Epilogue
“Welcome home, Your Grace.” Mrs. Mildred was the first to greet them. She curtsied deeply. “We have prayed for your safe return.”
Deena smiled warmly. “Thank you, Mrs. Mildred. It is good to be back after a week of exile.”
“Mrs. Mildred, we have missed you and thank you for taking care of Windemere House in our absence.” Austin smiled at the elderly woman, causing her to blush profusely.
“It is only an honor, Your Grace.” She bowed low before him.
The servants gathered behind her, their expressions a mixture of relief and loyalty. Deena looked around until her eyes fell upon Austin. She felt at home.
“Shall I prepare some tea, Your Grace?” Mrs. Mildred asked them.
“No, that is not necessary. Her Grace and I shall retire to our chambers,” Austin replied rather quickly.
When the servants dispersed, Austin approached Deena and squeezed her hand once before guiding her to their chamber.
The moment they reached the upper floor, Austin swung open the door, picked Deena up in his arms, and entered.
She squealed in delight as Austin left soft kisses on her cheek, her forehead, and her lips before he placed her gently on her feet.
“I believe you were meant to do that on the wedding night,” Deena teased him softly.
Austin let out a low laugh that made her quiver with want.
“I am simply making up for lost time, Dee.” He winked at her and sauntered to the door, closing and locking it with a flick of his wrist.
Deena laughed and looked at the bed shyly as silence stretched between them. They were alone for the first time in a while, and she felt both nervous and excited.
“I am glad Leonard is behind bars at Newgate, for forging those birth registrations,” Austin broke the silence. “But I do not intend to keep him there forever.”
Deena turned sharply, temporarily distracted by him loosening his cravat.
“Leonard is a dangerous man. He blackmailed us, members of the peerage, and printed fraudulent details in the Daily Scribe. He deserves to be arrested. ”
“But…he is my brother.” Austin met her gaze steadily. “What would you do in my case?”
Shock rippled through her, but it did not last long. She exhaled slowly, as understanding settled in its place. “Then I will support whatever decision you make.”
Austin’s shoulders visibly eased, as though he had been bracing for resistance.
He crossed the room in two strides and kissed her.
It was a slow, reverent kiss. Deena moaned into his open, inviting mouth, and Austin groaned in response.
He reluctantly pulled away, and she gazed up at him through her lashes.
“I am glad I married you,” he murmured. “You and your family taught me how to love and how to be loved.”
Her heart fluttered with emotions. She ran a hand through his soft curls, and Austin closed his eyes and smiled.
“I am excited about our future,” she said softly. “While we were in London, I continued my duties. I visited the tenants’ wives, and I feel fulfilled doing what I can to help others.”
“I am proud of you,” Austin said quietly, and Deena blushed.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I am hopeful that our future will have some...stability.”
“So do I,” he said. “A calm, undisturbed life.”
She laughed quietly. “That sounds so far-fetched.”
He smiled wryly. “Highly implausible regarding this family.”
They laughed together, and the sound eased the last of the tension that had clung to them for weeks. Austin did not let go of her, and every touch, graze, and kiss did not go unnoticed. Deena had been craving him every passing day, and her body could not take it anymore. She needed him. All of him.
Austin began to untie her dress slowly.
“By the end of the week, you need to be packed,” he said casually as his fingers worked at her corset.
She blinked, trying to keep her balance as she felt lightheaded with his nearness. “Why?”
“We are going to Scotland.” He placed a soft kiss on her neck.
“Oh!” Her breath caught. “Scotland?”
“Yes.” He pulled away to grin at her.
Deena felt overjoyed. She threw her arms around him, kissing him clumsily with her dress half undone.
“I cannot wait!”
“Penelope and Edward have prepared a room for us, and I believe we deserve a nice, quiet time away from London.”
He was right. Deena needed to get away from the prying eyes of the ton. Her heart felt ready to burst with love that her husband planned a trip for them.
Austin leaned close, his voice dropping to a husky growl. “Now, I believe that I owe you something, do I not?”
She smiled knowingly. “Yes. I do recall a certain promise of…pleasurable events.”
His laugh was dark and low. Deena’s breath caught when Austin’s strong arms scooped her up effortlessly again.
Her world tilted as he carried her across the room.
The candlelight accentuated every ridge and plane of muscle through his shirt.
She clung to his shoulders, fingers digging into his warm skin.
Her heart pounded so hard that she thought it might escape her ribs.
This is real. He is real. And she was about to give herself to him completely.
Austin lay her down on the soft mattress with surprising gentleness.
His body followed hers, but he braced himself on his forearms, so his weight did not crush her.
But Deena would not have minded. She wanted to feel all of him.
His hazel eyes locked onto hers, dark with desire but softened with what she now knew was love.
“Deena,” he murmured roughly, “if you’re not ready—”
“I am,” she replied quietly, placing her hands gently on his face and feeling his rough stubble beneath her soft palms. “I want this. I want all of you.”
His gaze searched hers for a moment longer, then he lowered his head and kissed her.
The kiss was slow at first. His lips brushed hers in a way that made her melt against him.
Austin deepened the kiss. His tongue swept into her mouth and tangled with hers.
Deena moaned as his hand trailed down her side until he reached her hip and pulled her closer.
She felt the hard evidence of his arousal pressing against her thigh, and heat bloomed everywhere he touched.
Deena arched into him; a soft sigh escaped her lips.
She had never felt anything like this before Austin, and she cherished every second of it.
The way her body responded to him, and every nerve ending came alive and begged for more.
She whimpered when his mouth left hers to trail kisses along her jaw, down her throat, nipping gently at the sensitive skin where her pulse fluttered wildly.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered against her collarbone. “So perfect for me.”
She tugged at his shirt, wanting, needing, to feel his skin against hers.
Austin sat back just long enough to pull the garment over his head, revealing the broad expanse of his chest, the defined lines of his abdomen, and the faint trail of dark hair leading down to where his breeches strained.
Deena’s mouth went dry, and her fingers trembled as she reached out to trace the contours of his muscles.
He shuddered under her touch, his eyes closing briefly as if savoring the sensation.
“I am yours, Deena,” he rasped, guiding her hand lower. “You can touch me anywhere you want.”
She explored tentatively at first. Her fingers grazed his chest, his muscles hardening under her palm.
He groaned, low and guttural, leaning down to capture her mouth again.
His hands worked at the rest of the ties of her gown, loosening them with practiced ease until the fabric fell open, exposing her breasts to the cool air.
Deena gasped as his mouth descended, lips closing around one nipple, tongue swirling in hot, wet circles that sent jolts of pleasure straight to her core.
“Oh, Austin,” she whimpered, her hands tangled in his hair.
The sensation was overwhelming, building a pressure between her legs that made her squirm.
He lavished attention on one breast, then the other.
His free hand slid down her body to part her thighs.
Fingers brushed against her most intimate place.
Deena let out a long sigh of pleasure when he found her already slick and ready.
“You are so wet for me,” he murmured against her skin, his voice vibrating through her. “God, Deena, you’re exquisite.”
“I need…more!” she rasped.
“You will get more, my duchess.”
She bucked against his hand as he circled the sensitive bundle of nerves, the pleasure so intense it bordered on pain. He slipped one finger inside her slowly, carefully, and she tensed. The stretch was still unfamiliar to her, and a slight burn mingled with a building heat.
“Breathe,” he whispered, kissing her temple. “I will go slowly. Tell me if it hurts.”
“Do not stop,” she hissed back.
There was a sharp pinch that quickly faded to pleasure as he added a second finger and gently thrusted within her. The sensation was quickly replaced by a growing ache that made her hips rock instinctively.
“More, Austin, please!” she gasped.
Austin’s eyes darkened with lust. He withdrew his fingers and stood to remove his breeches. His arousal sprang free, and Deena gaped at his thickness. His shaft was long, hard, and intimidating in its size. A flicker of nervousness cut through the haze of desire.
“Will it…fit?” she asked innocently.
Austin chuckled softly, climbing back onto the bed and settling between her legs.
“It will. Trust me.” He kissed her deeply, distracting her as he positioned himself at her entrance. “I am going to need you to relax, my love. I promise I will be gentle and make it feel good for you.”
Deena nodded and relaxed her body. “I trust you.”
Austin kissed her, then pushed into her slowly, inch by inch.
Deena cried out. The stretch burned as he filled her in a way she had never imagined.
She bit her lip, nails digging into his back, tears pricking at her eyes from the mix of pain and pleasure.
Austin stopped halfway, forehead pressed to hers, as his breathing became ragged.
“Tell me to stop if it is too much.”
“No,” she panted. “Keep going.”
He continued with slow, careful thrusts until he was fully seated inside her. The pain faded to a dull ache and was replaced by a fullness that made her gasp. Austin stayed still for a moment, letting her adjust, kissing her eyelids, her cheeks, her mouth.
“You feel incredible,” he groaned.
“So do you!” Deena felt one with him. The closeness of their bodies made her mind and body reel with pleasure.
Austin moved within her slowly. He used shallow thrusts that built the pressure inside her until she was writhing beneath him, meeting each movement with her own.
The pain was almost gone now, replaced by waves of pleasure that grew with every stroke, and every brush of his member against that sensitive spot inside of her.
“Faster,” she begged, nails raking down his back.
Austin smirked and obeyed her. His rhythm quickened, hips snapping against hers in a way that made stars burst behind her closed eyes. Sweat slicked their skin, and the room filled with the sounds of their gasps, the creak of the bed, and the wet slide of their bodies joining.
“Something is happening to me,” she said, not fully understanding the sensation that was beginning to rock through her from the pit of her stomach.
Austin slipped a hand between them to circle her bud. “It is the same sensation as before, Deena. All you have to do is let go.”
The added pressure was too much, but Austin guided her until pleasure crashed over her.
It was sharp and a blinding pleasure that made her cry out his name as her body clenched around him.
Austin groaned, thrusting once and twice more before following her over the edge, spilling his seed inside of her with a shuddering release.
They collapsed together, breathing hard, and limbs tangled. Austin rolled over onto his back and held on to her tightly as she slowly rocked from her climax. The feeling was like none other she had ever experienced before, and Deena was glad that it happened with Austin.
“I love you,” she whispered breathlessly.
“I love you too, Dee,” he breathed. “More than you will ever know.”
The End?