Desire Me Always (22 page)

Two weeks later . . .

A
melia looked down at the frills on the white- and blue-silk dress that left little to the imagination for her upper half, completely baring her shoulders and high décolletage. The width of the sleeves where it wrapped around the middle of her arm couldn't be more than two finger-widths. The bustle gathered at her derrière had shots of burgundy silk woven through it, adding just a hint of color to the ensemble. The material was so fine and delicate she was afraid to wear it outside the house.

“You are a sight to behold,” Nick said as he walked into their bedchamber from his dressing room.

She got the shock of her life when she faced him. “You shaved your beard!”

“I needed a change.” He self-consciously rubbed his hand over his cheek and jaw.

“I will have to beat off the other women.”

He looked sharp in his evening tails. His eyes were piercing as he leveled them on her with a mix of hunger and appreciation.

Nick smiled, and she nearly melted into the floor. He had dimples that would make every woman who saw them faint dead away.

She walked toward him and kissed him, lingering and getting a sense of how different it felt with the scruff of his beard gone. “Won't you tell me where we are going?”

“I did; we are having dinner with Hart and a few friends.”

“I feel overdressed.”

“You're not. This dress suits you and is perfect for the occasion.”

Her eyes widened. “So you
are
keeping something from me. Tell me what the occasion is, please.”

He pressed his mouth to hers in a brief kiss. “You'll find out soon enough. Now, turn around.”

Nick wrapped a cord around her neck. Amelia touched the soft velvet as Nick tied it in a bow at her nape and let the ends dangle down between her shoulder blades. He kissed the side of her neck, his breath hot on her pulse that sped up every second she remained in his embrace.

“We will never leave the house if you continue doing that,” she said, turning and letting her arms rest over his shoulders.

He lowered her wrist, kissing the delicate inside before swiping his tongue around the pulse that drummed in time with her heart. Amelia's lips parted on a sigh. Nick moved abruptly back and tied a band of burgundy velvet around one wrist and then the other.

“There is no other word for you but stunning,” he said, admiring her at arm's length. He handed her gloves to her. “We'd better leave before we find ourselves decidedly underdressed and naked under the bedcovers.”

She bit her cheek to keep from grinning, but it was useless. Nick's good humor was intoxicating and consuming.

“Perhaps that's where I prefer to be.” She hated large functions. With a burning passion, she hated them. But she would do what Nick wanted, as they had done very few functions since their marriage had been announced.

“Just wait until I get you in the carriage. You won't be grinning; you'll be moaning my name.”

“Is that a promise?”

His only answer was a wink before he took her hand and walked down the stairs with her.

T
heir carriage pulled up in front of the Langtry, which was Hart's hotel. When they didn't head in the direction of the dining room, Amelia pulled Nick to a stop. “Nick, I know we planned this function, but I'm still nervous. We have seen so few of your friends and some not at all since we married. Tell me what to expect at the very least.”

Nick kissed both her cheeks and her then her lips. “I cannot give away the surprise. But I promise it's one you'll relish.”

They walked arm in arm up to the second level and entered a long hallway Amelia had never been down before. There were half a dozen doors, all painted in gold leaf; by all appearances, they were separate rooms in the hotel.

They approached a set of double doors at the end of the hall, and Amelia felt her heart rate increase, and her palms grew sweaty beneath her lace gloves.

“You look gorgeous, love. And whatever tonight brings, just know that you are my world. And I want to shower you in everything that is precious and perfect.”

“You're not helping matters any,” she said, her voice pitched higher than normal. She wasn't sure she was cut out for surprises.

Nick rapped on the doors, and they opened simultaneously to reveal . . .

A small ensemble that played Strauss for no one. The room was small, and it looked like it served as a private dining hall when needed. The floor was a patterned hardwood that was heavily polished and gleamed under the crystal chandelier that hung above their heads. Windows flanked one wall in the room and were covered in golden velvet curtains.

One of the serving staff came over with a tray of champagne flutes.

“I thought we were meeting Hart and, I assumed, Lord and Lady Burley.”

“After our first dance, they'll join us.”

“Why are we here?”

Nick leaned in close to her ear and softly said, “Because I wanted you to have your very own ball.”

“But there are no guests.”

“Would you have preferred I invited half of London?”

She shook her head. “How well you know me.”

Nick held his arm out for her to take, which she did. He walked them forward. The ensemble of instruments took their cue from him.

“Nick. Thank you for arranging this . . . ” Amelia's voice came out wistful. It was turning into a magical night.

“I had help,” was his response as he turned her about and bowed before her. “I believe the first dance is mine,” he said.

She laughed, because he was the only person here with whom to dance. “It's a good thing I don't have eyes for any other man.”

The music ensemble started a familiar tune that was lively and quick.

It was the first song they'd ever danced to. The first time the boundaries between secretary and employer were irrevocably severed, and they became so much more; the beginning of what they were now.

This was the song they'd danced to all those weeks ago in the absinthe café. A mazurka, she thought it was called. The steps were fast, the pace invigorating. She inhaled deeply as her husband took her hand and brought her closer to his body.

“I believe you already know the steps to this particular piece.”

She smiled up at him. “I believe I do.”

The fast steps were exactly as she remembered as they trotted around the ballroom, laughing and holding each other. Making a ruckus for only two people. But she didn't care.

What Nick had done for her here . . .

It was beyond all her imaginings.

Amelia threw her arms around her husband's shoulders as the song wound down to a finale. She wished they could lock themselves in this moment and not share it with anyone. And they could, in a way, but she had a feeling this couldn't last all night, and not because she didn't want it to but because she didn't think her feet would stand for it.

Nick grabbed her up, lifting her clear off her feet, and swung her around in a circle, her dress fanning out around them.

Amelia arched back and let go of his shoulders, letting him hold her up, spinning her about. And she let herself be free for a single moment and laughed at the joy she felt bursting out from her heart.

She didn't care what kind of spectacle they made to the ensemble. What mattered was that their love could not be faked, could not be denied. They had found that place where they were both happy. And maybe that had been Nick's intention in throwing this surprise for her. Maybe it hadn't been. But in this moment, everything in her life was perfect, and it could never have been this way without Nick in her life.

The revelation and realization was glorious and beautiful.

“Thank you,” she said when he set her down. She stood in the middle of the room, looking at him through lowered lashes.

“We missed celebrating our wedding. I won't take the small things for granted. The things we can control in our lives we will enjoy to the fullest.”

She felt herself blush from the tips of her toes all the way up to the roots of her hair.

He kissed her hands and whispered, “I love you more than life itself, Amelia.”

“You are the most wonderful husband in the world, Nicholas Riley, and I am honored to be your wife.”

“And you are the most beautiful bride I could ask for.”

She threw her arms around him. “I love you, Nick. Always and forever.”

He returned the embrace and moved them easily into another dance, something slower, a song that allowed them to look into each other's eyes. “And I love you more than words alone can offer. I will endeavor to show you all the ways I love you as we grow old together, Amelia Riley.”

Highgate, London, 1883

A
melia took Nick's hand and carefully stepped down from the barouche. It was warm for September, and the heat fatigued her so quickly. Nick kissed her forehead, and rested his hand against her ever-growing belly.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

“Tired. But I'm excited to see the work that has been done on Caldon Manor.”

Sera hopped down next to Amelia. “It's marvelous, Nick,” his sister said. “It amazes me the amount of work that can be accomplished in the course of a year.”

Amelia shielded her eyes against the sun and stared up at the house. Scaffolding still surrounded the building, but it would be coming down in a month's time.

The foreman approached them. “Mr. Riley,” he said.

“Douglass.” Nick shook his hand. “The progress is astounding.”

“We still have a lot to do on the interior, but she's coming along nicely.”

“I have a painter standing at the ready the moment you are ready.”

“There's some structural work to be done on the upper floors, relaying of the under-floor and fixing the plaster that's deteriorated with time.”

“Can we look inside?” Sera asked both men.

The foreman wrung his hands around his hat and glanced quietly toward Amelia's distended stomach.

“It's not a bother, Douglass,” Amelia said to ease his discomfort with the situation. “I need to walk some anyway. Being cramped up in a carriage that long makes for baby somersaults all evening.”

Amelia kissed her husband's smooth cheek and threaded her arm through Olive's. Olive used to be the kitchen maid but was training to be a lady's maid. She'd been in Nick's employ since she was no more than a frightened child, afraid to even speak. With the loving care of Nick's household, she'd eventually found her voice and had become a valued member of their home. Olive also made a wonderful companion and had been helpful during Amelia's pregnancy, which had started with too many days of sickness to count. Thank goodness the illness had been short lived, lasting only a month.

“We won't be long,” Nick promised, his sister walking toward the house already. He seemed reluctant to leave her. He was afraid she would have the baby any day now and miss the event. She had at least another month to go, but she liked that Nick cared so much.

Amelia and Olive followed a path toward the trees in search of some shade, which they found at the edge of the wood. The old wooden fence that lined the property had been replaced with a stone wall, a boundary for the school yard. They sat on the wall now, as it was only two and a half feet tall.

“Can I get you refreshment, Mrs. Riley?” Olive asked.

Amelia shook her head, her hand absently rubbing over her stomach, easing the tightening, something her doctor had called Braxton Hicks, which happened frequently when she was on her feet walking too long. Not that they had come very far to sit on the wall. “I don't need anything just yet. If I take refreshment we will have to make more stops than I'm willing to on the way home.”

Amelia used her fan on her face, trying to cool the heat that had infused her while sitting in the sun most of the carriage ride to Highgate.

“Do you suppose they'll be done with the house for summer?” Olive asked.

“I hope so. Sera has her heart set on it. I know some of the families whose children will attend will be moving to Highgate after the winter season.”

“Nick has a way of getting what he wants,” Olive observed. She always called Nick by his Christian name and Amelia assumed it was because he was like a father figure to her, having saved Olive from a terrible fate. Nick never corrected the young woman, so Amelia didn't either.

“There my husband comes now,” Amelia said with an amused expression and a shake of her head. He was constantly worried for her welfare and terrified he would miss the birth of their child.

“I wanted to see how you fared,” he said.

Olive moved away, giving them privacy when Nick sat beside her on the wall.

“You needn't worry so much for me, Nick. I am well enough to sit here for a spell before we head over to the inn.”

“The ground isn't even here, if you should fall . . . ”

“I'm not likely to break, and we both know Olive can take care of my needs when you aren't around.”

Nick wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his side. His other hand curved over her belly, rubbing it possessively. He couldn't seem to refrain from touching the distended bump, even when they were in public.

She didn't mind the attention when they were alone, but when they were in public, they tended to garner a lot of uncomfortable looks from people around them.

“There are thirty workers milling around outside today,” she said, blushing.

Nick's gaze was steady on hers, his hand not moving away from her stomach. “Then let them see how much you mean to me.”

Amelia rested her hand over her husbands. “Will this one attend the school here?”

“Eventually. I would want nothing more than for our children to be taught by my sister.”

Amelia smiled. She felt the same way. Sera was such a wonderful friend, and sister-in-law. “This baby will be surrounded by so much love.”

“As my sister and I were growing up.”

Tears filled Amelia's eyes. She wiped them away. “I don't know why I'm so sensitive,” she said in apology. She knew her husband hated to see her cry.

He kissed her carefully on the lips, his hand at her back now, holding her close.

Amelia held onto his arm and her hat, which had come loose the closer he got.

“Nick, what are you doing?”

Nick knew how she felt about being the focal point in a crowd, but he seemed less and less able to keep his hands off her the fatter she'd grown with child.

“I can't wait to get you alone back at the inn.”

She swallowed back the nervousness that built in her throat. “You can't say such things.”

“No one can hear us.” He kissed her again, their lips lingering longer this time. “And I know how insatiable you've grown these past months.”

She was constantly desperate for his touch. She thought with a growing belly she would want to spend less time in their bedroom, but the opposite seemed to be true.

“Let's leave Olive here with my sister. They can eat lunch from the basket we prepared, and enjoy an afternoon out here until the carriage comes back,” he said, already standing and assisting her to her feet.

“Absolutely not.”

Nick looked around them before focusing on the path that led to the wood. “Walk with me.”

She raised her eyebrow. “I don't think I'm in any shape for a scandalous interlude in the middle of Highgate forest.”

“Humor me,” he said pulling her along. She went, because she knew how her husband was when his mind was set on something. He asked Olive to wait for them at the carriage, giving them more privacy as he took the worn path away from Caldon Manor.

They took their time, letting her walk slowly so she didn't trip over any upturned roots or exposed rocks.

When they were alone, he turned her to face him. His hands caressed her cheeks, then rubbed along her arms.

“Why were you desperate to get me alone?”

“To do this.” He lowered his mouth again, knocking her hat back, which dislodged her hatpin and had the hat falling to the ground. She ignored it, because her hands were wrapped around her husband's shoulders, keeping him close.

His lips separated hers before his tongue gently slipped into her mouth. His hand moved over the side of her belly, rotating. She knew if they were in their bedchambers right now, their clothes would start coming off. But they couldn't be so carefree out here in the middle of the wood.

When they pulled apart, she asked, “What has gotten into you?”

“Watching you glow on the carriage ride here, I wanted nothing more than to ravage your mouth then.”

Amelia looked away. “Whatever will I do with you, my wicked husband?”

“Indulge me,” he said as he stole her breath away in a kiss that left her panting when he pulled away again.

“We should head back to the inn now.”

“I knew you'd see it my way once I got you alone.”

“You are forever getting me alone. I'm amazed we manage to get dressed and out of our room most days.”

She took his hand and made it only a step away from him before he pulled her back against his chest, both of his hands molding to her stomach.

“In a minute,” he said, his voice hoarse, and his desire pressing into her lower back.

“Nick.” Her voice was hoarse and filled with need. Her head leaned back against his shoulder and he kissed her neck. Her breasts felt heavy and sensitive, her core was slick, aching.

“I want to take you here.”

The breath left her in a rush. She couldn't say no—instead, she nodded.

Nick lifted her clear off her feet and walked over to a fallen tree. He set her down and had her press her hands against the wood, which was as high as her hips. He lifted her skirts in the back and pulled and worked the buttons free on his trousers with a curse. He sunk into her before she took her next breath. Her nails dug into the bark as she spread her legs farther apart for him to sink deeper into her. He was slow as he pumped in and out of her, careful of her stomach, careful to hold her up as he fucked her from behind.

All he had to do was touch her and she was close to orgasm. “Nick.”

“Don't wait, I want you coming around my cock.”

His words set her off, and she felt her whole body tighten before it released in perfect bliss. She shouted, quieting the birds that chirped around them.

She couldn't hold her weight on her arms anymore and started to fall against the tree. Nick grabbed onto her and sat on the forest floor, her astride his thighs. She was too out of breath to move, which was all right, because Nick thrust shallowly into her, one hand squeezing her breast through her dress before he emptied himself in her and stilled.

Neither of them moved, they were both out of breath. “My knees are starting to hurt,” she said.

Nick lifted them both off the ground, fixing the back of her skirts before putting his clothes back in order.

Amelia was flushed and hotter than ever. She took a handkerchief out to wipe away the sweat on her brow. Would everyone know what they had been up to? Embarrassment washed through her.

“You look beautiful,” Nick said, kissing her forehead.

“I cannot believe we just did that.”

Amelia searched the ground for her hat, and found it twenty feet away. Nick retrieved it before she could bend over and collect it herself. He dusted it off before leaning over and picking up her hatpin.

“We need to get back to your sister,” she said.

“We need to get back to our inn room.” He turned her to face him.

She smiled. She did want to be alone with him again. She couldn't understand how she could want to be intimate when she had a growing belly that kept them from easily embracing. And while she felt uncomfortable most of the time, when they were together, all that mattered was the two of them.

“Then let's get back to the privacy of our rented rooms.”

He gave her a cocky smile. “You are more beautiful than ever,” he said again.

“You're just filling my head with platitudes so I'm not embarrassed when we return to the carriage.”

“No one will believe we did anything but walk through the wood.”

She went on her tiptoes and kissed him lightly on the lips. “Thank you. I think that was precisely what I needed after spending the past two hours in a carriage.”

“I would do anything for you, Amelia.”

“I know, and that is part of the reason I love you so much.”

“And I love you.” His hand lowered to her stomach again. He seemed as helpless to keep his hands off it as she was. He leaned over and kissed the bump before taking her hand and leading her back to the house.

She knew she grinned like a fool the whole way back. And she was sure their slightly rumpled state was obvious, but they didn't get one side-glance as Nick eventually handed her up into the carriage and sat beside her, his arm around her shoulders as he whispered in her ear. “I want to make you blush for the rest of the day.”

She hid her head in his shoulder. “Your sister is across from us.”

“And she knows how much in love we are.” He placed his hand on her chin and turned her head up to his. “I have never known the kind of love I have for you. You make me whole. You alone make me a better man.”

And because his words made her teary-eyed, she kissed him full on the mouth in front of her lady's maid and his sister just as the horses pulled forward. Love knew no bounds, for her shyness had melted with those words.

 

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