Page 41 of A Lord in Want of a Wife (Daring Debutantes #2)

T hey were married three weeks later in a small family ceremony in a cathedral that easily matched the size of the temple in Canton.

Cedric wanted a large wedding, announcing their love to the entire ton , but Lucy didn’t.

Not because of the expense, which would have been exorbitant, but because she had never been one to show her treasures to the world.

She wanted Cedric to herself, quietly, in the sweetness of each other’s arms.

So he agreed. After all, he’d promised to agree to everything she said. She knew it wouldn’t last. They enjoyed their arguments too much, but they had both found their strengths and a new power in working together.

Which is what she told him as he carried her to bed their first night as a wedded couple. ‘I am never as bold as when I’m with you,’ she whispered. ‘You make me believe I can do anything.’

‘And I am never so strong as when you look at me like that. As if I am the answer to your dreams.’

‘You are.’

‘And you are.’

He kissed her as he set her on her feet. He teased her mouth, her cheeks, and her neck as his fingers unfastened her gown. She moved as quickly as he, matching his hunger as she helped him out of his waistcoat and more.

She loved how he touched her; his caresses were reverent, adoring and absolutely too tender for what she wanted right now. So she kissed him, putting her feelings into action. She had waited too long for this. She would not be denied now.

But he stepped back, his chest heaving. ‘Lucy, I want you. But we don’t have to do this tonight. It’s been a long day for you—’

She didn’t know if he was teasing her or not. Either way, she grabbed his arm as she climbed up onto the bed. ‘We have waited long enough, don’t you think?’

He grinned. ‘I do.’

‘And so do I,’ she said, echoing their wedding vows.

He wasted no more time on denials. He stripped out of the last of his clothing and she was pleased at the sight of his body. He no longer looked wasted. Indeed, he looked virile as he climbed upon the bed.

He caressed her breasts and he teased her nipples in the way she remembered. And then he spread her knees when her body grew too demanding to wait.

She gripped him then, using arms and legs to pull him on top of her. She wanted him in her body as deeply as he was in her heart.

He waited a moment. An eternity of patience. Then he pierced her. Deep and hard he thrust into her, and she welcomed it. She was open for him, hungry and so happy that a worthy man wanted her.

She would have spoken her love then. She would have cried it out to the heavens, but she hadn’t the breath. She had only the sight of him above her. His eyes seemed to see only her as his breath shortened and their bodies moved together.

They built together. Steadily, powerfully, and in perfect rhythm. And when the climax came, she knew it was only the beginning. So many peaks they would climb together. So many things ahead for them.

‘I love you,’ she cried, as her body condensed and expanded around him.

‘My love,’ he whispered as he poured everything he had into her.

And, unknown to them, that night they began a family. One that would grow stronger with each passing day.

Some hours later, Lucy turned in his arms and murmured sleepily into his ear. ‘I forgot to tell you.’

‘Hmm?’

She took a deep breath, loving the scent of him. ‘You know all those medicines and plants you sent back for my father?’

‘Yes. All the ones that arrived too late.’

‘I gave them to Phoebe,’ she reminded him. ‘She’s been growing them according to the instructions.’

She felt his exhale along the side of her neck and shivered in delight. ‘I hope it works,’ he grumbled. ‘They certainly cost me enough to get the seeds.’

She pressed a kiss to his lips. ‘She’s going to open an apothecary shop with a doctor she’s been working with. They’re going to sell your medicines.’

It took a moment for her words to penetrate. And when they did, Cedric straightened up enough to peer at his wife. ‘What did you say?’

‘They’re going to make medicines and hopefully, a fortune from it.’

‘Huh,’ he said. ‘Good for them.’

‘Yes, but that’s not what I wanted to tell you,’ she said as she stretched beside him.

‘It’s not?’ They were both getting distracted as she moved her legs alongside his.

‘You need to use your influence to get people to try their medicines.’

He lowered his mouth to her neck, nipping in a way that made her breath catch. ‘Easy enough, but why?’

‘Because you get a portion of every sale they make. They were your seeds after all.’

He lifted up to stare at her. ‘They are your seeds, my love. I sent them to you and your father.’

‘And I am gifting them to you on our wedding night. Because I love you.’

His expression brightened and his gaze filled with love. ‘I am the luckiest man alive,’ he said.

‘I agree,’ she quipped, ‘because you have made me the happiest woman alive.’

‘God, I love you,’ he said. And then he set about proving just how much he did. Every single day—and night—of their lives.