Page 37 of An Unforeseen Kiss (Captivating Kisses #4)

And yet Eden found herself closing the door, shedding her dressing gown and night rail, donning her clothes and stockings and shoes, heading to the library. As she reached it and slipped inside, the clock in the room chimed midnight.

Val waited for her, looking hopeful and unsure at the same time, confusing her to no end. She closed the door, not wanting anyone to know they were here together, and marched across the room, pausing in front of him.

“What on earth do you have to say to me?” she asked. “Why would you think—”

She never finished her sentence, much less the thought, because suddenly she was in his arms, his mouth on hers, his kiss urgent and desperate. Eden didn’t want any part of this.

And yet she was helpless to refuse.

Her arms went about him, and he crushed her to him, his mouth ravaging hers. She clung to him, relishing his scent. His warmth. His strength.

He kissed her, over and over. Between each kiss, he said, “I am sorry. I missed you.”

Tears sprang to her eyes. She was able to say, “I missed you, too,” and then he was kissing her again, as if he were a man dying of thirst and she the source of water to fill him.

He urged her to open to him, and his tongue swept inside her mouth.

Tasting. Taking. Giving. Her breasts grew heavy.

The place between her legs pulsed violently. Eden heard herself whimper.

Val broke the kiss. “I am never letting you go. Never.”

The daze she was in abruptly ended. “No,” she said, pushing him away. “I cannot keep doing this, Val. You have hurt me too much and too often.”

He cradled her face in his large hands. “I never will again, Eden. I promise.”

The tenderness in his eyes made her grow faint. She felt the room growing dark. Her knees buckled, and he caught her, sweeping her into his arms and carrying her to the settee. He sat, her in his lap, giving her soft kisses. Tears began falling down her cheeks.

“No,” she murmured. “I cannot.”

“I botched things badly between us the first time. That is why I left Millvale. I thought you needed time away from me. Time to think. Mama agreed with me.”

“What?” she cried. “What did you tell Her Grace?”

He grinned at her. “That I love you. That I wished to wed you.”

Dumbfounded, Eden could only stare at him as if he’d grown a second head.

He kissed her again. “Mama is the one who thought you could use time to think without me hovering about. I knew you were unhappy with me, Eden. I was not certain of the cause, but she encouraged me to leave Millvale and check on my other estates. That way, I would not constantly be underfoot, upsetting you.”

Val looked at her hopefully. “Did you truly miss me? I was a terrible mess without you. I thought about you every waking moment and dreamt of you each night.”

She shook her head. “I think I must have fallen asleep in the chair and am dreaming.”

He kissed her again. Hard. Demanding. The kiss took on a life of its own, and it went on for some minutes before he ended it.

“This is not a dream. I am flesh and blood, here with you, loving you.” He swallowed. “Hoping you will love me in return.”

“I . . . I . . .” Her head could not even form words, much less her bruised lips.

“Oh, I forgot!” He shifted her a bit, reaching inside his coat, withdrawing something. “This will convince you.”

Eden accepted what he handed her, not sure of anything. She opened it. Began reading it. Stopped. And looked at him.

“Is this what I think it is?”

“Yes, love. It is a special license. We can wed as soon as we wish. Anywhere. At any time. I stopped in town this morning and spoke to Con. I told him of my feelings for you. My cousin is almost as ardent an admirer of you as I am.” Val brushed his knuckles against her cheek.

“He told me to follow my heart. It will always lead me to you.”

Another soft kiss followed. Then he said, “I dragged him to Doctors’ Commons so that I might purchase the special license for us.

Then Con came with me.” He frowned. “At least as far as we could. An axel broke on the carriage. It was taking forever to repair it. I rented a horse and rode it as far as I could before changing out again. And again.” He cupped her face. “All I wanted was to get home. To you.”

She still couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing. “You wish to wed me?”

He chuckled, kissing the tip of her nose. “I would not have gone to such trouble unless I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, love.”

Love . He’d called her love. Eden’s gaze met his, and she saw that he truly meant it.

“Yes,” she said softly.

His thumbs caressed her cheeks. “Yes, what?”

Her voice firmer, she said, “Yes. I will marry you, Val.”

“When?” he pressed.

For the first time, she smiled. “I suppose you would want Con to witness our union. How long will it take him to reach Millvale?”

He beamed at her. “He should be here sometime tomorrow.”

She pushed her fingers into his thick hair, loving the feel of the silky locks. “Well, the fete is tomorrow. Perhaps the day after?”

“No. We have been apart far too long. I refuse to wait. Why not wed during the fete? Everyone will be there. Family. Friends. Neighbors.”

“Do you truly wish for a wedding outdoors, with hundreds of people?” she asked.

“I think it the perfect time to make you my duchess, love.”

Val kissed her again. “Then we will do as you ask. But first, the contests must be completed. After all, you are a judge in one of the riding events.”

He kissed her, laughing. “All right. But once that last contest takes place, there is no escaping me, Eden.” He gazed at her tenderly. “My betrothed.”

Love for this man poured through her.

“Tomorrow night, we will celebrate as man and wife. You do not know how much I have wanted to make love to you.”

A bit of uneasiness filled her. “I hope I will not disappoint you. I know nothing of it, Val.”

He grinned. “I know enough for the both of us. And something tells me you are going to be an excellent pupil and take to every lesson I give you.”

They spent another hour simply kissing. Finally, her betrothed stood and placed her on her feet.

“Let me escort you to your bedchamber.”

They walked, fingers entwined, stopping at her door.

“Not a word to anyone,” he told her. “I want things to be a surprise.”

“You will have to inform Mr. Clarke. He will need to be present in order to perform the ceremony.”

“Clarke would let the cat out of the bag, Eden. That man could not keep a secret to save his own soul.”

She thought a moment. “He has been underfoot, wanting to claim credit for much of what has already been done. The riding events are the last two things scheduled tomorrow afternoon. I guarantee that he will be near the judge’s platform, wanting to take part in the awarding of the prizes.”

“Then I will make certain that after I hand out the prizes, I tell everyone we are to wed, and he is to perform the ceremony immediately.”

“Oh, what about Her Grace and Lady Traywick? They told me they will come to the fete for a short time tomorrow morning. They must be there to see the ceremony.”

“Then I will tell Mama that I wish for her to award the final prize of the day. Naturally, Aunt Agnes will be with her. Will that do?”

“That will do,” she said, standing on tiptoe and pressing a kiss to his lips. “Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow,” he echoed.

Eden floated back into her bedchamber, falling atop the bedclothes. She loved—and was loved in return.

“Mama, Papa, if you are watching, know how very happy I am,” she whispered as she fell asleep.