They'd never bothered to undress.
It was the most frantic coupling of his life, and yet he couldn't regret it for a moment. Even though she'd distracted him from their conversation. He'd learned a few things about his wife, not the least of which was that she was just as passionate for him as he was for her. Perhaps she'd only meant to divert him, but she'd quickly become caught up in their lovemaking as well.
And he'd been the first man to know her sweet mouth. Alex did his best not to think about her with other men. After all, he wasn't blameless. But he did feel a surge of masculine satisfaction at knowing he'd had things from her that no one else had.
Leaning down, he kissed her swollen lips, just as her eyelashes fluttered. She was all limp, satisfied female beneath him. Loved into a dazed state. Still panting for breath. The corset she was wearing probably didn't help.
Alex drank her in like she was a tonic for all his ills. She whimpered a bit, but she kissed him back, her hands moving more slowly across his shoulders. Sliding under his jacket, caressing him through his shirt.
"Mmmmm..." Grace sighed as he pulled away, feeling absolutely boneless. She didn't even care about the indecent sprawl of her body or that her skirt was up around her hips.
"Come on, sweetheart, I'll take you to bed."
She didn't protest as he lifted her in his arms. Sleepily, she nestled against his shoulder. As a distraction, her tactics had worked admirably. However, she was fairly certain that they'd also had a hand in the further crumbling of her walls. All she wanted to do was burrow into Alex's arms and never come out. What was she going to do if he dashed all her hopes again?
Chapter 14
Fortunately, Alex showed no sign of wanting to talk the next morning. They were too busy closing up the house, settling the affairs with man he'd rented it from, and packing up the carriage. Grace felt rather jumpy, worrying over what the ride would be like, but she supposed she could always seduce him again. This morning she'd been in his arms, his cock pressing against her stomach, and he'd started to roll atop her when his valet had knocked and reminded him that he'd asked to be woken early.
She'd been surprised at how disappointed she'd felt. Especially considering their activities last night. How was it that she craved him more than ever, when last night should have satisfied her for at least a week?
It was because it was Alex... no other man had ever come close to touching her heart, and so the physical act had never been anything more than a means to release. With Alex, it was so much more. Last night, as he'd been touching her, loving her, she'd felt sure that there was more to their encounter than just her emotions. She would have been willing to swear that he felt something for her too. Of course, once the rush of pleasure was over, she was no longer so sure, but there was no denying that when they were intimately joined, she felt that something was there.
Perhaps that was what she was truly craving. Not the physical intimacy, but the emotions that she felt when they were engaged in it. The emotions she felt from him.
Soon they were going to be trapped in a carriage together. Then she would be trapped on his estates. But she refused to be trapped in a marriage she didn't want for the rest of her life.
The only thing now was to decide whether or not she still wanted it.
"You still look tired, sweetheart, sit down," Alex said, suddenly appearing beside her, concern clear on his face. Grace had to admit, she liked that he was becoming more expressive. "We'll be ready to go soon. You can direct from over here."
He took her hand and led her to a bench in the front hall, not far from where she'd been standing. Even though she did feel a bit fatigued still, she had been perfectly fine standing... but she liked his solicitous attention. It still felt a bit strange to have someone watching over her again, sharing the burden of her day-to-day life. While she'd gotten used to it in some areas, this was the first time they'd ever packed up a house together and moved on from it.
"Oh, be careful with that!" Grace said, jumping up as one of the footmen hurried past her with a vase in his arms. One of the ones she'd gotten in Paris, when she and Alex were on their honeymoon. It was the only thing he'd bought her that she took with her, everywhere she went. Seeing the look on his face, as he recognized it, she scowled. "I just like the vase. Don't... don't read anything into it that's not there."
"Of course not," he murmured, bringing the hand he was still holding up to his mouth to kiss, his dark eyes never leaving hers. But she could tell by the look in his eyes that he knew she was lying.
The vase had represented many things to her. The bitterness of being let down. A reminder not to trust too easily again. But also a memory of what had been good, the happiness that they'd had for a short time before reality had intruded. Even though she'd been let down, she hadn't completely given up hope on love.
"Sit down, sweetheart," he said, his mild voice at odds with the intense look he gave her. It was both dominant and sensual, a voice to be obeyed. Grace found herself sitting back down without even thinking about it. "Now stay here, I'll take care of everything else."
Somewhat bemused, Grace decided to obey. Although she'd been the aggressor when it came to their love-making last night, she had no doubts about who was in charge of the relationship in general. Part of her still felt a bit of resentment that the staff she'd once trusted was completely his. Another part of her warmed to the idea that he'd cared enough to watch over her - after all, it's not as if any of the staff had interfered in her life in a negative way until the day he'd come to retrieve her. She told herself that he'd been spying on her, but even that made her feel strangely happy in an odd sort of way. Because he'd cared enough to both keep tabs on her and, at the same time, allow her to live her life the way she wanted.
Perhaps she was just fooling herself again, but it did seem the most logical explanation. Or maybe Eleanor's optimism was rubbing off on her.
From her perch in the hallway, Grace sorted out several issues, deciding which items would go in the coach with her and Alex and which would be part of the baggage train, which would travel much more slowly due to its weight. It felt rather nice to only have one thing to oversee, instead of rushing around the house and trying to make sure every single aspect of closing up the house was being handled.
By the time Alex was handing her up into the carriage, before climbing in after her, Grace was having a great deal of trouble beating back the hope that was pounding inside of her chest.
******
As much as Alex wanted to have a real discussion with his wife, he decided that a carriage ride was not an appropriate venue. Even if she hadn't looked so tired. Yesterday had been exhausting, o
n several levels, and they'd been woken up earlier than Grace was used to rising, and she hadn't had a moment of rest yet.
Sitting himself next to her, he felt her tense slightly as he wrapped his arm around her. Pulling her into his chest, he tried to soothe some of that tension away, running his hand down her arm.
"Try and get some more sleep, sweetheart," he murmured, stroking her hair. Almost immediately she relaxed, and he realized she must have been worried that he was going to try and do something else. Seduce her perhaps? Or talk to her? Which would concern her more, he wondered.