Page 126 of Bound to the Heartless Duke
“I love you,” she repeated, the words muffled against his chest. “I love you so much, I can hardly breathe.”
He pulled back just enough to look at her. Her cheeks were wet now, but she was smiling. Glowing.
And then he kissed her. Not like before. Not with hunger or desperation. But slowly. Deeply. With the certainty of a man who had found the one thing he had never thought he could have.
Their lips met again and again, with soft sighs and breathless moans, until he scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the bed.
There was no urgency or chaos. Just two people who had fought the world to find each other. Two people who were finally winning.
Wrapped in his arms, Lily whispered against his skin, “You were right.”
“About what?” he murmured, his teeth taking turns nipping her fingers.
“It wasn’t duty that brought love.”
He kissed her temple.
“It was love all along.”
EPILOGUE
ONE YEAR LATER
The wind carried the scent of late-summer roses through the open terrace doors. It brushed the silk curtains, caressing the garden below.
The day was beautiful, sunlight spilling across the drawing room at Blackmore Manor. And amidst it all, as though the world had been created for their delight alone, stood Lily and Magnus.
“Do you suppose they’ll arrive on time?” Lily asked, her fingers lightly brushing over the lace trim of her neckline, then drifting to the small pendant Magnus had gifted her on her last birthday.
She wore lavender silk, the color of twilight violets, and her cheeks were flushed with the contentment of a woman both adored and deeply in love.
Magnus stood just behind her, one arm wrapped around her waist as though it had never quite learned how to let go. Hepressed a kiss to the side of her neck, his breath warming her skin.
“I should think the Dukes and Duchesses of the realm are not known for their punctuality,” he murmured, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “But I daresay we are prepared to receive them whenever they deign to arrive.”
Lily laughed, the sound like a bell on a spring morning. “You only say that because you’ve already sampled three of Cook’s tarts since she brought them up from the kitchen.”
“I was merely ensuring the quality of the food,” he replied innocently, his lips finding her temple. “Though I admit, I much prefer you in this state, smiling softly in my arms. One year of marriage and you’ve made this house into something I never believed I deserved.”
He remembered how she had partnered with Mrs. Gunther and renovated the manor. Now, Blackmore Manor wasn’t so ‘black’; it was filled with color and light that could make one feel merry.
She turned in his embrace, and her hands moved to cup his cheek, her expression melting into something soft and radiant.
“And you, Magnus Wyndham, have made this house a home. You’ve filled it with laughter and music and maddeningly warm glances that make it impossible for me to think of anything but you.”
He caught her hand and kissed her palm. “Then my purpose is fulfilled.”
Their moment was interrupted by a polite knock.
The butler entered, bearing a letter on a silver tray. “This just arrived, Your Grace. Urgent, delivered by express messenger.”
Magnus furrowed his brow. “Thank you, Hastings.”
Once the butler had left the room, Lily watched as he broke the wax seal and scanned the page. She also noticed the way his mood changes as he read the letter. The stubborn furrow of his brow when he concentrated on matters concerning his business appeared and his jaw tightened warning ter that there were no god tidings to be found on that paper.
“Well?” she prompted, her voice light. “Good news, I hope?”
Magnus looked up, exhaling slowly. “It’s from an associate in the Colonies. The final sum we agreed upon has been received.”
