Page 50 of The Big Bad Duke (The Shadows #9)

“ A ren’t you happy you married me?” Sebastian asked, the mattress dipping as he crawled into bed beside his wife.

The last of the late-night guests had finally departed, leaving the house blissfully quiet after hours of tense conversation and veiled accusations.

He settled next to her, still processing the revelations that had unfolded in their drawing room.

“Both men you were on the verge of marrying or attempting to seduce are involved in a secret society plot that could derail their lives.”

Lavinia turned toward him, her brown hair spilling across the pillow like silk.

“Yes,” she replied, a knowing smile playing at the corners of her mouth as she reached for him.

Her arms wound around his neck, fingers threading through the hair at his nape.

“That is surely the only reason I am happy I married you.”

Sebastian’s eyebrows rose in mock offense, his hands finding her waist beneath the covers. “Is that so?” Without warning, his fingers began their tickling assault on her ribs, and she erupted into helpless laughter.

“Sebastian!” she gasped between giggles, arching away from his touch even as she remained trapped in his embrace. “Please, mercy!”

He paused, studying her flushed face in the candlelight before leaning down to capture her lips with his own. The kiss was hungry and desperate.

When they finally broke apart, both breathing hard, Sebastian rested his forehead against hers. “Are you sure that’s the only reason?” he murmured, his voice husky.

Lavinia pretended to consider this, her fingers tracing lazy patterns on his chest. “Well, perhaps the second most pressing reason?”

“Just second?” His tone carried a wounded pride that fooled neither of them.

“Well, maybe third?” she teased, delighting in the game.

Sebastian tightened his grip possessively around her waist. “What are the first two?”

“Your kisses,” she whispered, her voice dropping to match his intimate tone.

“Mhm.” The sound rumbled deep in his chest as he claimed her mouth again, this kiss slower and more thorough than the last.

When they parted, she was breathless. “Your touches,” she managed to say.

The soft pitter-patter of bare feet echoed from the corridor outside their door, growing steadily closer. Lavinia sighed against his shoulder. “Well, perhaps the fourth reason.”

Sebastian chuckled, recognizing the familiar sound of their daughter’s midnight wanderings. “Is Amelia the third?”

Lavinia’s laugh was warm. “You are my world, dear Sebastian Devis. And the extension of that world is about to barge in.”

Sebastian rolled away from his wife and padded to the door. He opened it to reveal their three-year-old daughter, her golden curls mussed from sleep and her nightgown twisted around her small frame.

“Why aren’t you sleeping, mon ange ?” he asked softly, scooping her up into his arms. She was warm and soft against his chest, her thumb finding its way to her mouth.

“Mommy,” she whispered around her thumb, the word muffled but unmistakable.

Sebastian’s heart melted, as it did every time she sought comfort. “Of course, I understand. I would rather sleep with Mommy than alone, too.”

From the bed, Lavinia’s laughter was like music in the quiet room. She lifted the covers invitingly, making space for both her loves. “Come here, my darlings.”

Sebastian carried Amelia back to bed, settling her between them, where she immediately curled against her mother’s warmth. The child’s breathing began to even out almost immediately, soothed by familiar scents and the security of being surrounded by her parents.

“Do you think Payne will be all right?” Lavinia asked quietly. “After finding out that the man he trusted is possibly the one responsible for so much hardship in his life?”

Sebastian’s arm tightened around both his girls. “Not right away, I assume. But eventually, yes. He’ll move past it. He has Annalise, and their love is the kind that will conquer all.”

Lavinia made a soft sound of agreement, nestling deeper into his embrace. “I know the type.”

Sebastian pressed his lips to Lavinia’s forehead, breathing in the familiar scent of her hair, then placed a gentle kiss on Amelia’s crown.

“Sleep,” he murmured into the darkness, his voice heavy with contentment despite the day’s troubles. “We will check on them in the morning. Because though they have each other, they have us, too.”