Page 86 of Second Duke's the Charm

“Tess.” The groan came from deep within his chest.

And then he threaded his fingers through hers and drew their joined hands over her head. He pressed her down and started to move, and she’d never felt so loved. So smothered, yet so cherished. So crushed and yet so free.

She bit his shoulder lightly, the muscle that joined his neck, and he gave another delicious thrust; a punishment that was all pleasure.

She angled her hips and met his every stroke and he tightened his fingers on hers.

“Keep doing that. God, please, exactly that.” She was babbling, but she didn’t care. She needed to reach that peak.

“This?” His teasing voice was rough against her temple.

“Yes!” Tess scrunched her eyes closed. Held her breath.

Higher, closer. She was almost there.

He kissed her, hard, his tongue plunging deep, and she dug her nails into his shoulders, holding on for dear life, kissing him back, eyes closed. The breathless darknessgrew, swelling into a glorious golden wave that crested and broke in a shower of pulsing sparks.

Her inner contractions triggered his own. She held him close, loving his lack of control, the way his big body shuddered in total abandonment.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Neither of them made it downstairs to dinner. At Justin’s suggestion, they ate cheese on toast at the small drop-leaf table in the shared drawing room that linked their rooms.

Hannah, who served them, took one look at Tess’s still-damp hair and pink cheeks and started humming something cheerful under her breath. She sent Tess a conspiratorial smile as she deposited the tea tray and backed out of the room.

Tess bit back a good-natured groan. No doubt the staff were making bets on the probable arrival date and gender of the next Thornton.

There was certainly a possibility that she might become pregnant. She and Justin had made love several times now without taking any precautions, and she realized that she truly wouldn’t mind if she ended up with a “honeymoon baby” if Fate decided to deal her that hand.

The meal was the most intimate she’d ever shared, but there was no awkwardness. Justin seemed determined to draw her into conversation, and before she knew it, she was telling him all about the estate, and the vagariesof truffles, and the grossly unfair dog tax that had been imposed some twenty years ago by William Pitt on any “sporting dog”—which included truffle-hunting hounds like Nell and Oliver—a charge of five shillings per dog.

He, in turn, told her about his adventures in Canada, and his warehouses in Bristol, and his plans to invest in the new technology of gas lighting that had recently been introduced to the capital.

Tess was so much in charity with him that she almost told him about King & Co., but natural caution held her back. Part of her felt guilty for not revealing such a large part of her life, but she was still unable to predict how he’d react.

As a member of the merchant classes himself, he might understand the need to fill her days with something more satisfying than mere social calls, but as her husband, he might dislike the thought of her putting herself into potentially dangerous situations.

The last thing she wanted was for him to forbid her to continue—because she’d refuse to comply. The work she did at King & Co. was too important to abandon. Each case they solved might only count for a single drop in the vast ocean of crimes against women, but Tess was still proud of the fact that they were changing lives for the better.

Besides, she’d become too accustomed to her own independence to lose it now. She would keep her secrets until she knew Justin better.

For a brief moment, she wondered how Daisy and Ellie were handling the princess’s case in her absence, then scolded herself. She would know soon enough if there was any news. The girls would tease her mercilessly for dwelling on work when there was a far more enjoyable subject before her: namely, her handsome husband.

Tess hadn’t wanted the evening to end, but when she yawned for the second time, Justin sent her an amused smile and rose to his feet.

“The excitement of the day is clearly catching up with you. Time for bed.”

She hoped he’d invite her to share his bed, or suggest they go to hers, but he merely made his way to his own doorway. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

The morning brought a letter from Ellie, written in her usual cryptic style, designed to frustrate any unintended reader.

S—has provided a letter, which Mrs. King has confirmed to be genuine. He wishes to meet the Lady in Red at Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens this Saturday.

Tess let out a sigh. She’d hoped to spend a little longer at Wansford with Justin, but duty called.

Things were bound to change once they returned to London. He’d agreed to live at Wansford House, at least for a while, to maintain the fiction of a love match, but would he spend any time with her, or would he disappear to his offices and only visit her bedchamber whenever he wanted physical release?

True, Tess herself planned to be at King & Co. most days, but the thought of the two of them leading completely separate lives was rather depressing.