Chapter Fifteen #2
The duchess, Alena, slapped his arm, while the rest of them muffled their renewed laughter.
Other than Meridith. She planted her hands on her hips and said, ‘Just what are you saying, dear brother?’
Chesterfield stepped forward and kissed her cheek. ‘That I love you. Your husband does, too, and he’s going to take very good care of you.’
‘I know that, too, Peter,’ Meridith said, giving her brother a hug, ‘and I know that you took very good care of me, too.’
‘All right, you two,’ Alena said, stepping forward to hug Meridith. ‘I’ve already cried enough, and we still have breakfast to get through.’
After hugging her sister-in-law, Meridith looped her arm through his. ‘I mailed the letter, Alena,’ she said.
‘Yes, you did,’ Lady Alena replied, ‘and I’m so very proud of you.’
‘What letter?’ Drake asked.
Meridith looked up at him with a smile that was brighter than summer sunlight on a blue ocean. ‘The one that says I love you,’ she said.
Drake didn’t recall receiving such a letter, but made no comment because the ink had dried on the paperwork, and he was handed their copies. They were then ushered to the doorway and received yet another jubilant fanfare from the well-wishers who had waited outside of the church to throw rice.
Keeping an arm around Meridith’s shoulders and ducking his head over hers to protect her from the handfuls of rice being tossed ardently on them, Drake guided her to the new, open carriage he’d recently purchased that was waiting for them.
Once they were seated, he signaled to George, who was sitting on the driver’s seat, to set the team of matching white horses into motion.
Just as the wheels began to turn, Meridith lifted the bouquet of flowers she’d carried during the service and threw it backwards over her head. Then she jumped up to look behind them and see who had caught it.
‘Oh! Alice caught it!’ she told him as she plopped back down beside him. ‘She’s one of the girls I knew from school. Although, she got kicked out for sneaking out to see boys during her second year.’
Looping his arm around her shoulders, he said, ‘Sneaking out to see boys. You never told me about that.’
She snuggled up against him. ‘I never told anyone about that. It ranks right up there with cutting off a bustle. Although, I did tell Diana about the bustle.’
‘Would you like to know where that is?’
She frowned. ‘You burned it.’
Drake shook his head. ‘I kept it as a souvenir.’
She slapped his thigh. ‘You did not!’
‘I did. It’s in my bureau drawer.’
Mouth agape, she stared at him.
He laughed. ‘I love you.’
She laughed, too. ‘Well, now I know that for sure, and it’s wonderful!’
‘Wonderful indeed,’ he said, and kissed her, not caring an iota who saw as the carriage rolled along the streets of London.
She let out a sigh as the kiss ended and leaned her head on his shoulder. ‘I do hope that Hugo wasn’t too hurt by not being able to attend.’
‘He’s an elephant.’
‘Elephants have feelings.’
‘Yes, they do,’ he agreed. If not for Hugo, Drake wouldn’t be married to this wonderful, amazing woman.
He would never have thought that an elephant could make a man fall in love, but that was exactly what had happened.
He’d never thought he could be as happy as he was right now, either, but that too had happened.
‘We will have time to say goodbye to him before we leave tomorrow, won’t we?’ she asked.
‘Yes, we will.’
‘He’s going to be so excited to have another elephant with him,’ she said. ‘A partner. Just like us.’
‘Let’s just hope we don’t end up with two elephants running through the park and getting drunk off wine.’
She laughed. ‘Let’s hope not!’
And so it continued as they rode towards her brother’s house, the two of them talking and laughing, about nothing, and yet everything, as always.
The wedding breakfast extended well into the afternoon, with all the traditions of toasts and cake and gifts and pictures.
Drake enjoyed it, not only because he wanted Meridith to have all that, but because it was nice to be with so many people that they wouldn’t see for the next few months.
His and Archibald’s partnership was working out very well, and he had faith in his cousin that when they returned all would be just as it should be—with both the shipping company and the gold mine.
Archibald had shown Drake all the documents, and it truly did appear as if there was gold on the property; it just hadn’t been found yet.
They had decided to continue searching, just with a smaller financial commitment than before.
Meridith, who had retreated upstairs with her sisters a short time ago, once again arrived at his side. ‘Can we leave now?’ she whispered.
‘I don’t know, can we?’ he asked in return, glancing around the main parlour that was still filled with people.
Biting her bottom lip, she nodded. ‘Yes.’
He clasped her hand and began making their way to the door. It was more than an hour later when the last farewell was bid, and they climbed into their carriage.
‘This has been a wonderful, perfect day, in every way,’ she said, once again leaning her head on his shoulder, ‘but I’m ready for it to be just me and you.’
He kissed the top of her head. ‘So am I.’
Thankfully, the ride to his, now their house didn’t take long, and hand in hand, they climbed the stairs to his, now their bedroom on the second floor. He opened the door, held it wide for her to enter first, and heard her sigh, knowing she saw what he did.
Agnes had set up a small table in the corner of the room, and upon it were trays and bowls of fruit, breads, cheeses, and various other tidbits of foods. There was also a bottle of wine and glasses.
‘Oh, dear, sweet Agnes,’ Meridith said. ‘We won’t have to leave this room until tomorrow.’
He closed the door, stepped up behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist. ‘I’m fine with that.’
She leaned back against him. ‘I am, too.’
He kissed the side of her neck, the temptation too great not to, and smiled at the mewing sound she made. She was telling him exactly what she wanted, which was exactly what he wanted, too.
With no fear or uncertainty, she lifted one of his hands and guided it upwards, until it was cupping one of her breasts. ‘I need you, Drake.’
‘I need you, too,’ he whispered in her ear.
‘This is our night.’
‘Every night from this moment forward will be our night,’ he said, caressing her breast.
‘I like the sound of that,’ she said. ‘And the feel of that.’
She was a lady through and through, but had never been fearful of expressing her wants or desires. She did what came naturally to her without shame or judgement. Simply one more thing for him to love about her.
‘So do I,’ he said. Running a line of kisses along her neck, he slid the hand not caressing her breast downwards, to her lower stomach, then used it to press her tighter against him, letting his arousal come in contact with her backside.
Wiggling against him, she whispered, ‘I like that, too.’
‘I have a feeling you are going to like a lot of things we do tonight,’ he said, with every nerve in his body humming as the desire he’d been holding back for so long sprang to full attention.
She giggled. ‘I do, too, and I think you should start by unbuttoning my dress.’
He eased backwards, putting enough space between them for him to work the long line of buttons that ran down the length of her spine.
Wanting to please her, needing for her to enjoy every moment, he took his time.
With each three or four buttons that he undid, he separated the material and kissed the skin being exposed.
When he encountered an underlying garment, he kissed her through the thin material.
‘I had no idea unbuttoning could take so long,’ she whispered.
He laughed. ‘There is no hurry. We have all night.’
Having reached the final button, he pushed the material off her shoulders and then slid his hands inside the gown, around her waist to her stomach. ‘You always smell so good, taste so sweet,’ he said, nibbling on her ear.
She wiggled her arms out of the gown, letting it fall into a heap around her feet. ‘You truly are a rake, saying such sweet things.’ She spun about so they faced each other. Kissing his neck, she whispered, ‘My rake. All mine.’
‘And you’re my lady,’ he whispered, before capturing her lips in a long, sensual kiss.
Her breasts flattened against his chest, and desire pulsated through his body. He grasped her backside and pressed her pelvis against him, assuring the demanding need inside him that it would soon be sated.
Soon was an elective amount of time, and tonight, time had little meaning.
Item by item, clothes were discarded, and as each piece landed on the floor, there was a pause, moments for admiration and exploration. Some took longer than others because she was so stunningly gorgeous, he had to taste every inch of her bare, exquisite skin.
A low, guttural moan rumbled in his throat as he dragged his mouth from one swell of her breast to the other, giving the hard nibs of each nipple equal time.
He didn’t ignore any part of her, and by the time he carried her to the bed, laid her down on her back, he was throbbing with a need that went far beyond anything he’d known in the past.
‘I love you so much,’ he whispered while crawling onto the bed.
Meridith partially sat up and framed the face of this amazingly wonderful man who was now her husband. The love she had for him continued to grow each and every day. ‘I love you, too. So very much.’
Having already let go of any fears or questions or thoughts of impropriety, for she trusted him fully and trusted herself, she kissed him and pulled him down with her as she reclined onto the mattress.
He positioned himself above her, with his knees between her legs, his manhood protruding. The throbbing, pooling heat between her legs couldn’t wait for her to be loved by him. Completely, fully loved by him.