by Lisa Campell
Edward released a ragged breath as he nodded.
“What is any man’s life without children to call his own? I am a duke. Who will inherit the title that has been in my family for centuries? To whom would I give all that has now become mine? Passed down through generations? But more than that, how could I condemn you to a childless marriage?”
He shook his head. “You always spoke about how you wanted to have many children running around the house, as you were an only child. I knew it was your heart’s desire. I could no longer give this to you. So, I decided it would be wicked to stop you from having it with another man. I returned to London, putting an end to my wish to become your husband, to build a family with you.”
“A dream you’d dreamed for over a decade,” Caroline repeated.
Edward nodded. “Aye.”
“Even before you left for the war?”
He cradled her face with both hands then. “I told you, Caroline. I have loved you from the very start. I could have been no more than eleven summers when I knew I would make you my wife.”
Caroline chuckled as more tears poured from her eyes. “If only you knew how long I have waited to hear you say that. How desperately I wanted to hear it, to hear that you love me.”
“I love you.”
Her heart jumped in her chest and she knew she would never tire of hearing those words fall from his lips.
She cried even harder. “Oh Edward, you have been through so much. You did not have to suffer alone. I know it is not an easy thing to tell anyone, but you should have told me. We would have been saved a lot of heartache.”
“You mean you still want me? Regardless?”
Caroline chuckled again. “You fool! I wanted to have all those children with you. Only you! Even if we can’t have them, I still want to be your wife. You said you knew when you were eleven. I knew from the moment I first set my eyes upon you. I knew there would be no one else for me. There couldn’t be. Children, riches… none of those matter as long as I’m with you. Don’t you realize? You’re all I care about, Edward. You’re all I want. All I’ve ever wanted. Heavens! I love you so much, I cannot even begin to say how much.”
“Say it again.” His voice was filled with awe, as though he couldn’t believe his ears.
Caroline smiled up at him. “I love you, Edward Brandon, Duke of Darkwood. With all of my heart, for all of my days.”
“Does that mean you forgive me? For everything?”
“Well, it will take a while,” she jested, face scrunched. “However, I am certainly willing to consider it.”
“At least tell me you will return to London with me? I came to take you home, where you belong.”
Return to London. Home. Yes.
“That, too, I will give some thought to. You shall have your answers in a few days, so I believe you’ll have to wait.”
He smiled at her for the first time that evening. It was a sight she knew she would never forget.
“I would wait an eternity for you, Caroline. I swear it.”
Those words were music to her soul. Before she could say anything, he got to his feet and picked her up from the ground, into his arms.
A yelp broke free from her lips as she held on steadfastly to him.
She looked at him, eyes filled with question.
“My wife shouldn’t be sitting at my feet,” he explained.
His words would have calmed her, but her heart wouldn’t stop thudding hard. Something had changed. The air had shifted and she was suddenly more aware of him.
His masculine scent, the sharp lines of his chin, his broad shoulders, those blue eyes she could stare into for the rest of her days.
To say she was happy was an understatement. She was beyond thrilled. Even though she had hoped this day would come, she couldn’t have envisioned it to be so beautiful, so perfect.
Edward loved her. He had said so himself.
She finally knew why he had done all of those things. He had simply been scared.
She had meant every word she had said. It changed nothing. She would love him still, even more. As for children… there were many who needed parents. If he was open to it, she was ready to adopt.
She pulled herself out of her thoughts when she felt soft sheets beneath her.
She held his gaze as he continued to lower her on to the bed. The moment was so precious, and it made her think scandalous thought.
Was tonight finally the night? It only seemed right, after the ordeal they had just experienced.
As though he could hear her thoughts, he said, “Never worry. I am only going to put you to bed.”
Caroline had to hide her disappointment. He left her side as soon as he saw her settled in and she immediately mourned the loss of his warmth.
He returned almost immediately with a handkerchief in hand.
Slowly, he dried her face. “I have always hated to see you cry. It makes my heart ache every time,” he said.
His words made her own heart ache, though sweetly.
“I’m sorry for causing you pain. For making you cry so much. If you decide to forgive me, I would not be foolish enough to delude myself into believing it is because I am worthy. I know I do not deserve it, or your affections. Not after all that I have put you through. I could never hope to redo the past. Nevertheless, as a wise person once told me, I do hope to make the best of the present and to ensure that for the rest of my life, I only ever give you reasons to smile.”
The butterflies in her belly fluttered harder than ever before.
“What if I cry tears of joy?”
His lips widened in a grin. “I suppose those are allowed.”
He turned away to place the handkerchief on her vanity, and she used the opportunity to sit up.
There was no way she was letting him leave her that night. Too much time had passed already.
She saw him mask his surprise as he turned back to her.
“Good night, Caroline. Have a wonderful rest.”
He started to rise to go but she held on to his hand, stopping him. Their eyes met and held, and she knew he knew what she was about to do.
She could tell he wanted it, too.
Slowly, she nodded.
It’s alright. We can.
He must have heard those words because the next moment, he was drawing her close and crushing his lips against her in a soul-wrenching kiss.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Caroline burned all over. His kisses did that to her. It felt like an eternity since she had last tasted those lips. She must have been starving without realizing it. From the way he kissed her in return, she could tell he was just as hungry.
Her hands went around his neck, twisting in place. When he pried her mouth opened with his tongue, she obeyed swiftly, letting him in.
A soft moan sounded in the depth of her throat when her tongue entwined with his, and she sighed into his mouth.
She had never tasted anything so delicious. She could kiss him forever and never tire.
His hand on the back of her nape pressed tighter, drawing her even closer as he angled her head to deepen his kiss. His other hand was lost in her hair, massaging her scalp in that delicate way that made her want to sing.
She was taken back to that night in his chamber. Memories of the pleasure he had brought her flooded her mind and her appetite grew. She wanted it all and more.
Shifting closer into him, she nibbled his lips and licked.
Joy filled her as she heard him hiss.
“Lin…” It was a warning. One she was all the more eager to ignore.
So, she bit him again, nibbling this time.
A low growl sounded in her ears—it thrilled her. She absolutely loved it when she elicited such responses from him.
His hands left her hair and nape then, starting to roam. Slowly, they ran down her body in a smooth caress, making her lady parts throb when they grazed over her breasts.
Would he kiss her there like he had the last time? She certainly hoped
he would.
Just then, he began to lower her into the bed. As he did, her knees brushed against his engorged member. A delicious tremble wracked through her body, especially when she heard his sharp intake of breath.
A wicked thought came to her mind then, and she decided two of them could do the roaming. Slowly, she began to move her hands, feeling the muscles beneath his clothing.
Needing him to be as free of them as she was, she made to take off his waistcoat. He obliged, pausing the kiss to shrug it off.
Then, there was only the thin shirt between her hands and his body.
Great!
He felt wonderful, so wonderful beneath her palms. She could feel rough edges meshed into sweet ones and she wondered if later, he would let her look at the scars he must have, if she could count them, one after the other.
“Lin, you have no idea what you do to me.”
She was pleased to hear this, elated.
Her hands got to his trouser band then, and ever so deviously, she went even lower until she could touch his manhood.
His growl was the loudest she had ever heard.
“Caroline…” he sounded like he was under great strain. She could tell he was barely holding it together. Well, she didn’t want him to.
“If you keep that up, this will be over before it begins.”
She had never felt so thrilled by a threat before. Her lady parts throbbed harder, aching with need. She could feel her folds begin to grow moist. The urge to press her thighs together was almost too great to resist.
Edward kissed her harder and she met him, tongue for tongue.
When she grazed her fingers over his member again, he tore his lips away, breaking the kiss.
Saying nothing, he got to ridding her of her clothing. Before she realized what was going on, she was lying naked beneath him.
Chest heaving, he stood on his knee, looking down at her.
His eyes had turned dark with desire and she could see the bulge of his manhood.
“Heavens! You’re utterly beautiful, Caroline. How did I manage to keep my hands to myself for so long? How did I survive being away from you all this time? You should have been in my arms every night, being loved and ravished by me.”
She flushed, warmth creeping to her cheeks.
“We still have time.” It was a whisper, but he heard it regardless.
“Aye. That we do.”
He began to worship her then, with his lips and hands. He started from her ears, down to her neck, then the hollow of her throat. He continued like that until he reached the creamy swell of flesh on her chest.
Like he had done that first night, he plucked one rose-pink bud into his mouth and his hand covered the other twin.
Caroline gasped as sensations assaulted her. She jumped, arching further into him, her moan filling the air.
It felt even better than she remembered. His mouth, his tongue, his hand.
It was clear he knew what he was doing.
He continued to suck her breast, rubbing and kneading its twin with his hand.
There were no words to describe the feeling. All she knew was that she couldn’t get enough. She lost the resistance, squeezing her thighs tightly together.
The delicious pleasure it sent through her body made her not want to ever stop.
“Edward!” she cried when his mouth moved to the other twin.
“Yes, my love. Sing for me. Fill my ears with your melody.”
Caroline did just that, writhing and squirming beneath him.
Finally, he pulled away from her breasts and she sighed. She was torn between missing him and being able to catch her breath.
She wasn’t able to do the latter for long. He continued to kiss his way down until he reached her waist, stopping atop the forest of hair.
Just having his lips there made her feel like melted butter.
“Edward?” she called, wondering what he meant to do.
She received her answer when he parted her thighs and settled his face between them.
She went taut, unable to believe what was happening.
“Edward!” It couldn’t be, could it? Surely it was not possible.
Her mind went numb as she felt the first flick of tongue against her folds.
Her eyes shut closed and something came undone in her body.
It came again, the flick. Awe filled her.
Does he know what he’s doing? How is this possible?
She didn’t think that was a place to put one’s mouth, but he knew better than her, did he not?
“Relax your body, Caroline,” she heard him say, pulling her out of her thoughts. “I’ll take care of you, I promise. Do you trust me?”
Just like that, her questions vanished, and she found herself going languid, surrendering entirely to him.
Holding her thighs open with his hands, he began to properly devour her.
Caroline soon realized that she had been wrong. His kisses weren’t the most delicious thing she had ever experienced. This was—though she supposed one could still call this a kiss.
She couldn’t stop writhing, couldn’t stop moaning. Her eyes remained shut and fireworks kept going off.
There was not one coherent thought in her mind. It was impossible to think of anything else other than what he was doing to her and the glorious way he made her feel.
He flicked and licked, suckled and nibbled, and just when she thought she had experienced it all, he stuck his tongue into her entrance and began to thrust.
“Edward!” she cried.
It was starting again. It had happened the last time, when he had his fingers inside of her. She had felt her entire body reaching for something she couldn’t quite understand.
It was like a climb. The more he worshipped her with his tongue, the higher she went.
Suddenly, all the pleasure she felt began to gather. One more nibble, one more flick and she couldn’t take it anymore. She came undone, falling from the height she had reached.
All the sensation that had gathered erupted in beautiful golden flames, spreading through her body.
It was spectacular, nothing short of that. As she caught her breath, she realized that she suddenly felt tired. Yet it was not the end. It could not be.
She wanted to feel him inside of her. She would not wait another night.
“Edward, please…” she pleaded as he rose to his feet.
She didn’t need to say more. Before her eyes, he undid his trousers. When they fell to reveal his huge member, those eyes widened.
“Surely that will not fit. Will it?” she asked with furrowed boys.
His response was an indulgent chuckle. “I assure you, my dear wife, it will fit very well. Simply leave it to me. I said I would take care of you, did I not?”
She nodded.
“And you trust me?”
She nodded once more. “With all my heart.”
“Then, my lovely Lin, let me teach you the ways of a man and woman.”
With those words, he settled between her legs and poised himself at her entrance.
“You only need say stop if it hurts too much.”
She nodded. She had heard the first time was always difficult, painful. She knew she could trust Edward to be gentle with her.
“I’m ready,” she said.
“Are you certain?”
“Yes. Take me. Now.”
It was all the encouragement he needed. Slowly, he began to ease into her.
Caroline winced, frowning at the intrusion. It was not beginning to hurt yet, but she could feel the discomfort.
Would he truly fit?
He continued to enter her, moving ever so slowly. So slow it was almost torturous.
The deeper he went, the more her discomfort grew, to the point where it started to hurt. She froze then, growing taut.
“Edward, I don’t think this will work.”
Immediately, he started to ease out of her, but she held on to him, stopping him.
She swallow
ed hard. “It will have to happen at some point. Best get it over with now.”