Page 67 of The Earl's Secret
“For a man without much experience, you are awfully good at this,” she murmured, and he changed his expression to appear affronted.
“Are you suggesting that I lied to you?”
“Not at all,” she said, grinning wickedly. “It is that I believe I bring out the best in you.”
“Perhaps,” he said, tapping a finger against his chin to appear to be pondering her words. “Or perhaps it is that we are meant to be, that this is what we are supposed to be doing with one another.”
“Perhaps you are right,” she said softly, and he leaned in then and kissed her jaw, her neck, her collarbone, working his way down until she reached up and cupped his chin in her hand.
“Devon?”
“Yes, love?”
“You have far too many clothes on.”
He gave her one quick kiss on the breast before he straightened and removed what remained of his clothing – his linen shirt and his breeches, until he was as bare as she was – just as he liked it.
He crawled on top of her, unable to help the predatory growl that escaped from his lips until he was hovering over her, kissing her on the lips, between her breasts, down her belly, then at her waist. She gasped and her hips arched up toward him.
“Devon—”
“I love you,” he said, silencing her, as his strong hands gently spread apart her thighs, and his tongue brushed against her seam.
“Devon,” she said again, but this time she said his name in supplication, as he began to move his tongue faster against her, hoping she was enjoying it – although by the way she moved against him and threaded her fingers into his hair, it seemed he had nothing to fear.
He slid two fingers inside of her, stroking her until she said his name loudly enough that he worried she would wake the house, and he decided that there was only one way to silence her.
He slid back up her body, pressing a finger and then his lips against hers as he positioned himself at her entrance, waiting for her to move against him in acceptance, and, when she did, found home.
“I love you,” she said against his lips, and he answered her by moving back and forward again.
He leaned back to look at her while he was still buried within her.
“I don’t deserve you, I know that,” he said, reaching out and brushing her hair away from her face. “But I promise I will spend my life making sure you know you are the most loved woman there ever was.”
“We deserve each other, Devon,” she said with a languid smile. “It just took us awhile to realize it.”
At that, he began to move against her, and her smile fell as she tilted her head back and met him stroke for stroke. As Devon couldn’t help but go faster with her, he promised himself that next time he would draw this out and make love to her slowly.
And the good news was, they had an entire lifetime to do just that.
EPILOGUE
Most of the young women Cassandra knew had dreamed of the day they would wed.
So had Cassandra – but her dreams had been closer to nightmares as she had always feared just who she would marry, what the man might want from her, and how she could ever remain the woman she wanted to be.
She had never thought that she might marry for love.
Here she was, the day after her engagement. Today they were having one final farewell luncheon before her friends would be on their way to their own homes. She looked across the room at Devon, standing so handsomely at the other end of the room, having his friends laughing at some story he was telling.
“Cassandra.”
She turned to find her brother beside her, hands clasped behind his back, his expression contrite.
“What’s wrong?” she asked Gideon, and he opened his mouth and then closed it a couple of times.
“I realize the timing is not ideal but before you begin the next stage of your life, I needed to speak to you.”
