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"Oh, wait!" Alicia waved her hand dismissively. "I introduced you the wrong way, my dear Leah. She is not a Gillet any longer, My Lord. She is the Duchess of Repington."
The man's eyes widened at the mention of the duke's name. "Then, you must be the lovely young lady thetonhas been talking about so much."
"I suppose so," Leah said, refraining from rolling her eyes. She could guess what all of them could be saying about either her or Edward, and she did not care one bit about any of it.
"I wish you all the best in your marriage, my dear," he said kindly. Then, added something that surprised her beyond belief. "I hope you won't take this wrong way, but I truly admire someone who is not stuck on appearances, who thinks for themselves instead of allowing others to do their thinking for them."
"Why... thank you," Leah replied, taken aback by this sudden and quite unexpected comment.
"I must add that I've always been skeptical regarding those rumors about your husband," he continued in the same manner.
"You do not know how much such words mean to us," Leah gushed, only then realizing that she usedusinstead of justme.She was already thinking about them as a couple, and not two separate people who were forced to marry each other. "It was lovely to meet you, but if you will excuse me, I see my husband heading out to the terrace and I could also use some fresh air myself."
"Careful not to step on any more toes, my dear," the Marquess advised gently, with much playfulness in his voice. Leah couldn't help but smile back at him.
"I shall be careful," she promised, turning around and finding her way to Edward.
She never could have imagined that someone like Jerome Grant, the Marquess of Dawbridge could believe in Edward's innocence. She was of the opinion that everyone had already made up their minds about him and that verdict was unanimous: guilty. She smiled to herself, knowing that Edward would probably be as excited as she was to hear about this. Perhaps this was the first step toward their future, where all the mysteries of their past would be resolved, and they would be free to reclaim their rightful position in society.
If not, then she would be equally happy spending the rest of her life with him, a recluse from theton,but beloved and cherished by the only one that ever mattered.
CHAPTER16
"What an utterly wonderful evening!" Leah exclaimed as soon as they had returned home.
Edward closed the door behind him, enjoying the sight of her slightly flushed, probably from the one too many sherries she'd had this evening. She looked like a forest nymph, moving about as if her feet were not even touching the ground. All that was missing was for her hair to cascade down her back freely. He longed to pick those pins out of her hair one by one, allowing those waves of chestnut brown to flow.
"I am glad you enjoyed yourself, my dear."
My dear?That was probably his own drink talking out of him. He allowed it. Perhaps it would provide him with the necessary courage that he so desperately needed tonight. In the carriage, he almost succumbed to the temptation to kiss her, but he quickly decided against it. Then, the moment was gone, and he regretted it. He did not want to lose another moment with her.
She rushed up the stairs, giggling. He quickly followed; his gaze pinned to her. She stopped at the top, looked down to see whether he was following, then once she was certain he was, she continued running toward the library. He had no idea what this game was, but he liked it. His heart raced as fast as his feet required him to do, until he was in the library, with her, with the doors closed.
She stared at him, a bright flame burning from those sky-blue eyes, beckoning him to come over. He walked over slowly, almost afraid that if he acted too quickly, this bubble would burst, and he would realize that this was all just a dream. Even if it was, he didn't want to wake up quite yet. He wanted to enjoy it for a few precious moments more.
When he finally stood in front of her, he felt her hand caress his cheek softly. "I had never been more proud to stand by someone's side than I was this evening," she told him. That was exactly what he needed to hear. Her words provided him with all the bravado that he needed, that had been lacking up until that point. He could not control himself any longer. The time for talking had finished.
He pressed his lips against hers, hungrily tasting her. He had been yearning to do this for so long. His hands were around her waist, pulling her close to him, so close that he was certain she could feel what she was doing to him. His entire body became a tangled sensation of nerves as this wonderful woman gave herself to him, moaning softly against his lips. The feeling was beyond any description in words.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him. She tasted like sherry, a ripe sweetness of the Spanish coasts. His tongue dived into the velvety caresses of her mouth, demanding more of her, demanding everything she had to give.
His desire was unquenchable. He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to stop himself from taking everything, while he knew that he needed to take him time. He needed to be gentle and slow with her, not take her with the speed of a hurricane. Desire exploded in his loins, reminding him of all the times he had taken himself into his hands, thinking of her, sleeping under the same roof, bathing between those four walls, her body naked as the day she was born. He could not think about that and not get aroused at the thought.
Now, she was in his arms, meowing like a little kitten, purring, wanting more. His hand slid upward slowly, ready to stop at any moment. He did not want to, but if she showed even the slightest reluctance, he would force himself to pull away from her. He would never do anything she didn't want him to do.
He cupped her breast with the palm of his hand. It fit perfectly. He longed to see the color of her nipples, whether they were a rosy pink or a darker shade of peach blossoms. He yearned to flick her nipple with his mouth, leaving it wet, then sucking it into his mouth completely. The thought made him even harder.
As the sight of her heavenly nipples graced his mind, he felt her bite at his lower lip, then gently tug at it. He never thought she had that in her. Then again, he should have expected it. She was not submissive in any part of her life, why would she be submissive in bed? He pulled away for a moment, only to stare at her intently. Her eyes were wide, dreamy, like two stars in the night sky. They were looking at him and him alone. No one else.
She smiled. It was a smile unlike any he had ever seen in a woman. Instead of soothing that sting between his legs, it only seemed to make it stronger, more prominent. He smiled back, diving into her again, kissing her with all the fervor he had in him.
His other hand slid down the small of her back, where he held her during their dance, only now, he went even lower. His tongue licked hers, sinking inside of her mouth. Kissing her felt electric. He had never kissed a woman quite like this before, and something told him he never again would.
He squeezed her bottom with his entire palm, which made her pull away for a moment, and giggle. She closed her eyes as she did so. It was such an endearing sound. He wanted to listen to that giggle every day for the rest of his life. This assured him that he was desperately, not just madly, in love with this woman, and he would do anything for her.
He buried his nose in her throat, as the remnants of her chuckle still filled the chamber. She was so soft, so silken. Everything about her was divine. It drove him insane. Even the taste of her neck was enough to drive him completely out of control. He would gladly relinquish it to her.
They stumbled backward, as he kept his eyes open for the proximity of a chaise lounge, or at least an armchair. Not that an armchair would help them much. He pressed her against the wall, and the minx lifted her leg in the air, wrapping it around his waist, keeping him closer. His manhood was pressing against her heavily, shielded by layers and layers of clothes that separated them.
