“Shh,” he broke in. “I want to touch you.”
Certainly he didn’t mean… But an instant later, when his fingers brushed over a sensitive spot that had her gasping, she realized he meant exactly what he said. And more. He pressed there softly, mercilessly until she gripped the coverlet in her hands and closed her eyes.
“Look at me,” he demanded, breathing harsh.
It took a few moment for his words to penetrate her aroused senses, but her lashes fluttered open and she fixed her unfocused gaze on him as he continued his wicked, soul-stealing touch.
“Good,” he murmured. “What’s my name?”
Before she could answer, he pressed into that bundle of nerves again, and pleasure zoomed closer. So achingly close…
“My name,” he prompted.
“Drex!”
He laid a hot kiss on her neck, her shoulder. “Perfect. Look at me, sweetheart. Don’t look away.”
She raised her gaze to his, then stared in awe. Christina wondered if it wouldn’t be wise to hide her desire. To give him her body, she must trust him with her emotions, too. But Drex gave her no quarter, and she didn’t want to hold back anymore.
Blindly, Christina reached for the buttons of his shirt. They fell open at the touch of her fingers, revealing the solid muscle that comprised his chest.
Her husband eased her back on the bed and covered her smaller body beneath the power of his own. “Don’t be nervous.”
She met him halfway as he fused their mouths together in a searing kiss.
Suddenly, she felt his bare thighs between hers. Christina did not know when he had doffed his pants, but was heartily glad he had when he loomed closer to her core, one breath nearer.
She clutched his shoulders, feeling the cloth of his shirt instead of his skin.
No. She wanted to feel him, taste him, encompass him, as he did her.
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With a grunt, she tugged at the offending shirt. He ground the hard ridge of his cock against her, ending her furtive movements in a flurry of staccato gasps and a burst of sensation.
“Leave it,” he said, his whisper gruff. “We have the rest of our lives.”
Before Christina replied, he touched his lips to her chin, then nibbled his way to her mouth. He caressed her breasts, his fingers surrounding the flesh, lifting, cupping, loving. Arousing her again as he brushed and squeezed her nipples, demonstrating that he had the power to make her ache repeatedly.
In one thrust, his kiss possessed her the way his body did—deeply. She felt no pain at the smooth slide of his entry, only fullness and wholeness. He sank into the depths of her body, stealing into her mind, her heart. Then with one strong push after another, he brought her to the brink, even as the damp slide of their skin and their mouths made her feel cared for. He sealed her in the circle of their union.
Once more, he plunged deep inside her, and pleasure splintered Christina, body and soul, leaving her with the knowledge that she belonged with him. A certainty that she would be in his arms and by his side forever washed her with a warm glow of peace she had never known.
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Chapter Nineteen
Drex paced the entry hall the following morning. Every turn of a carriage’s wheel, every squeak of a door, made him jump.
Damn, his father had left to await Ryan’s release over three hours ago.
What could be taking so long?
A scrape of boots and a whine of hinges made Drex whirl again. In the door stood his father, wearing a distinguished gray coat and a wide smile. Ryan stood beside him.
A disbelieving smile burst through Drex’s shock as he zeroed in on his slightly younger brother. The beard, tattered clothing and bruises he’d worn at the hostage exchange had been replaced by a haircut mirroring his own. The breeches and coat Drex vaguely recognized as garments from his closet.
“Ryan!” Drex said, his tight throat. “You look…healthy, and a damn good sight.”
“Newgate’s goalers can be amazingly accommodating, under the right circumstances,” their father cut in. “Manchester’s reluctant nod and my coin lent enough weight.”
Drex stepped toward the pair and clapped his father on the back in thanks as he took the remaining steps toward Ryan.
Finally, after four hellish years, the two embraced, a hearty display of backslapping and a manly reining in of tears.
“Thank you for finding me. And risking your neck to do it.”
“Father told you?” Drex asked.
“Yes. Father.” Ryan laughed, then released Drex. “Seems odd to say that word and know the face.”
“Indeed.” Drex smiled.
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Life couldn’t be better. Ryan was free, they had gained a father, and Christina had accepted him as her husband.
The only dark spot was the truth. He’d been withholding it from Christina and would have to confess. Not today. Maybe not even tomorrow. But soon.
When he felt certain she could understand he had lied out of love, not spite.
“Chantal and Rory? Are they well?” Ryan’s voice trembled.
“Very well. I received a letter just last week, saying they were packed to travel as soon as I advised them you were free.”
“And she’s willing to come?” Ryan asked.
Drex peered at his brother. He never remembered a time when Ryan had been anything but self-assured, as if the world owed him happiness. Had the last four years taught him better?
“She loves you,” he finally answered.
“Imagine that.” Ryan shuffled his feet. “You’ve taken care of her and Rory in my absence. I can’t thank you enough.”
Drex shook his brother’s hand. “Yes, you can. Don’t seek adventure at their expense again.”
Ryan laughed. “I learned better, brother. Adventure is a momentary rush.
Love lasts forever. It only took me a few months of heaving my guts out in the North Sea to learn that.”
“Good man.” Drex smiled.
Ryan shook his head. “You’re the best. Chantal would have been better off with you.”
“That’s not true,” Drex contradicted. “I don’t love her.”
“Ah, yes. I hear you have a wife now. A very lovely wife.”
“A very capricious one.” He smiled wryly. “Let me find Christina. I want you two to meet.”
Ryan nodded. “I’ve waited years to meet the woman who could cage my older brother’s heart of steel.”
“I shall fetch your aunt and uncle as well,” Ashmont put in.
Drex and the earl rushed up the stairs in search of the others. As they disappeared to the top of the stairs, Drex spied Christina emerging through the
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front door. She looked stunning in an amaranthus pink riding habit. As she smiled, she withdrew her gloves and smiled at Ryan who stood ten paces away.
Drex ducked into the upstairs shadows to watch the drama unfold.
“Good morning.” She ducked her head shyly, then flashed Ryan a coquette’s gaze. “When I didn’t find you at breakfast this morning, I’d rather hoped we would meet in Hyde Park.”
Ryan opened his mouth to reply, then closed it again.
Christina stepped closer. “Drexell, say something. Are you unhappy?
Perhaps we should have talked more last night instead of…” She cleared her throat, color heating her cheeks.
Drex restrained a chuckle as she placed a concerned hand on his brother’s arm. Suddenly, she stepped back. Her face drew together in a curious, then bewildered frown.
She gasped. “You look like Drexell and dress like him. But you are not him.”
Ryan cleared his throat. “No. I’m his brother. His twin.”
Her mouth hung open. “He has a twin? I had no idea.”
Ryan frowned. “He didn’t tell you that he saved me by—”
“Christina, I see you’ve met my brother. Ryan,” Drex cut in on the confessional, then jockeyed his way beside them. “Ryan, this is my wife.”