Page 72 of The Danger of Desire
Even realizing that some of the blood might stain his shirt, he put the coat back on. He was happy to lose a shirt and coat in the process of reassuring his wife-to-be about their... suitability for each other in the bedchamber.
Hell, he was happy to lose them just for the chance of bedding her.
They heard steps on the stairs, and Delia hastened over to call down, “We’re up here, admiring the views!”
Moments later, the two women emerged onto the roof.
Mrs. Trevor eyed him with suspicion. “Didn’t you hear us come in?”
Delia cast him a warning glance even as her lips twitched in a clear struggle not to laugh. “It’s very windy up here,” she said blithely. “You can hardly hear a thing.”
Clarissa accepted that explanation. “So what do you think? Shall we have the ceremony here at the folly?”
“Yes,” he said, eager for mischief. “We could do it right here on the roof.”
Now Delia’s lips werereallytwitching. “We couldnot.First of all, the table is in the way. Second, someone is sure to back up and fall over one of those parapets. We’ll do it downstairs. With the windows open, since it’s a bit warm inside.”
“That does sound marvelous,” Mrs. Trevor said with one last wary glance at him. “Let’s go down and figure out where we wish to put things. We need to get the servants over here soon to start decorating, too.”
And with that, Mrs. Trevor and Clarissa trooped down the stairs, chattering about roses and doilies and something called a pom-pom.
Delia paused only long enough to chide him. “Have the wedding up here, indeed. You just want to revel in watching a holy father stand on the spot where we indulged in a bit of—”
“Ecstasy?” he said with a smug smile.
“Wickedness, more like. You love to surround yourself with it.”
“I do indeed. Let this be your warning, my dear. You can remove the man from the wickedness, but you can’t remove the wickedness from the man.” And for emphasis, he swatted her lovely plump bottom with his hat.
“Stop that!” she said, and hurried to the staircase. But he caught a ghost of a smile crossing her lips as she disappeared down the stairs.
With a chuckle, he followed her more slowly, reminded that he hadn’t seen her bottom in the flesh yet. Or her hair tumbling down around that bottom. He hadn’t even really had a good look at her breasts or her dewy quim.
Well, as she’d said, they should save something for the wedding night. He meant to do a better job of making love to her then, when he had all the time and space in the world for it. She wouldn’t refer to his efforts as merelynicenext time, to be sure.
For the next hour, he tried to endure the prattle of the women as they tramped about the folly, measuring and plotting. By the time they headed back toward the house, the sun had begun to sink.
Clarissa glanced over to where he strolled arm in arm with Delia. “Where are you two going after the wedding tomorrow? Lindenwood Castle is rather far from here. And doesn’t Parliament open soon?”
“It does, indeed. Which is why I mean to spend at least our wedding night at my town house.” Warren slanted a look at Delia. “Assuming it’s all right with my future wife.”
“You mean I get a choice?” she teased.
He arched an eyebrow at her. “Pray do not cast me in the role of overbearing ogre, brat. It doesn’t suit me.”
“I don’t know.” She smirked at him. “Sometimes I think it suits you quite well, Lord High-and-Mighty Knightford.”
Clarissa laughed. “Like my husband. These two have a tendency to announce their plans with an air of fait accompli. ‘Command first, ask afterward’ seems to be their motto.”
Warren scowled. “In my case, it’s only because I’m not used to taking a wife into account.”
“You’d bettergetused to it,” Delia said saucily. “You’re stuck with me now.”
“You mean, you’re stuck withhim,” Clarissa teased.
Warren shot his cousin a hard look. “Don’t pretend you’re not pleased as punch about it, dear girl. You’ve been trying to marry me off since you were sixteen.”
“And it only took me nine years to be successful.” Clarissa’s smile faded. “Though I do wish I’d started planning the actualweddingnine years ago. We still have so much left to do tonight. However will we get it all finished?”
