Page 48 of Seducing an Earl under the Mistletoe
“Don’t worry,” he smiled mischievously in the darkness. “I’ll keep you warm.”
In the midst of the moonlit garden, their passions ignited like a wild, blazing fire. The cold air served as a stark contrast to the heat that coursed through their bodies, heightening their senses. With each tender touch, each whispered word of affection, their love reached new heights.
As they kissed quickly, passionately, not caring at all whether someone might pass by, they focused solely on each other, hiding between trees and thick shrubbery. She couldn’t think about anything else other than feeling him inside of her, sharing this happiness with him.
He undid his pants quickly, and she adjusted herself on top of him. She was already frantic with desire when he brought his fingers to her lips. She licked them softly, gently, leaving them glistening and wet. He slid his hand down between her legs, not taking his eyes off of her even for a single moment. His wet fingers grazed against her soft flesh, which was already wet.
“You feel so good,” he murmured as she slowly lowered herself onto his manhood, with his hands gripping her waist for balance.
She locked her arms around his neck, keeping him closer, face to face, heart to heart.
“I love you so much,” she heard him again as she slowly started to move on top of him, grinding against him, driving him insane with desire. She felt their love was a force of nature, a testament to their shared desire, and in that moment, their bond was sealed, stronger than ever.
She crashed her lips against his, tasting him, licking him, biting him. She wanted everything with him, and in turn, she wanted to give him her all. She kept moving, striding, grinding, until bliss hit her like a thunderbolt, leaving her body quivering with sheer delight.
A moment later, he propped her up, and she felt a surge of something hot spray on her inner thigh. She hastily took a small handkerchief from her reticule and wiped herself, quickly lowering her gown all the way to the ground, as if nothing had happened. Only her cheeks and the lingering sensation of ecstasy bore proof to their lovemaking.
“Yes, Arthur,” she suddenly said, feeling this was the only answer he needed to hear.
“Yes what, my love?” he asked with a smile.
“There are still so many fears and doubts, so many things that need to be clarified, but yes…I want to be your wife,” she told him.
His eyes widened in surprise as he grabbed her by the waist and twirled her up into the air, only to lower her down and press his lips upon hers, in a silent promise of forever. At that moment, nothing and no one else existed. Just them and the cold, moonlit night.
“And Margot?” she wondered. “What will she say? What will your mother say?”
He smiled reassuringly in a way she had never seen him smile before. “Trust me, in all likelihood, that problem will resolve itself. We just need to be patient a little while longer. And even if it doesn’t, I won’t give up on us, Cate. Please believe me. Now that I have you, I will never let you go again, never.”
She smiled, believing everything he said. He cupped her chin, lifting her gaze to meet his. “Just give me a few more days to sort everything out. Before the year is over, Iwillmake my intentions known to your father. I promise you, my love.”
“I’m going to hold you to it,” she beamed as they headed back to the mansion, hand in hand. She felt as if she were walking on clouds and not on the ground. Everything felt lighter, better, more beautiful. She could see light at the end of this dark tunnel, and it promised heaven.
When they approached close enough to the house, she stopped. “Perhaps we should enter separately, just in case someone nosy notices us.”
He nodded. “But only this time,” he smiled. “When I announce to everyone that you are to become my wife, you won’t be going anywhere without me.”
She chuckled at his words, relishing them. “All right then.”
She headed inside first, rubbing her shoulders. Only now did it start to get a little chilly. The chatter and warmth of the inside welcomed her. It enveloped her immediately, and she got lost in her own reverie of things to come. She couldn’t believe what just happened, that it wasn’t too late for her to find the love she never even knew she needed in her life.
Shortly after, a flurry of snow began to fall outside, and the guests were all invited to go and enjoy the sight through the window. The snowfall outside provided a picturesque backdrop to the grand festivities within. Catherine watched the delicate flakes drifting to the ground, her heart dancing with joy, and her thoughts were consumed by Arthur. She had never imagined a love so deep and passionate, a love that transcended her wildest dreams.
As she looked at Arthur from across the room, her eyes spoke the promises they had just exchanged in the garden. Their shared secret, a pledge to be together, resonated between them even amid the opulence of the evening’s celebration. It was a promise to face whatever challenges lay ahead, a promise to be united in love.
At that moment, someone stood behind her, a familiar cologne permeating her nostrils. She recognized it immediately.
“I saw you withhim,” he whispered right into her ear, making sure that no one else but her heard him. But that was enough. “You are a fool if you think that this changes anything between us. Youwillbe my wife.”
Upon saying those words, Cedric slowly withdrew from her, leaving her in a state of shock, because his possessive whispers served as a stark reminder that she was still tied to a man she didn’t love by the strength of her father’s promise. The snowfall outside, once a symbol of beauty and purity, now seemed to reflect her inner turmoil, its serenity tainted by the darkness of her predicament.
Chapter 23
The next morning, the town was quiet, still recovering from the events of Christmas night. Arthur and Margot found themselves walking along the beach, but they were not the only two people awake in the early hours of the morning. There was someone else seated at a faraway bench, gazing at the waves.
“What was so important that you had to drag me out so early for a walk, Arthur?” Margot wondered, yawning again for the tenth time since they came to the beach.
He smiled. “Trust me, it is something very special.”
