Page 107 of How to Seduce a Duke this Autumn
“Bailamos!Dance! Together!” she exclaimed, her determination leaving no room for argument.
Adam laughed before looking helplessly at Charlene, who was already bursting with mirth. Rising, he allowed the little girl to lead him to the center of the room. He followed her lead as best he could, keeping time to the rhythm as she twirled in carefree abandon.
Then the boy approached Charlene. “Señorita, dance with me?” he asked with an exaggerated bow.
Charlene’s face lit up, and with an air of mock regal dignity, she offered her hand to the lad. Adam folded his arms and watched as his wife whirled in the arms of a boy barely tall enough to reach her waist. Laughter bubbled from her lips, the radiant sound brightening the room in an instant.
Soon, the father and the mother joined, and the tiny space turned into a blur of clapping hands, spinning skirts, and stamping shoes.
Adam couldn’t help but clap along until the mother pulled Charlene toward him, her castanets clicking as she laughed. “Your bride,señor. Dance with her!”
Their eyes met. Charlene’s cheeks blossomed pink from the exertion, her hair wild, her lips curved in a wide, breathless smile. Adam stepped forward and took her hand, sliding his arm around her waist with a confidence that turned the playful claps of those watching into cheers.
He wasn’t sure what he was doing, not really, but Charlene didn’t hesitate. She moved in perfect sync with him as if their bodies spoke a language beyond words. Her skirt swirled around her legs, brushing his trousers as they spun in rhythm. The beat coursed up from the floor, into his blood, and through his limbs.He moved more freely than he had in years, the rigidity shed like a second skin.
The rhythm wasn’t just in the music; it was in her. She was his rhythm. His anchor. His compass. She laughed as he spun her, her eyes alight, and in that moment, Adam felt something he could only call perfection.
She stumbled slightly on a turn but fell into his arms with a gasp and another laugh. He held her close, ignoring everything else, as cheers mixed with the music around them. Her hands rested lightly on his chest, and he dipped his head close.
The music softened, slowing to something tender as the guitar strings hummed a gentle melody. Adam’s hand moved to her cheek, his thumb brushing over her delicate skin.
“How did I get so lucky?” he murmured, his voice low but rich with meaning.
Charlene’s lips curved into a soft smile, and she reached up to brush her thumb over his jawline. “Maybe I should be the one asking that,” she whispered, her gaze fixed on his.
He shook his head slightly, his voice thick with emotion. “No. It’s me. You’re my rhythm, my clarity, my dance partner.”
She started to reply, but he kissed her, gently at first, then deeply, uncaring of their audience. The cheers rose around them again as the music swelled into jubilant energy, the room bursting at its seams with love, laughter, and joy.
And as Adam looked at her, his bride, his love, he didn’t care who he was or wasn’t to the world outside. He had all he needed right here—with her.
Epilogue
The carriage wheelshummed steadily against the cobbled streets, the rhythm a gentle undercurrent to the warmth that filled the small, enclosed space. Adam leaned back against the plush squabs, his gaze on Charlene as she adjusted the lace trim of her bonnet, though she hardly needed the fuss. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips curved in a smile she seemed to be hiding and failing spectacularly to contain.
“So, he just gave his blessing?” Charlene asked, her voice half incredulous, half amused.
Adam allowed himself a modest smile. “He had no choice. What father can do much else after his daughter marries in Gretna Green?”
“You didn’t exactly give him time to ponder the matter too deeply,” she teased, raising a brow.
“No,” Adam agreed, leaning slightly forward. His tone dipped to something softer, more intimate. “What’s a man to do when his marriage is… consummated?”
“For two weeks?” she said with a laugh, and the sound of it wrapped around him like sunlight breaking through shadow.
“For years,” Adam said smoothly, unwilling to be outdone. “I’m not finished.” The seriousness in his tone only barely masked the playfulness underneath.
Charlene tilted her head, studying him with mock suspicion. “Oh, you’re not finished, are you?”
“Not even close,” he murmured, then he leaned forward fully, capturing her mouth with his own. “The papers said you seduced a duke this autumn, but they don’t know what’s happening next.” Her breath hitched against his lips in surprise, but she melted into him almost immediately, her fingers curling softly against the lapel of his jacket. A kiss that started as playful deepened into something unspoken but understood between them, and when they broke apart, her green eyes sparkled with something that stole his breath more effectively than the kiss itself.
“My dear duchess,” Adam whispered, trailing a kiss along the line of her jaw to her neck, where the fragrance of her skin was soft and tantalizing. “This is only the beginning.” She giggled, that unmistakable sound of her joy sparking against his resolve like flint. He lifted his head to meet her gaze again.
“You’re relentless, Your Grace,” she said, trying for seriousness, but her smile betrayed her.
“And yet, you seem quite content,” he said, sliding his hand over hers where it rested on the bench. “I’ll have no objections to my determination, I hope.”
“None at all,” she replied, eyes gleaming. “Though I do hope Cavendish wasn’t offended we left the celebration so soon.”
