Page 75 of A Duke's Christmas Carol
Sighing with contentment, she rested her head against his chest, so safe in his arms that she could not believe her good fortune. “Blissfully, my love. I could not be happier if I tried.”
All she had to do was look around the room and her heart swelled afresh, giddy that she had found a place where she belonged. And not just her, but her siblings too, who were adored with the devotion that most reserved only for royalty.
“The children seem content,” he said.
She nodded. “I have never seen them so at ease. I knew that Blackwall would be good for them, but it is beyond my hopes and dreams. Cecil idolizes you, Nora adores everyone, both are sleeping well, eating well, playing well, and just… thriving here. My heart is so entirely full, my love.” She paused. “The only thing that could make it gladder is if my twin could be found.”
“The search will continue until she is,” Adrian promised. “I have the best investigators seeking her out.”
She sighed, turning further into him. “Thank you, my love. Thank you for all you have done.”
It frustrated her that she could not do more, but she refused to let something beyond her control dampen her enjoyment of the night, and of her life in general. All she could do was have faith that, one day, there would be news of that mysterious Isobel.
“You never need to thank me,” Adrian said, bringing her thoughts back to him. “Having you at my side is thanks enough.”
She glanced up at him. “And are you happy, my love?”
“Endlessly. And it is strange, because the castle has never been noisier,” Adrian said with a laugh, “yet I have never been gladder of the disturbance. I used to crave silence, and now I wonder what mischief is afoot when it occurs.”
Valerie chuckled. “Or you take it as a sign that everyone is asleep, and my door is open.”
“Well, yes, there is that,” he murmured, as he subtly dipped his head to kiss her shoulder.
They had held firm to their unspoken agreement that they would wait until the wedding to consummate their love, yet it grew more difficult to resist with every visit that Adrian made to her chambers at night. He pleasured her, tempted her, drove her to the brink of a most exquisite madness, until she thought she would not be able to resist anymore, but they always found a way to hold back. Usually, it involved him bringing her to the edge of exhaustion with as many climaxes as her body could create, tempering her need with more intoxicating bliss.
She was about to suggest they find somewhere more private to get some ‘fresh air’ when David and Isaac came bolting across the town hall, Cecil sprinting along with them.
“David says he can beat you in a race,” Cecil said, breathing hard.
Isaac nodded. “I said there was no way.”
“I didn’t say I could beat him,” David protested. “I said that he wouldn’t be able to catch me; they’re very different things.”
“How are they?” Cecil countered, his hands on his hips. “That ispreciselythe same thing.”
“You’re saying you can run faster,” Isaac agreed. “It’s more or less the same.”
David shot his friend a look. “Turncoat.”
“I’m not!” Isaac replied. “But I’ll tell you when you’re being daft. That’s what friends do.”
Adrian flashed a grin at Valerie, surprising her. “Excuse me, love. There is something I must settle.”
Before she could say a word, he lurched forward, his hands shaped into claws as if he were some frightening ghost or monster who had come to chase naughty children back to their beds. It was Nora’s favorite game… and Cecil’s too, though the boy pretended he was too old for such silliness. Still, that did not stop him from playing, running away from Adrian with just as much enthusiasm as Nora.
“Monster!” the little girl suddenly shrieked from across the room, startling a few people.
The shock turned to laughter as Nora charged toward Adrian, wanting to be part of the game. And as she ran up, so did therest of the children, drawn to the little girl’s obvious excitement, eager to be a part of it.
It appeared that Adrian had bitten off more than he could chew, but as the children turned and began to sprint away in all directions, he flashed Valerie a funny grimace and took off after them. No longer the cursed beast or devil that he was once rumored to be, but an adorable, beloved duke who happened to make a rather talented monster: the kind with a rare gift for making children laugh.
Watching as he hared around the town hall, scooping up children and placing them in his ‘den,’ which was nothing more than the raised dais at the side of the room, Valerie could not have loved that man more. Indeed, she could not help but think of what he would be like with their own children, if they were blessed.
Heaven help me… I cannot wait anymore.
Seeing the sort of father he would be had tipped her over the edge, her whole body yearning for that wonderful man in a way thathadto be satisfied. As soon as possible.
Half an hour later, when he wandered back to her, slicked with sweat and breathing hard, she could not resist any longer. She had to have him, or she would go mad.
