the sleeves of her dress. “This wedding gown is far too heavy for my liking. Turn around.”
She did as he asked. “Good girl,” he murmured. The two words made her want to listen to him, do whatever he asked her to do.
Edward unfastened the knot at the back and pulled it down in one smooth motion. Ariadne shivered as a cold breeze played down her exposed back. Edward rubbed his fingers down her smooth, alabaster skin and pressed a kiss there. He pulled her upwards so that Ariadne was practically sitting on his lap.
He unpinned her hair, taking his sweet time to do so. When her hair was unbound, he inhaled deeply. “You smell so sweet,” he murmured against her skin. He brushed the hair away from and pressed a kiss on her bare shoulder. She hissed, but her neck fell back, giving him deeper access. Ariadne whimpered any time he touched a new place. Something inside her was rapidly unraveling.
“I need to kiss you again. Come here.” She moaned and whimpered as he trailed his lips down her neck, this time hovering over her breast. She resisted mildly against him but he shook her hand away firmly. “I need to explore you. Let me show you how to pleasure you.” At that, her hands fell away.
He licked the valley between her breasts before slowly taking her corset away, revealing perfect breasts. He bent down and took one pink nipple and gently sucked on it. Her body arched, almost coming off the bed and her hand came to rest on his shoulders but she didn’t push him away. The pleasure made her dizzy and her stomach clenched. A feeling of wantonness was rising inside her. She didn’t quite know what to do with it. So she tugged at his shirt instead. She wanted to bring him pleasure just as he was bringing her.
“Take it off,” she said, her voice heavy with want. She wanted to see all of him. Edward didn’t hesitate. He unbuttoned himself with deft fingers and pulled his shirt away to reveal a smooth, slightly tanned chest. Ariadne ran her hands across the expanse, feeling the powerful muscles flexing in the curves of his shoulder and running down his chest to his stomach and below…all the while her eyes held this quiet kind of wonder. His body was so different than hers. While she was soft curves, he was all hard planes and muscles.
