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.I could have smacked her, Devlin.“And then I could have smacked you.You want to know why?”He nodded, trying not to laugh.“I could have smacked you because I remembered that night in the hallway and you wanted me against the wall, and I was eager, I’ll admit it, Devlin, I was excited and feeling things I’ve never felt before.I wanted to learn what this lovemaking business was all about.But nooooo—you became all saintly and noble, and sent me back to my bedchamber with a pat on the cheek.But the prince didn’t send Sophie on her way, did he? No, he did not wait.” She waved her fist at him.Devlin was laughing so hard he nearly fell off the bed, aware that his bride was standing, watching him, tapping her foot on the carpet.When he was finally able to speak, he said, still grinning like a fool, “Sophie is a wonderful actress to convince you so completely.She made fine sport with you.” He laughed again.“My darling, listen to me.When Julian told me a man shouldn’t take a woman until she was his wife, he meant it.Julian has so much honor, it sometimes makes me want to punch him, like this time, since I wanted you so very much.But you see, I took what he said to heart.I believed him.I know he would never take Sophie until”—Devlin looked at the ormolu clock on the mantel—“until about now.”Roxanne’s eyes were narrowed on his face.“She could not fool me; surely, she could not.Did she?”He nodded, laughed, then choked.Roxanne waited until he got himself together again, wiped his eyes, then said, her own eyes even more narrowed now, “How I wish you’d never asked him anything at all.What prompted you to ask him? Who cares what he thinks? Look at the result.We missed our wall opportunity at midnight because he’d already told you his damnable marriage rule, and you believed he was right, damn both of you.“And there you were, kissing me until I was mad for you, but you kept saying over and over you wouldn’t dishonor me, wouldn’t have me naked until our wedding night.”“Would you believe I suffered more than you did?”“No.”“Well, I did, since I knew exactly what I was missing.Do you know, dearest one, I shall congratulate Sophie in the morning for pulling such an amazing stunt on her aunt.However, Roxanne, very soon you will be naked and beautiful, your cheeks all rosy with delight from the pleasure I will give you.Forget making love against the wall at midnight.This is much better.I think our wedding night has been perfect so far, don’t you? Come here, Roxanne.”She frowned down at him, her voice snide.“I assume you know how to continue this business, since you’ve had simply scores of mistresses.That wasn’t a lie, was it?”He grinned, patted the side of the bed.“No more than two score, but you know, I suppose it’s possible I could have forgotten how one accomplishes this business in the past four weeks of sainthood.Come here, let’s see what happens.”When she was stretched out beside him, Devlin leaned down, kissed her, and kept kissing her as he stripped her naked.He leaned up and stared down at her.Slowly, his hand cupped her beautiful white breast.His leg moved to press hers apart.“Now you are as naked as I am.Hmmm, what is next, I wonder?”“That feels rather nice.Whatever you’re doing, don’t stop.”“I shan’t, my darling, I shan’t.Ah, look at us, Roxanne.I believe I am the whiter.”She studied them for a moment, pressed together, then, “No, I am the whiter.”“No matter, we blend perfectly together, just as I knew we would.”Roxanne kissed his chin, his nose, his eyebrows.“Thee and me,” she whispered against his mouth.“Have I told you how much I love you, Devlin?”“Not since this morning, after I kissed you in the church.I believe I told you I loved you more.As we’ll blend our whiteness, let’s blend our love.Come, let me show you pleasure now.”In the other corner bedchamber of the Shapewick Inn, Julian was grinning down at his new wife.“I cannot believe you told such an outrageous tale to your poor aged aunt.Don’t worry, Devlin will make her realize you were pulling both her legs and her arms as well.Seducing me two full days before our wedding? Beware, Roxanne is liable to clout you once she realizes what you did.”Sophie giggled.“I got her,” she said between giggles.“She was red with rage at me—her little niece—learning things she didn’t know before she did.”He was laughing with her until she began kissing him all over his face, her hands stroking over him, his chest, his belly, and lower, until he moaned.Finally, he came over her, stretched out on top of her, pressed her into the soft mattress, and soon she was panting between her kisses.She whispered against his throat, “Tell me again you love me, Prince.”“I love you, and my four dogs love you.”“And the unborn pups?”“Yes, the pups, too.”She touched her fingertips to his beautiful mouth, his chin, stroked her thumbs over his black eyebrows.“I am the only woman in the world for you.Because you are a smart man, it did not take you all that long to realize it.”“I did but what my mother wished me to do.”“And my mother.How I miss her, Prince.If only she had not died, if only—”“I know, sweetheart.But I have this belief deep inside me that your mother was there in the church with us, and she was happy, Sophie.“Now, my noble self is brimming with lust that needs to be requited.” And he kissed her, his mouth going down her body as her hand had his.In the next minute, Sophie burst with pleasure, and she screamed with the power of it.She would swear she heard Cletus barking his head off when the prince threw back his head and yelled to the ceiling.Click here for more books by this authorEPILOGUERavenscarFEBRUARY 2, 1832Julian read the letter from Baron Purley once again.Dear Prince:It is snowing today in Washington, and the winds gust through the trees and make the windows rattle.Vicky and I are just returned to our home only one short mile from where the American president Andrew Jackson resides [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]