Page 60 of King of Rogues
He closed the chest and placed it back in the wall, pressing the stone to lock it into place.
Naomi handed him the lamp. “I have a feeling I’ve a lifetime of surprises ahead of me.”
Monsale bent and captured her mouth in a long, lingering kiss. “Come back to bed and let me show you what I can do with my tongue and lips. I want to hear you scream again.”
Her skin burning with lust, her nipples hardened with the need for his attention, Naomi followed her husband upstairs.
“You are right, the oath can wait until morning.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Oath Day
* * *
As the sun rose over a sleepy London, Monsale thrust deeply into his wife’s welcoming body one last time and let out a long groan as he reached his sexual release. “I will never get enough of you.”
He leaned back on his elbows, his heart fit to burst as he took in Naomi’s sweet grin of satisfaction. Her fingers brushed the red rose he had tucked behind her ear when they had stolen into the hot house a short time earlier.
He had never been one for being awake at this time of the day, but Naomi had roused him half an hour earlier, insisting that he make love to her amongst the roses. She had informed him that the big old, daybed where they lay was fast becoming her favorite place for them to enjoy the pleasure of early morning sexual congress. With the promise of a warm, sated wife beneath him, Monsale wasn’t about to deny her request.
“I love it in here. The scent of the roses does something to me,” she said.
“Really? And what’s that?”
She bit down on her bottom lip, and his cock stirred to life once more. Her lips were swollen from his kisses, her cheeks still flushed with passion. He had never seen such a beautiful sight. This woman was his world.
You are more than I ever thought I would know in a woman. My wife. My lover.
“It’s the colors, the light, and the aroma. They make my core clench, and my mouth water. If you get what I mean,” she said.
Monsale stared at her soft, pliant lips. He knew exactly what she meant. Naomi was a fast study when it came to marital relations. Every time he gave her roses, she dropped to her knees and took him into her mouth.
I wish I had time this morning to lay her down on a bed of petals.
“I promise we shall indulge your desires as soon as we return home from Carlton House,” he said.
Naomi sighed. “Yes, I suppose we had better bathe and dress. I want to check the words of the oath one more time before we leave.”
He rolled off his wife and got to his feet. She took his offered hand. “The last thing we want is to make a mistake with it. Not after all we have been through.”
Word of their marriage had been kept secret upon their return to London, but now Monsale couldn’t wait to see Prinny’s face when he saw the new Duchess of Monsale kneeling beside him.
Their carriage drew up inside the rear mews of Carlton House. The sight of his wife as she stepped out, took Monsale’s breath away.
The bodice of her golden gown caressed her beautiful curves. The rose-embroidered skirt flared at her hip, then flowed to the floor. A gold hair clip added just the right touch of noble elegance to the stylish chignon in which Naomi’s light-brown hair had been set. A gold lace choker sat around her throat. She was stunning. Every inch, the Duchess of Monsale.
And to think I nearly lost you.
Monsale checked his jacket and gold-patterned waistcoat. They had deliberately coordinated their outfits. Side by side, they looked exactly what they were, a strongly bound couple.
Once inside the prince regent’s private residence they were shown upstairs to an antechamber. Prinny might not yet be king, but he had already established a formal throne room in which he received guests. The doors of the throne room opened, and a royal footman loudly announced. “Their graces the Duke and Duchess of Monsale.”
Prinny rose from his chair as they entered. His disapproving gaze tracked Naomi’s every step as she approached.
At the exact right moment, she stopped and dipped into a deep curtsy. Its elegance reflecting both her family lineage and the hours of practice she had put in the previous day, under Kitty’s watchful eye. His wife had done everything she could to make today a success.
“I see you managed to conjure up a bride, Monsale. I suppose congratulations are in order,” said the prince. The tone of suspicion and disappointment in his voice was unmistakable.
