“I’m clever.”
“Yes, you are.”
Her palms slid over his naked shoulders, testing his skin with the scratch of her nails before moving to explore the lines of his ribs. Their lips caught, his mouth drinking in hers. He’d kissed dozens of women in his life, but none of them felt like Georgina. Not one of them had truly mattered to him except her.
“I couldn’t be with anyone else, Georgie.” Leo thought she should know that. “I tried, mind you, but none of them were you.” He fell back against the bed as she trailed her hands over him.
A pleased smile crossed her lovely mouth. “You’re very beautiful, Leo,” she whispered before her tongue darted out to touch his nipple. “But you know that.”
His cock twitched madly against her. “It only matters that you find me so.”
He undressed her slowly, wanting to memorize each breathless sigh and gasp, the hum which started in her throat the more aroused she became. The beautiful lines of her voluptuous form, all softly rounded, fell into the palms of his hands. He pressed a kiss to each of the small, pale lines across her stomach, proof she’d carried his child.
Georgina’s skin was warm. Her scent drifted into his nostrils. A garden in the first days of spring, when the dew still clung to the flowers. Not carefully cultivated roses. No, his Georgie was a bank of rolling wildflowers, thick with grass and fresh earth. Wild, like the endless forest he’d seen across the river.
When he finally settled between her thighs, she was panting and clawing at the skin of his back. Lovely sounds left her as she arched beneath his fingertips, opening every part of herself to him. His mouth found her breast, circling the nipple with his tongue, tasting her sweetness.
“You are worth every moment of that dreadful ocean crossing. I would sail the seas forever if you required it of me. Allow you to win every hand of vingt-un. Give up Elysium,” he whispered. “I’ll even stay in this bloody country for you.”
A tear ran down one of her cheeks at his declaration. She tightened her legs around his hips, pulling him closer.
Leo prolonged the agony as long as he was able, inching into her slowly this time, mindful of how roughly he’d taken her earlier. For a man who was known for his conversation skills and charming manner, he’d never been able to adequately express with words what Georgina was to him.
He took her hand, pressed a kiss to her palm, and placed it across his heart. “You live here,” he whispered. “No one else. Ever.”
Georgina sighed, hips tilting up as she climaxed, her eyes never once leaving his.
21
“I’m starving. Aren’t you the least bit hungry?” Leo’s fingers toyed with the spray of golden curls falling over her shoulders. “You realize, Georgie, if I become weak with hunger, I won’t be able to perform to your specifications. You might have to help me. Do a bit more of the work.”
“I don’t think you’d mind.” Her fingers stretched over the taut muscles of his stomach, reaching down until her fingers circled the length of him. “Cock. Such a funny name.”
“You find mycockamusing?”
“No. I take it very seriously.” Her heart fluttered madly about as she took in the big, naked male sprawled across her very feminine bed, a sheet barely covering his hips. Leo’s dark hair was messy, falling over his cheeks and ears in waves. A brush of dark hair covered his jaw. He was grinning at her, the tiny dimple in his cheek making an appearance. He was deliciously scruffy and wholly disreputable. And entirely hers.
Another flip of her heart.
“My cook makes an excellent roasted chicken. I suppose the least I can do for your valiant efforts is feed you.”
“What about a bit of potato?” The blue eyes roamed over her. “Will you feed it to me?”
Georgina leaned forward so he could get a good look at her breasts, hidden by the sheet. “I will grant you a bit of potato.” Her tone grew husky. “But you will have to do more to please me if you want a slice of bread or some butter.”
“I crossed an ocean for you, Georgie.” He tugged at the sheet. “I expect some butter. And possibly something more.” His eyes focused on the nipple of her left breast before tweaking the bud between his fingers.
Leohadcrossed an ocean for her, something that she knew terrified him. He’d given her Beechwood Court. A never-ending stream of funds. Made sure she had her favorite bourbon. All without telling her. When it came to emotions and his own heart, Leo had trouble being direct. He might never say the words, but Leo would show her, in dozens of ways, that he loved her.
“I love you.” She leaned over, cupping his face with one hand. “And I know you love me in return.”
He sucked in a lungful of air and looked away. “I do, Georgie.” His voice broke. “You’re my person.”
Georgina had no idea what that meant, but she pressed a kiss to his lips anyway.
“I can still see you the night Masterson first brought you to Elysium. You wore a powder blue gown with an indecent neckline. The lace and beads around the edges made you sparkle and shine like the brightest of stars.” He turned back to her. “Contrary to what you might think, Georgina, I do not spend an inordinate amount of time teaching women who enter Elysium how to gamble because I’d rather they lose.” Taking her hand, he said, “Did I ever tell you about Tony’s mother?”
Georgina was taken aback by the abrupt change of topic. “No. I know she died tragically.”
