Page 96 of The Good Girl's Guide to Rakes
“Now,” Celeste commanded, confident that she’d secured her family’s safety. “Get. Out.”
Lord Montford lurched to his feet, before scurryingout of the room. His hurried footsteps tapped down the hallway, descended the stairs, and then out the front door.
She faced Kieran. The only illumination in the chamber came from the fireplace, casting one side of him in golden light, while the other half was bathed in shadow. His chest rose and fell as he stared at her. Something wild and wanting careened inside her, yet she couldn’t quite liberate it. She’d been trapped by circumstance for so long that its absence nearly frightened her.
How could she trust this moment, or believe it was real? Especially when he made no move in her direction.
“What I did was to set you free,” he said, his voice low and resolute. “Only that. Whatever choice you make, I’ll respect. This wasn’t about having you for myself.”
“Meaning,” she said cautiously as her heart pounded, “you don’t want me?”
He stared at her with such intensity, she trembled.
“I want you, Celeste,” he said hoarsely. “God, how I want you.”
Elation was a flock of birds taking flight within her. “I want you, Kieran.” She hauled in a rough breath, gathering the courage she now knew she possessed. “I love you.”
He strode to her, and cupped her face with his hands. She soaked in the pleasure of his touch, and clung to the deep timbre of his voice as he spoke. “Before you, I thought my life was good enough. I did what I pleased, and didn’t give a damn about anyone else.”
“That sounds rather nice,” she murmured.
“I believed it to be,” he said wryly. “And I thought, when our families made their ultimatum, that I could find a way to exploit the situation to my benefit. My only intention was to use you to get what I wanted.”
“I knew that I was merely a means to an end. I had no illusions about you.”
“ButIhad illusions aboutyou. Misbegotten notions that you were simply a prim and proper miss, perhaps a trifle bored, looking for something to break her out of routine. I was a fool, Celeste,” he said, his words a rasp. “Because you... you’re a hurricane contained within the structure of a woman. You’re a force more powerful than anything else, and when you impelled me to accompany you out into the larger world, it was like beholding the birth of a whole new universe. I was merely the lucky bastard to witness it.
“Yet I meant what I said.” Solemn, he looked deeply into her eyes. “If what you want is your freedom, I’ll step aside.”
She sucked in a breath, stunned at the enormity of what he offered her. “You aren’t going anywhere,” she said, leaning into his touch. “I choose you, for always.”
Tremors shook his body, and his eyes shone wetly, yet a wondering smile touched his mouth. “When I’m with you, my muse doesn’t just speak to me. She sings. Yet never believe your sole purpose is to be my inspiration. Letmeinspireyouto reach the heights you were destined to climb. If I can be the smallest part of your journey, I’ll die a man fully content. Because I love you.”
She let the tears run freely, and he didn’t try to stop her from weeping. “Kieran.”
“Celeste,” he answered, her name a vow on his lips. “I was made to love you.”
“Will you...” She inhaled, yet she wouldn’t let trepidation hold her back, not when what she desired was so close. Whenhewas here with her. “Will you marry me?”
“Oh, yes.” He squeezed his eyes shut as a shuddering breath coursed through him, and her own elation made her light enough to fly.
“But there’s a condition,” she added.
He opened his eyes, all seriousness and gravity. “Name it.”
“If weareto wed...” She spread her hands on his chest so she felt his heart pound beneath her palms, the heart that was hers, just as her heart belonged to him. “I don’t want a tamed, reformed rake. I wantyou. My wild poet. I want to share adventures with you. I want us to take on the world, hand in hand. We’ll experience everything—together.”
His smile was brilliant, and sinful. “Precisely what I want, too.”
“Kieran,” she said urgently.
“Love?”
“Kiss me.”
A fierce, joyous fire burned in his eyes. He tilted her head up and brought his mouth to hers. They kissed ravenously, driven by need that had been too long denied. She pressed herself into him, his strength meeting hers, as it was meant to be. Her body flared to life, demanding more and more.
She broke away with a gasp. “Thanks to you, I’ve just skirted scandal, but it wouldn’t be the sagest decision to make love to you here when our families are right down the hall.”
