Epilogue #2
“The little boy probably needs some rest,” Adrian whispered, glancing at Hector. “He’s getting particularly grumpy.’
“Oh, he is used to the late hour, and you know it,” Daphne said with a smirk.
Adrian could only laugh.
Later, as the ladies adjourned to the drawing room and a few of the husbands settled themselves alongside their wives, Adrian and Caleb followed the crowd but met at the fireplace so they might quietly share a bottle of brandy.
“You’re becoming soft, Wolfcrest,” Caleb teased, his eyes dancing.
“Oh, I know. But I like this. Kettering was right. It is time for me to focus on my wife,” he said as he poured a measure of the liquid into twin tumblers.
“Not everyone is fortunate to have such a lovely wife,” Caleb commented with a grin.
“Careful, Amberwell,” Adrian growled.
His friend laughed boisterously. “You know full well I would never risk our friendship. And as of your wife, her eyes will never stray, I can see it.”
“I am a lucky man,” Adrian murmured.
“You must be. The transfer is done. All documentation has been completed. Kettering now officially owns your former gaming hells. He is a discreet and loyal man who enjoys the dirt and darkness more than you ever did. Admit it.”
“Ha. That man can fool anyone who listens to him. He always sounds like he does not know what he is doing, but he is a shrewd, shrewd man.”
“Now you can focus on your legitimate businesses.”
“Yes, of course. I am still the Wolf. That has not changed, so they had best better beware. However, I am no longer willing to compromise my wife and my estate. Not again. Never.”
“To the free Wolf and the respectable man,” Caleb agreed, raising a glass for his friend.
“Ah. Well, it seems like my brothers-in-law now deem me respectable,” Adrian commented dryly, watching as Alasdair and Daniel approached.
“Grisham, ye’ve only got one sister left unmarried, ye ken,” Alasdair teased. “What are we to do about it now? Dae ye need a wee bit o’ help with the little hurricane?”
Everyone knew exactly why this had to be mentioned.
Eyes turned to Victoria, who was trying to discreetly pour herself yet another glass of wine.
Her attempts at subtly were futile. Everyone saw what she meant to do right away, and more than one of her sisters beckoned for her to put down the goblet and return to her seat.
“I heard you, Alasdair,” she called before finishing the drink and slamming the empty glass on the table so forcefully that it was a wonder nothing broke.
“Do not concern yourself with my future. I do not need a man, least of all a husband who will bother me to the end of my days. I have more than enough people watching my every move.”
A few family members had to choke on their laughter.
Daniel sighed.
“I’d like to see a man brave enough who can match her, anyway,” he commented, although he could not help but reveal some pride in his voice. “That man must possess great patience.”
“Nobody can match me, Daniel,” Victoria said disdainfully.
“We have an announcement,” Marianne suddenly sprang to her feet.
“This dinner has so much excitement,” muttered Caleb, his eyes widening.
“We are thrilled to share,” Marianne continued, looking at everyone in the room, “that we are expecting another child in a few months.”
Joyful shouts and hearty congratulations filled the room as everyone else scrambled to embrace Marianne or pat Dominic on the shoulder.
The night was truly how Daphne and Adrian wanted it to be.
Past midnight, Daphne and Adrian finally retired to their bedchamber. Theirs. It did not matter anymore which side they were on. It also no longer mattered if they spoke or not. Intimate silence reigned.
They were comfortable now in their own skin, as they lounged together with Daphne in only a chemise and Adrian in just his trousers. There was still heat every time their eyes met, but they were more willing to explore their sensuality together.
“Tonight, I saw what peace truly looked like,” Adrian said, his voice deep.
His throat bobbed as he saw her strip her chemise off, baring herself to him. No matter how many times they made love, each time felt different, special.
“It’s real, too,” she whispered. “What we have here is real. No more shadows to contain your secrets. No more fear.”
Adrian agreed, but he didn’t have to answer with words when she was looking like him with heavy-lidded eyes. Daphne was different when the two of them were alone. She gave in to her desires. He loved that nobody else had seen this side of her.
He claimed her mouth with a kiss, clutching her against his body. Naked skin met naked skin. He felt her pebbled nipples graze his torso and his hands squeezed her buttocks, pulling her even closer to himself.
“Can you feel what you do to me?” he growled softly.
“Y-yes. Yes, I do,” she whimpered, as she undulated against him.
Here, in their bedchambers, the meek and mild debutante disappeared. She was his wanton wife, and he could not wait to make her his over and over again. He pressed her against the bed, nudging her thighs apart. She welcomed him eagerly, pulling down his trousers to free him.
Adrian quickly shucked off the pants and proceeded to tease his wife with the tip of his manhood dipping between her legs.
“Please,” she begged.
He would never hurt her ever again, but he liked hearing her beg with her soft, breathy sighs. They were music to his ears. He pressed into her slick heat, savoring the descent until he was buried in her to the hilt.
He rode her slowly at first, each pull and push a seduction that coaxed sighs and clenching thighs.
Then, when he increased the pace, his desires were on fire by the sight of her flushed face and bouncing breasts.
Soon, his thrusts went wild and erratic as he felt something inside him about to burst.
They exploded. Together. His eyes blurred as he spilled himself into her.
He collapsed on her breasts, and she hummed as she offered him a nipple to latch on, making him hard again while still inside her.
He suckled and she let out sighs of pleasure, which became pants as she found her release once more.
He wished they could be there in bed forever, making love all day and all night. Then, she spoke, murmuring against the top of his head.
“Adrian?”
“Mm?”
“What we have is the closest I’ll ever have to a fairytale. In a few months, it will be even better.”
“What do you mean?” he murmured, smiling but still dazed from his own release.
She took his hand and let it rest on her belly. Adrian’s eyes widened, now fully alert. He disentangled himself from her and sat up.
“Y-you’re…?”
“Yes, I am. We will finally have our own child. The Wolf is going to have a pup.”
“Our child,” he gasped, his chest tightening with wonder. “Our own! Daphne, we made something wonderful together.”
“Yes, we did, husband,” she grinned at him.
It didn’t seem real, but it was, and the Wolf was even more glad that he left his lair behind.
The End?