“Oh…” For a minute, Caroline was not quite certain what to do and she tugged at her wedding gown desperately. “Will you…” she let out at last. “Will you help me with my dress?”
The door swung open and a girl, certainly one younger than her, appeared—a wide smile decorating her freckled face.
“I’m Prudence, My Lady,” she answered at Caroline’s question before her fingers deftly began working at the buttons on her dress. It took them a few minutes before she was dressed in a far simpler gown—one in a deep, forest green. It was with a deep breath that Caroline made her way down to the drawing room—to meet with her husband.
Chapter 11
Sebastian looked up as Caroline entered the room and a smile spread across his face. She was nervous—that much was quite evident by the trembling breath she took and her hands smoothing anxiously over her dress.
Quickly, in an attempt to ease her, he rose to his feet and set his book aside.
“I hope I did not disturb you,” he said softly, his eyes sweeping over her slowly and a familiar heat coursing through his body as his eyes glided over her figure. A wave of desire crashed over him when a blush rose to her cheeks and he took a step forward, his voice low. “Were you able to get some rest? Please, come sit.”
He gestured to the plush armchair across from his own, a cozy tea service laid out on the low table between them. Caroline settled into the chair, and Sebastian released a slow breath as he handed her a steaming cup of tea. Her face was still flushed and her breath hitched in her throat when their fingers brushed together.
She was not unaffected by his presence, he thought as their eyes met.
He watched her silently as she sipped at her tea. Once again it was Sebastian who managed to lighten the heavy atmosphere.
“What do you say to a game of cards, my wife?” Sebastian asked as he finished his last sip of tea. Caroline looked at him quickly and he couldn’t help but smile when he saw the flush of her cheeks and a mischievous glint that appeared in her eyes. “I must warn you though, I'm quite skilled.”
Caroline smiled and Sebastian lifted a brow at the look in her eye. She was as competitive. “I accept your challenge,” she said with a soft laugh. Her mouth opened and closed quickly—an attempt, he assumed, to call him husband too.
Sebastian laughed softly as he dealt the cards. “Commerce?” he suggested easily, “Or do you prefer Brag?”
Caroline’s cheeks flushed even before the suggestion left her lips. “What about Piquet?”
Sebastian lifted a brow, but he didn’t say anything—merely starting to deal the cards. “I used to play all the time with…”
Her words drifted off and Sebastian looked at her sympathetically. He knew what it was that she was going to say.
Beatrice.
He suppressed the thought and focused on the game at hand quickly.
“Ah,” Caroline announced far sooner than expected. “It appears I have a hundred points, My Lord.”
“I demand a rematch!” Sebastian declared, tossing his cards down in mock outrage after Caroline won yet again. “You must be cheating.”
Caroline laughed and shook her head. There was a glint of joy in her eyes. “I would never,” she said dramatically, pressing a hand to her heart in feigned offense. “I'm simply better than you at this game. You'll have to accept it.”
Sebastian laughed lowly. “Perhaps I shall simply teach you a game you do not know yet.”
Caroline looked up quickly at this, their eyes meeting—and the air between them suddenly crackling with electricity. Gone was the playful banter between them. Caroline’s breath quickened when her eyes fell onto Sebastian’s lips and Sebastian’s own eyes moved towards her mouth.
He could not help but wonder what else he might be able to teach her—other than card games, particularly in the privacy of a bedchamber. A familiar hotness suddenly throbbed in the pit of his stomach as he allowed his eyes to slowly devour her.
She too was flushed it seemed and she rose abruptly, pressing a hand to her mouth in an exaggerated yawn. “I think perhaps it's time I retire,” she said, not quite meeting Sebastian's eye. “It's been an… eventful day.”
Sebastian nodded and rose too. “Of course. I'll walk you to your room.”
Caroline nodded simply before following him upstairs silently. The occasional brush of his arm against hers sent tingles down his spine as they moved. Caroline came to an abrupt halt when they reached the door of her bedchamber and Sebastian looked down at her.
She looked up at him, her cheeks aflame. “Well… goodnight, I suppose,” she mumbled, choosing to focus on the sleeve of her dress.
“Goodnight, Caroline,” he murmured, his warm breath fanning across her skin. Then, without much warning, he pulled her into a gentle embrace and his lips pressed to hers. His tongue pressed against her mouth in a soft plea for entrance and he pulled her close, his hands moving over her hips.
The kiss ended as soon as it began and he turned abruptly, making his way to his study.
