Page 66 of The Duke's Carriage Window
Her eyes grew luminous. “You truly feel that way?”
Darius nodded.
“I didn’t mean to cause any trouble,” she said in a quiet voice. “Mrs. Petersham and I believed a little outing would be fine.”
“And it should have been. I fear Lady Mary’s anger at me has sent her spreading rumors about you. But that is not your fault, it is mine. Warren and I were rude to her, which made matters far worse for you.”
He raised her hand to his lips, kissing the backs of her fingers. Her lashes fluttered. His heart skipped a beat as a surge of intense feelings deepened within him.
He felt as though he was standing at the edge of an ancient wishing well, feeling the stones beneath his palms as he gazed deeply into the magical waters below. The chance to love Meredith would be like casting a coin into that enchanted pool and having not one, but every wish granted.
It frightened him to feel so much for one person. He had lost so much in his life. He lost his mother as a boy, his father as a young man, and now his uncle. What if he lost Meredith? He could not bear such loss. Yet he had no words to tell her what lay in his heart. Those words were birds with wings of gold flying high into a glorious sunrise escaping his lips. At times he felt distanced from those he loved because words of affection were not easy for him to say, not because he didn’t mean them, but stating such a thing felt like playacting, when he preferred to show his friends by his actions how he felt. And with Meredith…he didn’t know where to start in showing just how much he adored her.
She touched the edge of the white bandage covering his left arm. “You’re hurt.”
“It doesn’t hurt,” he lied, but was moved by her compassion for him. “I know that I must have frightened you today with such a display of violence. But you must know that I would never hurt you.”
“I know,” Meredith said. “And as I said before, you didn’t frighten me. You saved me.”
How could she think of him as some noble hero when he’d done nothing more than fight like a brute? The mad thing was that he wanted to be her hero. To save her when she needed him, to keep her from harm, to give her everything of himself.
“Perhaps I should check you for injuries?” He tried to tease her, but his voice was too low and husky to be teasing.
She raised her chin, her lips parting as she held his gaze. “Perhaps you should.”
He hummed softly as he set her feet across his lap. Darius began to unfasten the ribbons at her ankles that tied her slippers on. He stroked her stockinged feet as he slid the ribbons free and removed the slippers one at a time.
He traced the delicate arches of her feet and brushed his fingers around her toes before they slid up her skirts to her knees, where he loosened the ribbons that held her stockings up next. She didn’t move as he rolled the stockings down off her legs and explored her soft skin.
“No sign of injuries here,” he murmured.
“Then you’d better check elsewhere, just to be certain.”
Meredith’s teasing sent a thrill through him. She slid her legs off his lap and got off the bed.
“Indeed, I should,” he agreed.”
She turned her back to him as she pulled her hair out of the way so Darius could unbutton the back of her gown. Her breath caught as his fingers slipped along the skin of her upper back, and he was glad he had enough control not to rush this exquisite moment. The gown fell into a puddle of fabric at her feet. He leaned in, kissing her bare shoulder and neck as he undid the laces of her stays.
He bared her body in slow, gentle moves, stroking and kissing a dozen sweet places that drew soft and dreamy sighs from her.
Outside, a soft rain began to fall, enhancing the scent of the flowers that drifted in from the garden, perfuming the room with a floral enchantment. Meredith peered at him over her bare shoulder, her hair tumbling down her back as she raised her hazel eyes to meet his.
“Find any injuries?” she asked, her voice soft, breathless.
“None at all. You are perfection itself,” he replied. His hands trembled with the depth of his desire to pull her into his arms.
“Then perhaps I should check you for injuries now?” she asked with a seductive huskiness.
“Well, the doctor was just here,” he said, raising his bandaged arm as evidence. “But it is always wise to garner a second opinion in such matters.” He chuckled and held his breath as a deliciously naked Meredith turned to face him. Her hand slid over his waistcoat and began to free the buttons. It was the sweetest of tortures to allow her remove his clothing.
Once his chest was bared to her, she kissed his chest, his shoulders, his chin, exploring him in ways she hadn’t had a chance to in the gardens the night before.
His body grew hard and hungry for her, but his heart refused to let him rush this moment with her. This wasn’t a moment of lust to be slaked, but something more to be savored. She sat back on the bed and beckoned him to her with a curving finger. He had no desire to refuse, and crawled over the bed until he covered his body with hers.
Their mouths met in soft, fervent kisses that were sweeter and hotter the longer their bodies pressed against each other. She parted her legs, and he settled in the cradle of her thighs. It felt like coming home. This … this was where he belonged. Here, loving this woman until nothing else existed and empires crumbled, and new stars were born in the night sky.
“You are everything to me,” he whispered against her lips. “Everything.” These he knew, were the right words to say, because they were so very easy and so very true to how his heart felt. He sank into the welcoming heat of her body, and Meredith moaned in pleasure against his mouth as they kissed.
