Page 43 of Gentlemen Prefer Heiresses
“I could live with that,” she said quietly.
“That is a lot of years to live in sin. We should probably marry.”
“I shall consider it, but only if you ask properly.”
Only for her would Andrew do the one thing he’d never wanted to do, the one thing he’d never expected to do.
He dropped to one knee.
Taking her hand, he gently cradled it between both of his and held her gaze. “Miss Virginia Hammersley, as the second son I never wanted the title, the estates, or the responsibilities that came with being a peer. But for you, I’d willingly take on the burden of being a king so that you could be my queen.”
“Andrew—”
“I adore you. I have from the moment I met you. If you will honor me by becoming my wife, I swear to you that I shall strive to do all in my power to ensure you never regret it.”
Her smile was blinding. “What a fine match we make when I adore you as well. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
The joy and happiness that surged through him would have brought him to his knees if he wasn’t already there. He shoved himself to his feet and kissed her, as tenderly and gently as he could, forcing his desire for her into submission. He was mad for her and when she was this close, he wanted her with an almost feral intensity. But until she was his wife—wife!... a word he’d never thought to associate with himself—he would keep himself on a taut tether.
Drawing back, he held her gaze. “I should probably return you home so you can begin making plans. I don’t want to go too long without you in my bed.”
“Actually.” She moved in, pressed up against him, wound her arms around his neck. “I am soon to take a husband, and I was thinking I should like to experience one more adventure before I am shackled to him for life. An adventure between the sheets.”
“Sweetheart, I held back once. I can’t do it again.”
“I don’t want you to hold back.” Raising up on her toes, she nipped at his chin. “I want to be your lover before I’m your wife.”
With a low growl, he pressed his forehead to hers. “Damn you. I shall never be able to resist giving you what you desire.”
Then he lifted her into his arms and headed for the stairs.
Chapter 14
The swiftness with which their clothes became a heap on the floor once they reached his bedchamber should have startled her, but she was too eager to be with him to pay it much mind. It was thrilling to realize how desperately he wanted her, humbling to know how much determination it must have taken for him to resist the lure of her before now.
They landed on the bed in a tangle of arms, legs, and hungry mouths. They explored as though they’d never done so before, and yet the familiarity of his body made her feel as though she were coming home. She loved the bunching and tensing of his muscles beneath her fingers, loved the way his hands stroked and caressed her. His long arms could reach so much more of her than she could of him, but he seemed not to mind as his low groans and moans echoed around her.
She was going to become his wife, and she was left to wonder why she’d ever thought she wanted a titled gentleman. A title wasn’t earned. It simply came with one’s birth. What was earned was character, temperament, charm. Or at least it was part of a person that developed over time, that wasn’t simply given.
She loved every aspect of Andrew. His fun nature, his willingness to take her on adventures that in all likelihood would lead to no good. While she had told him she wanted one more, this one with him now, she had no intention of not asking for more later. Once they were married, once they were husband and wife.
He skimmed his fingers over her hip, along her inner thigh, bringing them to rest at the very heart of her core. “What word did Venus teach you for this?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Cunny. Notch. But I don’t like them. Teach me another.”
“Paradise.” He held her gaze. “You’re wet and ready for me. Are you sure, sweetheart?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything.”
He captured her mouth. She felt him nudging at her opening. Raising her knees, tilting her hips up, she welcomed him. As he pushed in, the discomfort was slight. She dug her fingers into his shoulders as her body stretched to accommodate him.
When he was seated to the hilt, he emitted a low growl. “You feel so damned good.”
“So do you.”
He chuckled. “We’re both going to feel a good deal better when we’re done here.”
He withdrew slightly, thrust forward. Again and again. She met his thrusts, taking him deep, swelling with satisfaction. The tempo increased, the sensations built, radiating out from her core, causing her toes and fingers to tingle. He suckled at her breast, pressed kisses to her neck, once more claimed her mouth.
