Page 104

“And I thought we agreed,” Anna responded, wrapping her arms around his neck, “that the rules were not working for us.”

“Fair,” he acquiesced and then bent down to kiss the side of her neck. “At least now you know why I was so keen on us having privacy.”

She let out a bark of laughter. “Indeed, I do.”

He lowered himself, pressing against her but not allowing his weight to crush her. Anna wrapped her arms around him, hugging him to her as tight as she could manage. The closeness wasn’t enough, not quite. He entered her slowly and carefully, and she let out a shocked gasp at how perfect it all was, as if they were made for each other.

Like before, Theo began with slow, careful movements, which Anna grew tired of much more quickly than he did. Hooking one leg over his hip—her skirts were rucked up somewhere around her waist now, crushed between them and getting hopelessly creased, not that she cared—Anna buried her forehead in the side of his neck, squeezing her eyes shut.

The world fell away gradually, as if she was only losing her balance. And then, as Theo sped up his thrusts and she rolled her hips to meet his, everything disappeared at once—everything but the two of them. It was like standing on solid ground, only to have the earth fall away beneath one’s feet, leaving only that dizzying, lurching sensation of dropping.

In a good way, of course.

Later, Anna would notice with annoyance that pieces of grass and one intrepid ladybird had made their way into her hair, which was still damp and tangled, almost beyond saving.

For now, though, she could think of nothing but the warmth of Theo’s body and the rolling spasms of pleasure that shot through her, more and more intense until she thought she might actually die.

She met her climax in a rush, digging her fingers into the meat of Theo’s shoulders and tangling them in his hair. He growled low in his throat, nipping her collarbone without causing pain, and she felt him finish inside her, both of them lost in a haze of pleasure.

The moment seemed to drag on for eternity. At last, Theo pulled back, red-faced and disheveled, and rolled onto his back, his arms spread wide. He glanced at her and made a beckoning gesture.

In a flurry of skirts, Anna rolled over to rest her head on his chest. His arm wrapped around her waist.

“I think,” he said after a long pause, during which they tried to catch their breath, “I might have done something to my back.”

She let out a gurgle of laughter. “I’ve got a ladybird in my hair. It’s still alive.”

“The risks of outdoor lovemaking, I’m afraid.”

“Well, I wouldn’t know.Youare the expert.”

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Would you rather we confine our marital activities to our beds, in the future?”

Anna was quiet for a moment. “No, I don’t think so. This was… well, it was nice.”

“Nice, you say? What high praise. What every man hopes to hear from his wife.”

She playfully slapped his chest, laughing. “Oh, come on, Theo. You know as well as I do that I had anexcellenttime.”

His arm around her waist tightened.

Anna closed her eyes, resting her cheek on his chest and listening to his heart thud beneath his clothing. Clothing which, she now realized, neither of them had removed. A small oversight, one she would certainly remedy next time.

“We could be a real family, the three of us,” Theo murmured, his voice soft, almost dreamy. “I’d almost given up on having a real family.”

She tilted her head to look up at him. “For what it’s worth, Theo. I love you. I love you properly, like a woman loves a man, and I don’t believe that will change. Even when… when I thought you didn’t care for me, I couldn’t stop the feeling.”

He swallowed, and she saw a new emotion flash behind his eyes.

“Well, Anna, I love you. I want to be a better husband, a better father, a betterman. Will you stand by me?”

She nodded. “Of course, I will.”

“I think I’ve been in love with you since the moment you burst into my house in that awful wedding dress.” He paused meditatively. “In hindsight, perhaps that was a sign.”

“You should have run while you had the chance,” she said with a throaty laugh. “You are stuck with me now,Your Grace.”

He chuckled, leaning down to kiss her. “Unfortunately, my dear, I am irrevocably in love with you.”

“Oh, dear,” she sighed, smiling against his lips. “I suppose we’ll just have to make the best of it, then.”

The End?