Just One Kiss (17 page)

“No, I didn’t say that I was.
I had to grow up,” she admitted quietly.

“What does that mean, Daphne?”

“I think it means,” she said slowly, “that we have to get to know each other again.”

Or for the first time even…
Edward silently amended.  Really, all he had ever truly known about his wife was vague memories from when they had been children.

“All right,” he nodded, that didn’t sound so terrible after all.  “Tell me something then,” he grinned.  “Something that a husband should know.”

“Such as?” Daphne giggled.

Edward gave his shoulders a thoughtful shrug.  “Something simple to start with, something you like,”
he mused playfully.  “Your favo
rite
color
?  I’m sure I should know that.”

“Well, I’m rather partial to pink,” Daphne confessed, and Edward thought that it was a perfect answer, given that ‘pink’ was definitely the current shade of her cheeks.  There was a spark of brightness in his wife’s eyes again now too, and it made Edward’s heart light to see it.

“Splendid,” Edward grinned.  “I shall ensure that I never forget it.”

Daphne nodded and giggled.  “And you?”

“I am not overly partial to pink, I must confess,” Edward said seriously.  “It really doesn’t suit me too well,” he added with a straight face that made Daphne laugh even harder.

“Oh Edward, play properly!” she giggled.  “Tell me something that you like?” she beamed.

I like it when you laugh…
the words almost slipped off Edward’s tongue, but he held them back, too afraid that they might break the suddenly happy and light atmosphere that had washed over them both.

“I like,” he began thoughtfully, and then a wistful look crossed his face.  “I like riding across the meadows back at Packwood, and fishing in the trout stream, and I like reading in the kitchen gardens where you can smell the herbs,” he chuckled.  “Cook was forever scolding me for trampling her parsley when I was a boy.”

“You like it there, more than here?” Daphne asked curiously.  “We could go back if you do, couldn’t we?”

“Perhaps,” he said, but didn’t commit to anything.  He sat down on the sofa and patted the seat beside him.  “But you owe me two more likes, I gave you three,” he grinned.

“I like it when it rains, ooh, I know,” she said, sitting down.  “I love it when it thunders and you’re all safe and
cozy
inside,” she smiled, but then started and chewed her bottom lip when she caught sight of Edward frowning.

“I hate thunder,” he said quietly.  “It reminds me of cannon fire.”

“I’m sorry,” Daphne breathed quickly.  She reached out to stroke his hand.  Edward was surprised how much comfort he gleaned from the fleeting little touch.  He curled his fingers around her own, not letting her draw back now that he had her close.  “I didn’t think.  I-”

“There’s no reason why you should have,” he said, as carelessly as he could manage.  Edward lifted Daphne’s hand to his lips and dotted a kiss against her knuckles, unwilling to let, what had been, such a lovely, happy moment, pass them by.  “You still owe me one more of your likes,” he teased gently.

Daphne shot him a small smile, which slowly widened, as if she too had been fearfully aware of how close they had come to losing their newfound ease and comfort.

“I-” she began, and the flush that rushed into her cheeks caught Edward’s interest.

“You?” he prompted, dying to know what thought could have brought such a glow to his wife’s skin.

“I like,” Daphne began again.  Her blush didn’t lessen, if anything it increased.  “I like your kisses,” she whispered a little breathlessly.  Edward grinned, and wondered if that meant he was allowed to steal one now.

“I like your kisses too,” he purred, leaning closer to sample the delights of Daphne’s lips.  Only, his wife laid a finger against his mouth and smiled sweetly.

“I don’t think you’re allowed to steal my like, Lord Coventry,” she teased, giggling as her husband caught her wrist and laid a searing little kiss against the pulse point in her wrist.

“You mean I have to come up with my own idea?” he asked wickedly, eyes racking hungrily over Daphne’s delectable form.  “In that case I like-” but he stopped himself deliberately.  “Well, I could show you what I like if you’d rather?” he murmured, breathing into her ear hotly.

“Could you?” Daphne sighed breathlessly.

“Oh I definitely could,” Edward assured her huskily.

“And, will I like it?” she asked, giving her eyelashes a coy little flutter that sent Edward’s blood pounding through his body.

“Why don’t we go upstairs and you can tell me exactly what you like?” he whispered.

“Again?” Daphne half giggled, half gasped.  “Edward,” she murmured.  She leant a little closer to him and Edward felt his body tighten in response.  “Is it normal to- I mean, do all couples-
you know
- quite so often-?” she asked awkwardly.  The
color
flooded back to her cheeks.

Edward chuckled with laughter.  “Well the ones that don’t definitely should!” he grinned. 

He hooked a finger under Daphne’s chin, tilting her head to best angle her lips to be ravished.  Six years of kisses he
had missed, that was.
Edward shuddered, that was over two thousand nights that he had wasted!  He had a great deal of lost time to make up for!

Daphne parted her lips almost instantly to welcome the slick invasion of Edward’s tongue.  He gently probed her mouth, exploring the sweet hollow with a slow languid care that his wife found completely intoxicating.  She moved her hands to his shoulders clutching him close as her body tingled responsively to Edward’s touch.

“Upstairs, Daff,” Edward murmured thickly.

Chapter 17

Daphne gave her head a slow heavy nod.  She tried to make a move to stand up, but instead, Edward swept her into his arms, lifting her clean off her feet.

“Edward!” she gasped, senses knocked askew as she found herself wrapped in her husband’s strong embrace.  “The servants will see!” she squealed.

“So let them see,” he chuckled darkly.  “They must surely know after all.”

Daphne didn’t think that her cheeks
could possible burn any hotter,
and she was reminded again of what had
the night before
.  Was this really all her marriage amounted to after all?

“Edward, wait,” she whispered, and something in her voice mus
t have been serious enough to gi
ve her husband pause.  “I- I can’t do this now,” she whimpered, forcing the words out difficultly.

Edward frowned, but he put her back down.  Concern was the dominant emotion in his eyes at present, but there was anger lurking there too, and once he knew why she was refusing him Daphne suspected that the anger would win out.

“Why not?” he pressed, keeping an arm locked around her waist.  “Did I… hurt you earlier?” he asked guiltily.  Daphne shook her head quickly.  “Then is it- are you-” he stammered awkwardly.  Daphne could scarcely bel
ieve it as a faint hint of blush
touched Edward’s cheeks.  “You
know
,” he sighed with a s
mall cringe, and this time colo
r rose in Daphne’s cheeks.

“Oh no, it’s not that either!” she said hurriedly.  Really, she was sure that there were certain things that one did not discuss with one’s husband- her monthly courses
certainly
being one of them!

“Then
what
is the matter?” Edward growled.  As Daphne had anticipated, the concern had dimmed, replaced by a disgruntled and frustrated anger.

“Why do you want to?” Daphne blurted, in one breath, so that it came out more like:
whyd’youwantto? 
Edward frowned, and didn’t have any luck trying to decipher what had just been spluttered at him, so to her humiliation Daphne was forced to repeat herself.

Edward started to choke.  “I would have thought that was obvious!” he barked.

Daphne nodded sadly.  “You want to get me with child so that then you’ll have your heir.”

Edward didn’t choke this time, but he did gape at her rather unnervingly.  His jaw opened and shut several times, but no words came out, at least not until he managed to splutter: “
That’s
why you think I want you in my bed?”

Daphne looked up at him in puzzlement.  “But that’s what you said you wanted when you came back.  You said that you wanted me to bear you a son,” she nodded.

“Daff,” Edward croaked. 

He really didn’t look too well Daphne
realize
d, and she began to chew her bottom lip anxiously.  “Do you want to sit down?” she asked him nervously.  Daphne was sure that Edward muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like –
I think I need to lie down,
but when she asked him to repeat himself he refused.

Edward cleared his throat, and Daphne waited exp
ectantly for him to speak.  “Has
n’t it occurred to you that men and women might engage in- might make love because they simply enjoy it?” he said difficultly.

“Well, of course,” Daphne nodded sensibly.  She was sure that was why so many foolish young girls got themselves in trouble, and really, she wasn’t opposed to finding merely pleasure in Edward’s arms… “But you said-” she began again, only her husband interrupted her.

“I know! 
I know
what I said,” Edward ground out the words, catching his wife a little off guard by his harshness.  “But Daff!” he groaned torturously.  “You have to see- you have to know, that I want so much more than that from you, don’t you?”

“You do?” she gasped, eyes widening hopefully as she took a small step forward.  “What else do you want, Edward?” she breathed.

Damn
.  He didn’t know
. A
t least, Edward didn’t think he could put it all into words yet.  He wanted… “Everything,” he whispered, catching
hold of
Daphne
again
and pulling her close.  “I want everything from you, Daff,” he puffed, sensing that this had been exactly the right thing to say.

Chapter 18

Edward woke the next morning,
and reached
for his wife
only to find that he was lying in bed alone.  He jolted, sat up straight, and scanned the room quickly, relieved, if frustrated, to find that Daphne was sitting at her dressing table.  He frowned, when he
realize
d that she was already fully dressed with her hair perfectly
styled
.

“Ah good, you’re awake,” Daphne said brightly, catching sight of her husband’s moving reflection in her mirror.

“Come back to bed, Daff,” Edward purred huskily, his voice rough with sleep.  He hoped, rather than believed, that she might obey.

“Edward, it’s Sunday!” she scolded, although her husband took a morsel of comfort from the fact that a rather delightful blush had risen to Daphne’s cheeks.  “We have to leave for church.”

“Church?” Edward choked.  His hand had been wandering beneath the cover, intent on delivering the relief that Daphne seemed determined to deny.  His fingers immediately froze in their pursuit however.  He never went to church when he was in London – usually owing to the fact that Saturday night would have been spent at White’s or somewhere similar, and Sunday morning was needed to recover.

“Edward,” Daphne smiled, turning on her stool to look at him.  “You sound just like a sulking little boy!  Now, I’m going to go down for breakfast, you may get dressed and meet me downstairs in half an hour when we’re leaving.”