Page 59 of One Wicked Secret
“Forgive the delay,” he said, his voice like gravel over silk—commanding, with a trace of gentleness beneath. “I would have asked you to join me sooner, but Signora Conti likes the house in order before she retires for the evening.”
She stared at the deep cleft in his chin, a striking featureshe had always found intriguing. “It’s been a while since you threw stones at my window.” And yet the attraction she felt for him was just as profound.
“It’s been too long.”
“You’re my husband. You don’t need to lure me outside anymore. We don’t need to keep our nighttime adventures a secret.”
Emotion pooled in her throat. After their visit to The Raven Hotel, she’d felt the distance between them widening. Most men would have believed the lies. What made him so certain she was loyal?
Daniel stepped forward and offered his hand. “Married couples need adventures more than courting couples do.”
She smiled because he spoke like they had a future. “Will this adventure be more thrilling than the ones we’ve already shared?”
“I want to pursue you, Elsa, to seduce you, to remember why I lured you from your chamber in the dead of night. For you to remind me why you came.”
She placed her hand in his, eager for his attention but keenly aware that she couldn’t let desire make her weak.
“We always start with a stroll in the garden, remembering to keep to the shadows so we won’t be seen.”
“Will you be warm enough?” he said.
“The cold is only a problem when there are no distractions.”
They stepped out into the night and he began as he always did. “You’re sure no one saw you leave the house?”
Thoughts of their last walk at Edenberry brought tears to her eyes. Her heart had been close to bursting, full of impossible dreams—dreams battered like a ship in a storm. Andnow here they were, trying to salvage something from the wreckage.
“Unless the moon has taken to gossiping, I’m certain everyone is asleep.” She smiled because she sounded like her old self, not the fool found sleeping beside a dead man. “You always said I walked with fairy steps.”
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles.
“That’s not in the script,” she said.
“As your husband, I’m allowed to improvise.”
“Have you done anything exciting today?” That was always her first question. “Other than trying to save me from the noose?”
“I’ve thought about you.”
“You’re supposed to say you wrestled a bull for a piece of pie.”
“I cannot lie. Nothing beats pressing you against the bedchamber door and ravishing you senseless.”
Her steps faltered. The memory of his hands on her bare skin made her knees weak. “Maybe we should ask the questions we always wanted to, not those that are considered polite.”
Things had changed. This garden lacked the peaceful innocence of their countryside walks. The echoes of distant carriages replaced the sounds of nocturnal creatures. The occasional flicker of candlelight in nearby windows meant they were not entirely alone.
“What would you like to ask me?” he said.
She should start with simple questions before moving to those that weighed on her soul. “The time we sheltered under the oak tree in the rain, was that the first time you’d thought about kissing me?”
Daniel laughed like the answer was obvious. “The first time I came close to doing it, not the first time it entered my mind.”
She’d spent every waking hour thinking of little else.
“Did you want me to kiss you?” he asked.
“More than anything.”
