Reason to Wed (The Distinguished Rogues Book 7) (18 page)
Read Reason to Wed (The Distinguished Rogues Book 7) Online
Authors: Heather Boyd
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Genre Fiction, #Historical, #Romance, #Victorian, #Regency, #Historical Fiction, #Historical Romance
“Oh, there will be more, I assure you.” The wishing tree had wrought miracles. He leaned close to kiss her belly then let his hands slide lower over her thighs. “The moment I saw you today, I wanted to make love to you. Desperately. We were meant for each other. I’ve felt this way every time you’ve left my arms.”
Her fingers curled under his chin and she lifted his face to hers, delaying his wish to give her every imaginable pleasure with his tongue and mouth. “And I feel the same for you. It is the most disconcerting feeling. We have been enemies for so long.”
He stood and rubbed his nose against hers. “Friendly enemies, clever girl. I have never hated you, even when you were giving me a proper set down.”
She laughed then. “I will have to learn to curb my tongue as you must learn to heed my suggestions. Some of them. Most of them.”
“I will try if you will. You’ll of course share my bed most nights of our marriage.” He winced at how pompous that sounded. “I am sure you believe that’s another example of my arrogance, but it is going to be an absolute necessity you must accept here and now.”
“Why is that?” She frowned.
He pressed his head to hers. “I’m liable to come looking for you in my sleep. You have no idea the difficulties my staff have faced in keeping me contained these past months. Being woken by a bucket of very cold water thrown in my face, in the middle of the night, halfway to the stables because my sleeping self has discovered how to pick a common lock, is not something I care to repeat too often.”
“That must have been embarrassing.” Her eyes widened. “Do you realize you never so much as twitched in sleep when we shared a bed?”
“Well, I had what I wanted most within reach then. Why would I wander when I had you in my arms?” He brushed his fingers over her cheek, loving her even more than he thought possible. “Now, onward to important matters. Can we make love today? I have no notion of how things must be done with a woman in your condition.”
“Much the same, I’m told.” She laughed suddenly. “So, there is to be no further discussion of our marriage? You just expect me to comply with your demands?”
Richard left Esme and locked the door for privacy. As he returned, he stripped himself of his jacket, waistcoat, cravat, and pulled his shirt over his head. Hearing Esme’s moan of appreciation for the view of his skin made him happier still. He tossed everything aside carelessly and covered Esme as she slithered into a more comfortable position. He kept his weight suspended lest he crush her. “No demands but that you marry me, and as soon as possible please. I have learned my lesson. The only thing I know for certain anymore is that you’re the one I want. The rest I leave to you to manage.”
Esme burst out laughing and twined her arms about his neck, holding him firmly against a body he ached to feel bare against his once more. “I never intended to be the one you married,” she confessed. “But I’ve not even felt desire for another man since our last night together.”
“It’s that blasted tree,” he complained. “Turns a man into a lapdog and women into willing puppets.”
“It wasn’t the tree,” she whispered. “It was the way you wanted me. I loved that. I love
you
.”
He grinned at her words.
“Now for the last piece of the puzzle,” she asked. “Did you hate tying me up?”
“Absolutely. I won’t ever do it again.” He grinned, remembering that night in the woods. “I like your hands on me too. And I’ll have you know I have kept to your rules. I’ve considered myself a married man since your ravishment at the base of the wishing tree. I have been entirely faithful, both in thought and in deed, since our first kiss.”
“Just as well.” Her lips turned up at the corners. “I won’t share you with anyone.”
“You will never have to.” He bent his head and licked the plump swell of her lower lip before indulging in a leisurely kiss that made them both very restless on the chaise. “You are the only woman I want in my life and my bed. You’d better get used to being adored.”
Esme’s smile widened, her eyes filling with new tears. But they were tears of joy this time. And of happiness, he hoped. “Oh, I think I can accept that as my due. But you’ll have to be very thorough, indeed, to reassure me in my delicate condition.”
He framed her face with both hands. His joy was barely contained. Emotion clogged his throat and when he spoke next, his voice was a rough whisper. “Trust me, I have nothing else on my mind, awake or sleeping, other than you. My one and only love, forevermore.”
Epilogue
“Richard,” Esme Hill, Countess of Windermere, bellowed at the top of her lungs. “Where have you taken our son?”
Richard launched to his feet and stared at his wife in shock as she appeared in the library doorway. “Good God, woman, you’ve just given birth. What are you doing out of bed?”
“I feel fine and the birth was yesterday.” She glanced around the room. “So where is he?”
After their first child’s rocky beginning, motherhood had come easily to Esme. It was a relief and a little alarming
how
well, actually. He’d hoped for an heir—just one son to carry on the Hill legacy and prevent the title from passing to his nosey cousin. He’d received far more than he’d bargained for with Esme as his wife.
“Hiding.” He sank back down, knowing there were certain things he could argue with Esme about and other things that were not worth drawing breath for. Her health after laboring to deliver their children being one topic she refused to discuss with him. Ever. “I’m not to look for him until the clock strikes the hour.”
She set her hands to her hips and glared. “I expect him to be returned to the nursery in the next half hour. He’s to take a bath and that’s final.”
“Yes, my dear.” He tilted his head to the side and smiled at his wife. God, she was lovely when she was annoyed with him. Six years married and he was still in love with the most fascinating woman he’d ever met. And desirable. He had weeks of abstinence ahead and then he could make love to her again. He hated waiting. “I love you, clever girl.”
She scowled. “I love you too; just don’t think seductive smiles like that are enough to appease me today. Your son has a woodsy odor about him from this morning’s play outside.”
He grinned. “He has to learn everything if he’s to run this place once day. Mucking out the stables didn’t hurt him. That’s what my father did to me too. I turned out all right, didn’t I?”
She huffed. “You did, eventually.”
When she went on her way, he peeked under the table next to him and into two pairs of soft-blue eyes. “That was close, poppets. Mama didn’t know I’d abducted you too, or I’d be in double trouble.”
His two-year-old daughter Katie and four-year-old daughter Marie crawled from cover on hands and knees and then climbed onto his lap.
“Baby,” the youngest cooed happily.
He smoothed her hair and winced when he found a piece of straw in the blonde locks. No doubt from the game she and Marie had played among the fresh hay. Katie might be in need of a bath too before her mother saw her again, and was that a smudge of earth on Marie’s knee? He was going to pay for that later. “Yes, you’ll have a little brother to play with soon. Baby Alistair just needs to grow a bit, so we must be quiet together while we wait until he’s bigger.”
Marie leaned into his chest, but then stretched to pull her sister’s thumb from the girl’s mouth. “I want to hold him again.”
Not a request but a demand. Marie was so like Esme in some respects that he grinned. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“And me too.” Six-year-old Robert poked his head out of the cupboard he’d been hiding in, joining in with the idea. “Since Mama isn’t resting anymore, can we go and see our new brother?”
“Can you be quiet as little mice?”
They all nodded.
“Can you not tell Mama about it later?”
They shook their heads and appeared sad about that fact that no matter what they promised, one stern look from their mother had them confessing to anything and everything.
He laughed. “Probably for the best.”
A movement at the door caught his eye and when he looked in that direction, he discovered Esme standing there, watching him and their children plot against her. She shook her head, soft-blue eyes brimming with laughter.
“Always one step ahead of me,” he complained.
“Someone has to be,” she answered back immediately, looking extremely amused.
He stood, taking Katie into his arms and holding out his hand to Marie, and addressed the children. “Never does pay to keep anything from Mama because she’ll always find out what we’re up to. Come, it’s time for your baths and then we’ll make Mama take us to see Alistair so we don’t all get in trouble, should we wake the baby.”
He led them toward Esme, arms and heart full of love. He kissed his wife because he never could tire of showing her how much he adored her. He had a family he cherished to be sure, but only because one woman had made his life complete and had found a compelling enough reason to wed him in the end—love.
Until next time.
Thank you so much for reading Reason to Wed. I hope you enjoyed this new instalment in the Distinguished Rogues series! Please consider leaving a review—either positive or negative. Reviews help others find a book that’s right for them. ~
Heather
About Heather
Bestselling historical author Heather Boyd believes every character she creates deserves their own happily-ever-after, no matter how much trouble she puts them through. With that goal in mind, she weaves sizzling English set love stories that push the boundaries of regency era propriety to keep readers enthralled until the wee hours of the morning. Brimming with new ideas, she frequently wishes she could type as fast as she conjures new storylines. While writing full time north of Sydney, Australia, Heather collects dust bunnies in all corners of the house and does her best to wrangle her testosterone-fuelled family into submission.
Heather loves chatting to readers, so please catch up with her online:
Or join her
mailing list
to receive new book release alerts.
Also by Heather Boyd
The Distinguished Rogues Series:
The Distinguished Rogues Boxed Set – Part 1
The Wild Randalls Series:
Miss Mayhem Series:
The Hunt Club Series:
The Hunt Club Boxed Set – Part 1
Erotic Romance:
Table of Contents