Page 142 of The Formation of Us

“You can do both now.”

“I will.” He trailed his tongue across her lips and filled his palm with her breast. `All night,” he said, loving how she smelled of blooming flowers and scented oils and the good rich earth that filled her greenhouse.

She gazed up at him, her eyes sparkling in the lantern light. “It could be a long night. I brought some oil.”

“Gads! Not the smelly lavender, I hope.”

“Better than lavender,” she said, in a warm, sexy tone he’d not heard her use before, a tone of openness and confidence and trust. “I mixed up a special combination, just for us.”

“This better not be your sneaky way of treating my shoulder with another one of your concoctions.”

She smiled, the glow of happiness on her face a feast for his eyes, her lush lips a temptation to his mouth. “You know what I thought of the first time you kissed me?” she asked.

“That I was taking advantage of you.”

She shook her head. “I thought I’d kissed the sun. I didn’t want to leave the warmth of your arms or lose the thrilling heat of your mouth on mine.” She stroked his jaw. “I need your light, Duke. I need your love.”

“You have my heart and my soul, sweetheart.”

Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “Can I have your body too?”

“Only if you promise to stop your doctoring.”

“Well, I thought I’d stretch your muscles before we—”

“God save me!” He growled and playfully bit her neck. “I can put your lovely hands to better use, sweetheart.”

Her arms circled his waist in invitation, her soft laugh echoing off the stones and into his heart, and love was no longer a mystery out of reach, beyond his wildest dream.Faithwas love. She brought companionship and passion and meaning to his life. All the struggles and sacrifices and lessons were worthwhile. Their future would be an amazing journey filled with family, laughter, passion. Giving his heart to Faith had changed him, altered his too-rigid way of seeing the world, and taught him what it meant to love, to be a husband, a father, and a better man—a complete man.

And their journey was just beginning.

END