He placed a soft kiss on her lips. “She’s fine. If Bad is on her trail with a plan, he’ll succeed, Ada. He’s relentless.” Vice had seen his friend take on men twice his size when he managed the floor of the club. He never got flustered or angry and he was strong, skilled, and shrewd. “There is no better man to help her.”
“You’re certain?”
He kissed her again, drawing her closer. She settled into the hollows of his body, like a puzzle fit together. So right. “I’m sure.”
She wound her hands about his neck as he kissed her again and then again. She wore a light pelisse but he had the distinct urge to feel more of her and he slid his hands up her sides, easily pulling apart the buttons and sliding the coat down her arms. Tossing it onto the chair next to the bed, he drew her in again. “I’ll help you undress, love. You’ll sleep more comfortably.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
He pursed his lips, knowing he might have to beg. He’d be a gentleman, she was about to be his wife after all, but damn it all to hell, he needed to touch and feel a bit more of her. “I only mean to help.”
Behind his head, he felt her undo the small buttons at the wrists of her gloves and then pull the fabric off her hands. Her fingers slipped through the strands of his hair. “I’ve never asked you, you don’t have any siblings, do you?”
“No,” he said, leaning into her touch. If she didn’t stop soon, he was liable to forget his commitment to being a gentleman. “Just me. My parents died when I was thirteen and I’ve been alone ever since.”
She stroked her fingers through his hair again, raking his scalp in the most pleasant way. “That must have been difficult.”
“It was, honestly. But now I have you. And soon we’ll have a family of our own.” He closed his eyes, wishing to kiss her again.
“It’s a pity some woman doesn’t have this hair. So silky and the color is beautiful. Do you think we’ll have a daughter with hair like yours?”
Discussing children, specifically the making of, nearly undid him. His body went rigid as a tree. “She’ll have beautiful auburn hair, the color of the setting sun.”
She gave a husky laugh, low and intimate. It made him shiver. “I hope not. Your hair is so much nicer.”
He bent down and captured her lips again. He couldn’t help himself. Not a kiss of comfort but a plea of passion. She met his touch with an equal amount of need. “Never say that,” he whispered between kisses. “I told you from the beginning. Auburn is my very favorite shade.”
She sighed into his lips and then kissed him, her tongue sliding along his bottom lip. “My dress is uncomfortable,” she murmured. “Perhaps it would be better if you helped me undress after all.”
* * *
Ada took a step back, lacing her hands behind her to start working the buttons of her gown. She was certain of several key points. One, she was unlikely to sleep much. Both because of Grace and because she was now staying in a room with the only man that made her heart beat wildly in her chest. Two, they were getting married. “When do you think we’ll have the ceremony?” she asked, undoing several buttons.
His eyes burned into her. “Tomorrow? The next day?”
She gasped, her hands pausing. “But the license?”
He stepped closer and continued the job of undoing her gown. “If you’ve enough money, it’s easy to work around.”
The bodice of her dress slumped forward and Blake began to carefully remove the fabric from her arms. Together, they shimmied the dress over her hips where it collapsed in a pool at her feet. His hands were achingly gentle as he bent to assist with the dress, she ran her fingers through his hair. Something about his touch erased the fear she had inside. All she could feel with him close was excitement and comfort and…love. The word hit her like an actual blow. She loved him. Had loved him for some time, in fact. What had held her back was the fear he wouldn’t return her affection.
He stood back up and pulled her tighter to him, his mouth finding hers again. They stood like that in the flickering flames of the fire, touching, kissing, as he unlaced her corset and she undid the buttons of his jacket.
“Blake,” she said against his mouth. “I have to tell you something.”
He paused, then pulled his head back. “What is it?” His voice was rough. Pained.
She swallowed. Would he rescind his offer if he knew of her feelings? Would she frighten her former rake away? “I… I meant what said when I told you that I thought you were the best sort of man. I know that you’re marrying me out of duty, which I really appreciate.”
One of his brows lifted and then he slid her hands from around her waist. Disappointment formed a ball of ache in her chest but then he reached for his cravat, loosening the knot. “I am not just marrying you out of duty.”
“You’re not?” she asked, licking her lips as she watched his fingers slide nimbly undoing the knot and pulling the fabric of his cravat from his collar. His shirt quickly followed suit and her mouth went dry as she assessed his chest. The muscles were deeply defined and she reached up her fingers to trail them along the ridges of his stomach.
“No, Ada. I am marrying you because you are the finest woman I’ve ever met. The kindest, and in your own way, the strongest.”
“Strongest?” she gasped her heart surging.
He reached out and wrapped a hand about her neck, his fingers cradling the base of her skull. “You freely give love to anyone who needs it. That takes strength. A strength I didn’t have until I met you.” He grimaced then. “There have been other women. I’ll tell you about them if you need to know.”