Page 58 of The Matchmaker Meets her Duke
She could have sworn that he had fallen asleep beside her as well, but soon she felt the tips of his tongue teasing her neck as he nuzzled her shamelessly, and Pandora laughed.
"I could swallow you," he said.
"Icould swallow you," she said back.
"Let's not get competitive."
"Is it always like that?" she said, marveling at the heat and the passion that had just unfurled in these sheets. Her body felt sore, but deliciously, enthusiastically sore. Happily, giddily sore.
Emmett gathered her against him. "It's never like that," he said. Her mouth curved in the happiest and most delirious of smiles, and she planted this smile on his lip.
"I'm fairly certain I've wanted you since the moment that I saw you," he said.
"Only fairly, Your Grace?''
"Absolutely certain," he amended with a husky laugh.
"Does that include when we tumbled into that pit dug out of nowhere at my party?"
"Oh, especially then," he said, and it was her turn to laugh. Small, delicious aftershocks ran down her back, and she shivered. Her legs were like jelly. She felt sated, giddy, savoring the nearness of him, enjoying the simple preciousness of being held like this. The words closed up around her throat, but she found a way to let them out. "I can't remember a time when I haven't loved you," she said.
Emmett leaned closer, taking up the last inch of space between them. By the dim glow of late afternoon sun sinking into the sun behind a slice of the parted curtain, his eyes were the bluest she had ever seen them. "I'm fairly certain I've loved you since I fell into that mud pit with you."
Pandora's heart swelled at the words. But she resorted to teasing him still. "Only fairly?"
"Absolutely."
In this deep, perfect silence, Pandora wondered what her husband was thinking. But she did not have to wonder for too long. "I just can't wrap my head around why anyone would do that," he said after a moment.
"The column."
"Yes."
"Let's not think about that now," she said, unwilling to ruin this fine, heartfelt moment. "Let's worry about it later. Tomorrow. Any other day."
"Except now," he said.
"Except now," she agreed. "I want us to stay like this together for as long as time can allow." She lifted her head from his chest and gazed into his eyes. He dropped a tender kiss on her forehead. Pandora let out a breathy sigh.
Emmett weaved his fingers into hers. She knew it took more than a little effort from him as he cleared his throat and said, "My father, I could never please him."
"All right," she said quietly, urging him to go on.
"It's not a big deal–"
"Yes, it is, Emmett." She gently squeezed his hand. "And you can tell me. I want to know every part of you."
He buried his mouth in her hair, dragging in a deep breath. "And you will. We have a lifetime ahead of us."
We have a lifetime ahead of us.Pandora felt positively dizzy with love. She beamed to herself, but a giddy laugh must have escaped her lips too because Emmett jerked to her with puzzled amusement. "What is it?''
"Nothing," she said. "Everything." She jerked up and took his face in her hands. "Did it bother you? Your father?"
"Yes. I very much enjoyed pretending otherwise," he said. "We just really wanted two different things from life. He was a scholarly man, and I had feet made for adventure."
"Of course you did," she said, and Emmett found her mouth and licked her bottom lip. She sighed against his delicious touch.
"My brother, Vincent, he bent and bowed to my father's expectations. I refused to. I have a strong mind if you don't know."
