‘You never told me that!’
‘No, well, I thought you would be too shocked. However, Carlotta is a married lady now, and Julia almost a wife, so I doubt if there is any harm done.’
‘Quite the contrary,’ murmured Luke, casting another wicked glance at Carlotta, who blushed to the roots of her hair. She was relieved when James suggested they should leave Adele to rest, and they were shown to their own guest room.
‘James is quite the family man now,’ observed Luke when they were alone. ‘Marriage undoubtedly agrees with him.’
He watched Carlotta untie the ribbons of her bonnet and toss it aside, swiftly followed by her pelisse. As she stood with the light from the window behind her, he could see the curves of her body outlined through the thin muslin of her gown.
‘And what do you think of the state, my lord, now that you have had several months to sample it?’
He held out his arms and immediately she walked into them.
‘I think it agrees with me, too.’ He put his arms around her. Looking down into the dark eyes that gazed so trustingly up into his own, he felt his heart tighten—she was so damned irresistible. ‘No, it is not marriage,’ he said slowly, ‘it is you that agrees with me, cara.’
His mouth slid over hers and she responded immediately, her lips softening and her body leaning into him, arousing the desire that was never far away. He swept her up into his arms and carried her over to the bed.
‘Luke! We have only just arrived.’
‘No one will disturb us. I have locked the door.’
‘But will not James be expecting us?’ Her voice sounded husky, breathless—a sign that she wanted him, too.
‘No, love. He was going back to sit with Adele. We need not appear again until the dinner hour.’ He tugged gently at the ribbons securing her bodice. ‘You will be wanting to change your gown…’
They undressed each other slowly, taking pleasure in arousing each other in the ways they had learned during the passionate days and nights since their marriage.
‘With my body, I thee worship,’ Luke murmured as they continued with their sensual rituals until they reached the final, fulfilling climax, clinging together as their passion spilled over, a great wave of blinding, gasping exhilaration that left them both exhausted.
The spring day was coming to a close, the light fading. Soon they would be summoned to the dinner table. Luke raised himself on one elbow and looked at Carlotta. She was curled on her side, her hand cradling her cheek. He leaned over and kissed her.
‘It is time to get up, cara. Your maid will be banging on the door soon.’
A sleepy chuckle greeted his words. ‘She knows better than that.’ She sat up and reached for her wrap.
He heard her sigh. ‘Carlotta? What is it?’
‘I was thinking of Adele, and her fortune. I brought you so little…’
‘You cannot call your uncle’s ten thousand pounds a paltry sum!’
‘No, but he insisted upon so much of it being tied up in settlements and jointures.’
‘And quite rightly so. He is protecting you from the Wicked Baron.’
‘Were you ever really wicked?’
He grinned and pulled her back on to the bed. ‘No. I was more…. wild. But I am tamed now.’
‘Not completely, I hope.’
‘No, love, not completely.’
She wound her arms about his neck, sighing again, but this time with contentment. ‘I am so fortunate, so—so blessed—to have a man like you, who loves me so much. It is the best feeling in the world to be so beloved.’
Luke’s heart swelled at these words. He held her even tighter. ‘And I intend that you shall continue to feel beloved,’ he murmured as he prepared to kiss her again. ‘For ever.’
ISBN: 978-1-4268-3148-5
THE WICKED BARON
Copyright © 2009 by Sarah Mallory
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