Page 32 of A Scandal Before Christmas
His features softened, his gaze turning molten. “Never, darling. Never surrender. I will not have you on your knees for me. I will not have you as anything other than what you are—fierce, stubborn, loyal, and smart enough to make me see how wrong I’ve been.”
Sinking onto the bed, Theodore took her by the shoulders, his long fingers gently caressing her flesh as he stared at her. “Do you truly mean what you said? That you love me?”
“I’ve never stopped.” Lauren inched closer, reveling in the heat of his body. Intoxicating and lavish, it radiated from him in waves. It left her drowsy and yet embroiled in a heightened sense of awareness. The broad expanse of his chest beckoned for her fingers, calling for exploration, and the palms of her hands twitched with restless hunger, ready to smooth across the muscles hidden beneath the white cambric shirt. “I’ve always loved you. I always will.”
Theodore slid his hands down her arms until both her hands were captured in his, the mistletoe crushed. Leaning forward, his forehead touched hers as he swore a hoarse vow.
“I love you, Lauren. I want to marry you. Take care of you. Give you half a dozen babies, all blessed with your gorgeous eyes, and watch them with you as they grow up. I want to squabble with you about insignificant things, then make amends by covering you head to toe with kisses. I want to grow old and grey with you, knowing we’ll spend eternity together side by side.”
Lauren laughed, a little sob escaping at the same time. “Yes, Theodore. I want that, too. All that and more.”
“Anything for you, my love. Anything.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “I have one secret to confess, one I should have revealed sooner. Our mothers conspired to bring us together here. For different reasons than our fathers, I think, but a conspiracy nonetheless. Does this change how you feel about us?”
“I already know, and I cannot fault them. They love us both very much and only want to see us happy.” Her lips parted as she gazed up at him, and without even realizing it, she willed him to kiss her. To take her mouth and shape it to his own. To own her breath and breathe his into her lungs. To claim her soul, body, and heart.
“I hope you agree an elopement is in our immediate future.” He kissed Lauren so softly it wrung a moan from deep within her chest. “If I could marry you this very moment, I would.”
“Will you kiss me instead, Theo? Will you make love to me?”
A wicked grin curved Theodore’s lips until he resembled a hungry wolf. “When you are in truth my wife, we shall make love until we both collapse.”
“I do not want to wait. I want you now.”
“Unwise, my love.” He chuckled at her eagerness, and Lauren wanted to stomp her foot that he wasn’t taking her seriously.
“Make love to me tonight and marry me tomorrow,” she demanded. “The mistletoe is supposed to make you compliant.”
Sobering, Theodore smoothed a stray wasp of hair from her brow and tucked it behind her ear. “I am easily commanded by you. Always. But I won’t dishonor you before we wed.”
“And if I demand a truth, a favor, or a kiss?”
“I would grant all three.” Cupping her stubborn chin, he brushed his mouth over hers.
“Then let us begin with a favor,” Lauren murmured. “Remove your clothing.”
Chapter 17
Theodore shook his head.
“I’ll not take your virginity here, and not before we are man and wife.”
Lauren’s head tilted. “A momentary bit of pain. A spot of blood. I am already yours in my heart. The time and place matters little to me with the exception that it be here and now, Theo. If you worry that you may hurt me, you do so needlessly. I know what to expect.”
“So, now you attempt to ease my apprehensions,” he mused. “How can you possibly know the full extent of what I will do if your demands are met?”
A tiny smile lifted the corners of her lips. “Mother provided some details during the time we were engaged. Penelope answered even more of my questions earlier tonight.”
Theodore was slightly stunned Lauren’s cousin would knowingly contribute to her deflowering under the viscount’s roof. But then again, Penelope and George had their own rather scandalous beginning to their marriage. After carrying on a secret love affair under the very nose of Penelope’s uninterested fiancé and her parents, the two of them had eloped to Gretna Green.
Lauren sensed his wavering resoluteness. Moving closer, she brought her arms up so they looped around his neck. “This is what I want, Theo. It is what you want, too.” Her eyes, so warmly grey like the summer sun flashing on water, held his until he wondered if he might drown in their depths. “After everything, after all these months apart, isn’t our love worth whatwewant?”
Her fingers caressed his nape, lightly grazing the flesh, sifting through the strands of his hair, their mouths so close that his breath caught and mingled with hers. Theodore could not conceal the shudder of desire that raced through his body.
“Lauren…”
His shaky whisper was answer enough. With aching sweetness, Lauren closed the distance between them, her lips touching his gently at first and then with a growing hunger. Her tongue slipped into shy contact with his, retreated, then returned until Theodore met her plea, their mouths mating in an ancient dance.
It was a kiss so passionate, so heart-stopping and possessive, and so beautifully raw, it was quite possible that time stood still.
