Truly a Wife (Free Fellows League 4)

Daniel heard her soft moan, and somewhere in the midst of kissing her, he forgot she was inexperienced. He blazed a path with the palm of his hand from the soft curls at the nape of her neck, over her shoulder, down her arm, and inside the open lapels of her robe. Gently cupping the soft underside of her breast, Daniel skimmed his fingers over her supple flesh, caressing one rosy-tipped crest with the pad of his thumb before turning his attention to the rosy tip of her other breast and massaging it.

Her breasts plumped, the tips hardened into insistent little points, clamoring for more attention, and the jolt of electricity that went through her body at the boldness of his kiss settled in the region between her thighs causing an unremitting ache for something she couldn’t name—something she suspected Daniel would have no trouble recognizing or supplying.

Miranda shivered involuntarily as Daniel tugged at the sash of her brocade robe, then slipped it off her shoulders and down her arms, baring her body from the waist up.

He kissed her once more, then gently urged her to take a step backward so he could get a good look at her.

“Are you certain, Your Grace?” she murmured against his lips.

“Very certain.” His voice was deep and rough. “Unlike you, my lovely marchioness, I know better than to believe the dark makes all horses black.”

Miranda stepped back and pushed the robe over her hips, allowing it to fall in a puddle at her feet.

“Miranda?” Daniel’s voice rose as he studied her tall, statuesque, and flawless body from the tip of her shining auburn head, over her beautiful breasts, past her flat stomach and the curve of her slim hips, to the auburn triangle at the juncture of her long shapely legs.

“It’s only fair that you get a look at my naked body, Your Grace.” Miranda amazed herself with her boldness. “After all, I’ve gotten a very good look at yours. You might say I’ve made quite a study of it.”

“And?”

“You’re incomparable,” she said softly. “The dark doesn’t make all horses black, it only makes it harder to see their true colors.”

“And you’re having trouble discerning my true color?” He phrased it as a question, but Daniel already knew the answer. He saw it in the troubled expression on Miranda’s face, recognized the blaze of newly awakened desire and the confusion it brought.

She nodded. “My head warns me to be wary, but my heart encourages me to give you whatever you want from me.” She looked him in the eye. “What do you want from me, Daniel?”

“At this moment, I want nothing more than to be the man who introduces you to the delights of lovemaking,” he answered.

“Because you want me or because you want to make love to me?”

Daniel sucked in a breath as the question sliced through his viscera. He knew what she wanted to hear. He could say the words and have her. But Miranda was honest and straightforward, and he couldn’t be anything less with her.

“I want to make love to you.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, bending to pick up the robe she’d dropped on the floor. “But I’m saving myself for my husband.”

With that, Miranda turned and walked to the door before she made a huge fool of herself by confessing her love for him and producing their marriage lines, before she gave him the chance to hurt her once again.

Daniel had finally kissed her like a lover, and Miranda walked away while her shaky legs were still able to support her.

Chapter Sixteen

“Prudence and love are not made for each other;

As love waxes, prudence wanes.”

—François, Duc de La Rochefoucauld, 1613–1680

She was still fretting over what she should do next when Ned arrived that afternoon with baskets of provisions, a travel trunk full of clothes for Miranda, a handful of mail, and her most recent invitations—along with profuse apologies for his tardy return.

“I’m so sorry, milady,” he said as soon as Miranda opened the back door to admit him. “I gave Lady St. Germaine your message when I delivered her breakfast tray this morning. Rupert and I intended to leave as soon as my breakfast chores were complete, but when your mother learned that you’d decided to visit friends, she decided to pay calls and do some shopping.” Ned appeared a bit chagrined. “Rupert drove, and I accompanied her.” He exhaled. “I believe we paid a call on every establishment on Bond Street.”

“I understand.” Better than anyone. Miranda knew that her mother could be quite formidable when she set her mind to do something. And the dowager Lady St. Germaine loved to shop.

Ned looked at Miranda and realized that she was naked except for a brocade robe. “I came as soon as I could, but it’s quite clear that I’ve come at an inopportune time. Please forgive me for interrupting your honeymoon, my lady.”

Realizing Ned had been misled by her dress or lack thereof, Miranda looked down at her robe and blushed. “You didn’t interrupt my honeymoon,” she told him.

Her mode of dress said otherwise and Ned couldn’t help but stare at her. Either Lady Miranda had just come from the bath or something was amiss.