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I’ll just close my eyes for a moment.
“Clara?”
A voice seemed to come from far away, a deep voice that wrapped her in a pleasant warmth.
“Mmm?”
“We’re home.”
“Mmm.”
She didn’t want to open her eyes, didn’t want to get up. This was the most relaxed she’d felt in days.
A sensation that promptly disappeared when an arm slid under her legs and another slid around her back. Her eyes flew open as Alaric hauled her into his arms and got out of the car.
“Alaric, what are you doing?”
“Carrying you inside.” He nodded to the driver, who was watching them with a smile on his face. “Good night, Frederick.”
“Your Highness.”
She buried her face in Alaric’s coat.
“I’m mortified.”
“Why?”
“You’re carrying me like I’m a child.”
“No, I’m carrying the woman who’s carrying my child.”
She thought he would set her down on the front porch. But he continued inside, up the stairs and down the hall as if she weighed nothing more than a piece of paper. Another unexpected moment that, like the sweet additions to their wedding, wound its way through her body and wrapped around her heart. Slowly, she allowed herself to relax in his arms, to savor the strength of his grasp.
It would be so easy to get used to being treated like this. So easy to let herself open up to a man who made her feel treasured with his surprisingly romantic gestures.
Finally, they reached her door.
“You can set me down now.”
He opened the door and stepped inside. The room, which had felt as large as her apartment at the palace, seemed to shrink as he walked to the bed and gently laid her down.
“Good night, Clara.”
He started to pull away, but she kept her arms looped around his neck. Whether it was the incredible food or the enjoyable conversation or her self-reflection at dinner, she couldn’t say. But something emboldened her to lean up and press her lips against Alaric’s.
“Thank you for a wonderful evening,” she whispered as she started to pull away.
Alaric’s hands slid into her hair and slowly tugged her back against him. He sat on the edge of the bed as he deepened their kiss, his lips firm against hers. Without the franticness of the first time they’d kissed, or the threat of discovery and the tension from their argument that had hovered over them the second time, there was nothing but a sense of delicious freedom and wantonness as she leaned into him.
She had intended to only kiss him. But when his fingers crept beneath the collar of her coat and pushed the fabric off her shoulders, she sucked in a shuddering breath. Was she ready for this? Could she sleep with her husband knowing that it wouldn’t lead to anything more than the pleasant camaraderie they already shared?
His fingers slid under the strap of her dress, sending a shiver across her skin. He slowly continued to pull the dress down until she was bare from the waist up, sitting on her bed in a puddle of black satin. She opened her eyes as Alaric pulled back, his gaze shimmering with emerald fire as he grasped her hands in his and held her arms out away from her body. Her first instinct was to cover herself as her old insecurities rose up. He’d never seen her nude. What if he didn’t like what he saw?
“You’re beautiful, Clara.” He released one of her hands to cup her breast, the soft touch sending heat spiraling through her veins. “So beautiful.”
Her doubts fled. Only desire remained as she lay back on the bed.
“Make love to me, Alaric.”
