Chapter Four
While Mary puttered at the wash basin behind the painted privacy screen, Gabriel stewed in silence in the comfortable winged-back chair.
Who the hell had sent his wife a basket of flowers?
He fixed his gaze on the offending arrangement of blooms as heated jealousy rose in his chest. It wouldn’t have been so bad, except for the fact that Mary’s face had instantly lit, and then when she discovered it wasn’t sent from him, some of that light had immediately died.
I should have had the forethought to give her flowers. Hell, I should have done it myself all along.
He feared the last time he’d given her flowers for no reason was during the Christmastide holidays.
What was wrong with him? Before they’d married, he often brought her a bouquet each week when he would come visit her, and he would give one to the housekeeper and cook as well.
However, since his private investigation business had exploded with cases, he barely had time to think about anything beyond that.
And when he did, that time was spent with the children, for he didn’t want them to feel abandoned by him, like he suspected Henry had at that age.
Have I already cocked everything up between us by not spending enough time with her or even noticing her these days?
When his wife came out from around the privacy screen, she said, “You look so content, I hesitate to ask if you would welcome an interruption.”
The sound of Mary’s voice wrenched him from his musings. “I would enjoy that, since what we started in the drawing room is going to culminate in finally joining together now.”
“Yes, and I can’t wait because you’ve made me quite needy.
” She flashed him a smile, and his world tilted as it always did when she was with him.
Without another word, she joined him, but instead of sitting on the bed near his location, she joined him on the chair and straddled his lap.
The skirting of her blue silk gown bunched between them.
“We need more of that, I think.” Then she kissed him, but worry shadowed the blue pools of her eyes.
“I agree.” He rested his hands on her hips. Having her close sent awareness shivering over his skin. “I promise to try and spend more time with you.”
“I hope you do, for life is keeping us apart just now, and though you’ve given me everything I could have ever wanted in that life, it frightens me that I might be losing you, the very foundation of my existence.
” The longer she held his gaze, the more deeply in love he fell with her. “I am worried, Gabriel.”
“So am I, frankly.” Though concern ran rampant in his mind, he couldn’t stop his hands from exploring her body.
“However, right now, I want to indulge in what we do best together.” A few moments passed as they indulged in kisses and fleeting touches.
It went a long way to relieve the fears that sneaked into his existence.
He couldn’t wait to separate her from that gown.
Eventually, Mary pulled slightly away. “Tonight was lovely, though.”
“Agreed. We need more times like that.” And he needed the reminder to always court her even though they were married.
“We do,” she whispered against his lips before claiming them with hers. Between kisses, she asked, “Do you still find me attractive?” A hint of vulnerability rang in the words.
“Of course I do; please never doubt that.” Needing to touch her, reassure not only her but himself that their marriage was strong, he skimmed his palms up her legs, over her hips to cup her breasts.
“I have missed you in this capacity.” Already, his shaft was pressed so painfully tight against his silken evening breeches that he couldn’t imagine further delay.
“We have both been neglectful of each other.” She rested a palm against the side of his face. “Please forgive me.”
“Only if you give me that same latitude.” When he lightly brushed the pads of his thumbs over her nipples through the fabric of her gown, her eyelashes fluttered, and a sigh left her throat. “We should be honest with each other and not be afraid to speak about the things that bother us.”
“If only life were that easy.” She shook her head. “I can tell you, though, there is no one I want to go through life with besides you; I couldn’t bear it if what we have falls apart.”
“I rather doubt there is a risk of that.” God, he hoped that was so. Then he held her head between his hands, claimed her lips in a kiss designed to tease, to stoke that hunger between them. Yes, he should make a better effort to woo her, continually, despite the fact they were married.
It is so important.
“Time will tell, I suppose.” Her hand was at his cravat worrying the knot, undoing his valet’s careful precision while Gabriel dragged his lips beneath the underside of her jaw, down the column of her throat, licking the satiny skin as he went.
It was one of his favorite things, and the faint scent of violets teased his nose as he did.
A sigh escaped him when she tugged the length of silk from about his neck and pressed her lips to the skin she’d just uncovered. Dear God, how was it possible he was so easily lost when they’d barely begun touching each other?
The warmth of her, the scent of her, the vibrancy of her in his arms went directly to his head, and as she kissed every part of him she could uncover, he did the same to her, following the bodice of her gown with his lips, licking the tops of those glorious breasts he could never have enough of; why hadn’t he made her naked yet?
“Damn, Mary, I need you.”
Nearly drunk on her, Gabriel made quick work of undoing the laces at the back of her gown.
As the bodice gaped, he wasted no time in tugging the garment down her body, freeing her arms from the short, puffed sleeves as he went.
The stays slowed him incrementally, then the soft cotton of her shift provided little resistance as he pulled it down and her perfect breasts were bared to his gaze.
“Being back here, where our relationship began, and at yet another house party, seems far too right,” she whispered as she peered at him with desire-darkened eyes.
She yanked the tails of his shirt from the waist of his evening breeches, and when she shoved her hands beneath his lawn shirt, the heat of her seared him, claimed him, reassured him that he was hers.
Always, no matter how life changed and shifted.
God, would that it is true.
“Agreed,” he whispered against her lips as he held those quivering mounds in his palms. Gabriel teased and tormented those dark pink buds until she writhed on his lap.
“There is no one as well-suited for me as you.” He encouraged her upward onto her knees so he could better take a pebbled nipple into his mouth.
“You are always so charming,” she whispered, and there was amusement in her tones that disappeared on the heels of a moan when he took one of those buds into his mouth, flicked it with the tip of his tongue. “Oh, yes…”
Needing so much more, he spent long, heated moments fondling one breast while leisurely licking and nipping the nipple of the other.
The curves she possessed never failed to entice him, and he gave himself up to her magic.
Yes, it had been a long time since they’d come together like this, and he silently berated himself for that.
She threw back her head, and a tendril of hair escaped its pins.
The fingers resting on his shoulders dug into his skin through the layers of his clothing.
“I wanted you in my bed for so long, but—” A moan interrupted her words when he rolled the other tempting pink bud, gave it a playful pinch while applying firm suction to the bud he’d already latched onto.
“There was always something to prevent being together. I swear, love, I’ll strive to do better.” There was no shame in admitting such.
“As will I.” Honesty reflected in her face. “We can’t let this union fail, Bright. We just can’t. It’s too precious.”
“I know.” God, how he knew.
“That is why I believe this holiday will be good for us,” she said in a whisper as she furrowed her fingers into his hair and held his lips to her breast.
“It certainly is in this moment.” Gabriel grinned and spent the next several minutes pleasuring her breasts, and as her breathing shallowed, he kissed her again, for how could he not? She was his reason for being and had been since the first time he’d met her.
The warmth of her in his hands, on his lap, the faint sounds of pleasure she made, the way her fingers curled into the hair at his nape and how she brushed her body against his all worked to hurtle him close to the edge and they’d yet to couple.
But then that was how it always was with his wife; they turned each other’s worlds upside down.
Would that we continue to do so.
“Gabriel...” Mary pressed a line of tiny kisses to the underside of his jaw, the hollow of his throat, the upper portion of his chest.
“Hmm?”
When she worried a specific spot where his jaws connected, he gave in to a shudder and nearly came prematurely, but he eased backward to meet her gaze in the flickering candlelight. “I want you.” It was simple and to the point.
The urgency in her whisper matched the hunger prowling restlessly through him.
“Aww, sweeting, then let me work to send you over.” Not knowing what else to say, he spent the next several seconds kissing her lips, licking her neck, nibbling the slope of her shoulder, exploring the curves of her breasts until she quivered with need, moaned her approval.
“More.” Mary delved a hand beneath his shirt once more to tangle her fingers in the mat of hair on his chest.