He pulled his breeches off and then his own underthings, then knelt over her, naked.
“Isabella, close your eyes,” he said.
She did what he asked, and then gasped in surprise at what happened next. He parted the lips of her moist centre with his fingers, then kissed her on that most tender spot where all her desire was focused. He began to move his tongue around, slowly at first, and then more urgently, as she panted out her desire.
“Oh, Sebastian, I cannot tell you how good that feels!” she moaned.
He pulled his mouth away, then pushed a finger inside her. She let out another groan of desire. She wanted his manhood inside her now, with more urgency than she ever thought possible.
He began to massage the inside of her, going deeper than she imagined possible, until he found a spot that made her writhe with pleasure. Just when she thought she could bear it no more, he removed his hand, then climbed on top of her and pushed himself inside her.
“You feel so good, Isabella,” he whispered in her ear, as he began to thrust inside her. He rubbed her breasts with his hands, then kissed her hard, as his movement began to quicken.
She bucked against him as she felt her climax come. It was like a mass of stars exploding in her mind, making her whole body tremble.
He groaned and pushed harder, and she felt his seed spilling inside her.
They lay together in a tangle of sheets, silently stroking one another’s bodies. Outside, the sun was beginning to rise.
Isabella lifted herself up onto her elbow and looked at him, as the light shone on his face. “Do you think we have time to do that again before going down for breakfast?” she whispered.
He laughed and rolled on top of her, kissing her deeply. “Nothing would give me greater pleasure, Isabella.”
Epilogue
Old Year’s Eve
The moment had come. Isabella could scarcely believe that it was happening. She stood a little nervously outside the chapel with her father, waiting for the moment that it was time to go in.
George looked at her, with a softness in his eyes that Isabella did not think she had seen for many years. “You look beautiful, Isabella,” he breathed.
She smiled, her cheeks pinkening a little from his compliment. The wedding planning had been very rapid indeed, and she had not been sure there would be time for a dress to be found for her that she was happy with, but Clara had taken charge of the whole thing, and she felt that what she was wearing was quite perfect for the occasion. Her gown fitted her well, and she knew that she looked her best.
That was enough. Today was not about appearances, after all. It was about making promises to the man she loved, and that was what mattered most.
“Father,” she said softly. “Thank you for forgiving me for the trouble I have caused, and for giving permission for Sebastian and me to be married.”
George paused and looked at her closely. “I have been wanting to say something to you for several days now, Isabella,” he said seriously.
“Yes, Father?”
“I should not have tried to force you to marry the duke,” he said. “I thought that position and power were what mattered, but everything that has happened over the last few days has shown me how very wrong I was. When you told me that you did not love him, that you did not want to marry him, I should have listened to you.” His voice was thick with emotion, and he paused, reaching out to stroke her cheek. “I am sorry, Isabella.”
“Thank you, Father,” she said softly. “I am glad that I did not have to marry him, although I do realize that it would perhaps have been better for everyone if the situation had come about with a little less drama.” She giggled, hardly able to believe that this was the happy ending that had finally come about for her.
“It will all be forgotten soon,” George said, with a smile. “You know as well as I do that the ton needs fresh gossip just as much as plants need sunshine and water.”
Inside the chapel, the organ began to play, and Isabella felt a flurry of nerves in her chest.
George took her arm. “It is time, my dear,” he said softly, then pushed the door open, and they entered the chapel together.
***
Sebastian had been waiting nervously, with Adrian at his side, for Isabella and her father to arrive. He did not for one moment think that anything would go wrong today, but still, somehow, he felt a little anxious. The last few days had been a blur, but now the day of the wedding was here, and he and Isabella would promise to be together forever.
The chapel door opened, and Isabella entered, arm in arm with her father. She looked more beautiful and radiant than Sebastian had imagined possible, in an ivory gown, with flowers in her hair.
How had he managed to be so lucky, he thought, to marry a woman as wonderful as her? Something stirred within him as he remembered the night they had spent together in his chamber, just a few nights’ previously.
