He jolted upward as if he had been shot, wild eyes whipping this way and that. His hand fumbled for something at his side, but whatever it was, it must not have been there. A frown replaced his alarm, and he smacked his forehead, no doubt remembering that he was no longer on a battlefield.
Matilda laughed.
Albion’s gaze snapped toward the window, his expression darkening into a look of mock exasperation. He got up and padded over, opening the window. “Did you forget how to use a door or, you know, common decency?”
“Didyouforget that you were meant to be working?” she teased, raising up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek.
He smiled at last. “Can anyone work in such heat? I am beginning to pity the plants in the greenhouses.” He leaned out of the window and pressed a more daring kiss to her lips. “What do you want?”
“Is that any way to speak to your wife?” She blushed, her lips tingling.
His sapphire eyes twinkled. “What do you want,darling?”
“To walk to the cove with you,” she replied.
He covered a yawn with his hand. “Do you want me to climb right out of the window, or shall I meet you on the driveway?”
“What a tempting decision.” She stepped back, wondering if he would even fit through the window. “I think it would be best if I met you on the driveway.”
He reached a hand out, beckoning with his forefinger. “Come here.”
“Is that a command?”
His smile became something more dangerous. “Come. Here.”
All at once, she understood why so many young ladies were drawn to the rogues and rakes of society though it was obvious to everyone else that such a thing would only end in trouble. There was something endlessly thrilling about a man with an air of danger to him; she would write about it in her book, even if her own dear husband was no true scoundrel.
His hand slipped around her neck, pulling her up to the window. He leaned out and kissed her deeply, her own hands braced on the sill as she kissed him back with equal fervor. His lips were soft and sleepy, his palm rough against the smoothness of her skin, his affection making her burn hotter than the afternoon.
“Two minutes,” he whispered, pulling back.
With a wink, he turned and crossed the study, heading out into the hallway. Meanwhile, she stood there for a moment longer, dazed and happy. Her married friends had warned her that love, when it happened, happened quickly and often unexpectedly, but she had not had the personal evidence until now.
If I could go back in time,she mused with a sigh, I would not change this.
The realization shocked her somewhat, but as the shock softened into heartfelt gratitude, she broke into a run, hoping to beat Albion to the meeting spot. At the very least, he might be standing there already, his arms open for her to run into.
Veering around the corner of the manor, her mouth spread into a giddy grin as she saw him waiting. As she neared, his arms did, indeed, open to receive her, and she raced into them, yelping as he swept her up and spun her around and around.
“What took you so long?” he asked, slowly setting her down.
“My choice of attire,” she replied.
He glanced down. “Skirts are… cooler in the heat?”
“How did you know?”
He shrugged. “An educated guess.” He turned his back on her. “Get up.”
“Pardon?”
“Get up. I’m going to carry you to the beach.”
She hesitated, but with a girlishness running through her that was entirely new and wonderful, she grasped his broad shoulders and jumped. Her legs locked around his waist, his arms scooping under them for additional security, and off he went, carrying his wife across the lawns in the most unusual, Albion-like way.
I could get used to this…She smiled so wide her cheeks began to ache, everything perfect in this quiet corner of the world where she had discovered the unexpected man of her dreams.
And as he carried her, she could not help wondering how it would feel to watch him carry their children like this. The image burst into her mind without warning, the prospect so astonishingly lovely—and remarkably thrilling—that she did not attempt to chase it away.
