Chapter 16
The carriage rolled through tall gates and came to a stop moments later.
Thea stared out the window. “What did you buy?”
“An estate fit for royalty. Come, let me show you your prospective new home, Thea.”
He climbed out of the carriage, smoothing his jacket, and then reached inside to offer his hand.
He had stunned her by being inside the carriage. He could’ve sent servants and waited. But he hadn’t. He wanted every moment he could have with her.
I would be a fool to say no.
She took his hand, her skin touching his without two layers of gloves between them for the very first time. She inhaled sharply as he squeezed her fingers tighter.
“Fear not. I will let nothing happen to you in my presence that you do not choose yourself.”
As she stepped out of the beautiful conveyance, her breath was taken away by the stunning structure in front of her. Lit by dozens of lamps, it was the most beautiful home she’d ever seen.
“You bought this? And moved in already? In a week?”
“The former owner was happy to move quickly and sell all his furnishings with the estate. He was planning to leave already. I just incentivized him in hastening his departure.”
“I can imagine you did.”
His smile was boyish and charming. “Do you like it?”
“Like it? It’s glorious.”
“Wait until you see the orangery and the hedge maze.”
“Truly?”
“Only the best for you, Miss Templebourne.” He bowed. “Please, let me show you.”
He held out an arm, and Thea bit her lip to hold back a smile as she took it.
“Is there a library?”
“Of course.”
She squeezed his arm. “I love libraries.”
“I shall buy you a dozen if it gets that reaction from you.”
“I don’t need a dozen. One or two shall do.”
Her excitement was contagious, and Alexander loved sharing it. Thea’s eyes widened as his butler opened the front door. He had brought his own staff from Russia, and it had taken one entire floor of a hotel to house them. Now, they were much happier to have a home to care for, along with him.
“Ivan, this is Miss Theodosia Templebourne.”
“Miss Templebourne,” the butler said as he bowed low. “It is an honor to meet a friend of His Highness.”
If she was surprised at being introduced to the butler, she did not show it.
“The honor is mine, sir. Thank you so much.”
Alexander had known Ivan his entire life. To see Thea treat him like an equal was reassuring that his judgment was not clouded.
“You needn’t worry about my staff sharing your presence here. They will tell no one. Your reputation is safe,” he said.
“I appreciate the reassurance. Truly, I didn’t expect anything less.”
Her gaze lifted to the soaring, painted ceiling of the entrance hall. “This is marvelous. My goodness. What a beautiful home.”
“I am glad you approve,” he said, “I have much to show you, but not enough time tonight if we are to get you back to your uncle’s without your absence being noticed.”
She shifted her eyes from the ceiling to meet his gaze. “If it is all this magnificent, I do not think you need to worry about my opinion. Besides …” She paused. “I came to talk to you more than see your new estate.”
His heart, which had felt entombed after spending a year at war, had only shown signs of returning to life upon his arrival in England. But it was this woman that seemed to stir the remembrance of joy within it once again.
“Let me show you to the library. We will sit and talk.”
“I would like that very much,” she said.
He took her ungloved hand in his, savoring the softness of her skin upon his. It was a hand he very much wanted to hold for as long as humanly possible.
She has to say yes. He could not imagine his life without the color and vibrance she had brought to his existence.
His future had seemed bleak at the war’s end.
Life lacked meaning, and he felt as though he would never be happy again.
Coming to England was a journey of last resort.
His despondence had not gone unnoticed, not even by the tsar.
The fun-loving young man he had been had disappeared completely, and he despaired of never becoming more than a battle-scarred shell of himself again.
Being sent on behalf of the empire to learn about English society and its advancements was nothing more than a made-up mission by the tsar, Alexander knew. But still, he was willing to try new scenery to release him from the darkness he had found himself trapped within.
And here, on a small island of fog and rain, he found hope and then sunshine unlike any other—in living, breathing form. Pursuing Thea gave him purpose again. His heart beat for her.
To woo her had brought him back to himself.
And now that she was here, in his new home, he never wanted her to leave. She belonged here. With him.
Sometimes, the blood of his ancestors that ran through his veins reminded him of times when the men of his line had taken the women they wanted, regardless of their assent. But he wanted Thea to choose him willingly.
She gasped as they walked into the library, gripping his hand tighter as she turned, wide-eyed, and took in the two stories of books and the rolling ladders required to reach them.
He knew having her choose him of her own free will was a gift much more gratifying than anything his conquering ancestors had ever felt.
“Alex …” She whispered the English version of his shortened name.
“Alexei to you, Thea” he replied, dipping his lips closer to her ear.
Pink rose on her cheeks, as if being overtaken by sudden shyness. She peeked up at him from beneath lowered lashes.
“Alexei.” She pressed her lips together as he pulled her into his body.
She was petite and fit perfectly within his broader, taller frame.
“Do you like it?” he asked her with his gaze on her lips, which were fast becoming the most entrancing sight of his life.
“I love it.”
The thrill that coursed upward through his body was the first of its kind that he’d felt in nearly three years.
She had restored him to a vibrant, red-blooded man, and his gratitude for her was only outweighed by his fascination with her. He wanted to spend the rest of his life learning what made her so unique.
“I am falling in love with you, Thea. There is nothing I want more right now than to taste your lips.”
She inhaled, and her lower lip dropped.
“Then kiss me,” she whispered, and it was all he needed to hear.
His arm wrapped around her lower back as his lips descended upon hers.
As soon as they met, it was as if God himself had ordained the kiss.
A burst of light flashed through Alexander’s awareness as she let out a soft moan and pressed harder against his body.
The taste of her was pure bliss, and the softness of her lips was a balm to his soul.
The heat of her mouth was a bold reminder of the intoxication only a woman could unleash.
Wars had been fought over a woman such as this. Entire empires had risen and fallen over a man’s desire to have such a prize for his very own.
Alexander stopped thinking when her arms wrapped around his neck, as if to pull him closer. He lifted her and blindly carried her to the armchair in front of the fireplace. He lowered his body into it, fully absorbed with the heaven of her mouth as his tongue swept in to tease hers.
The soft sounds from her throat, combined with the tangle of her fingers in the locks of his hair, inflamed his passion. Curled in his lap, she leaned upward, bringing their faces to equal height, and kissed him with matching abandon.
She is a miracle. In more ways than one.
His body roared to life, blood filling areas that had seemed dead for years. If he wasn’t careful, tonight would take a turn for which he did not think she was ready.
As much as he loathed to do it, he slowed the pace of their passion.
“Thea,” he whispered, “I will not dishonor you. I cannot. It is not who I am.”
She pulled back instantly. “Oh my goodness. What am I doing?”
She tried to scramble out of his lap, but he held her close.
“Please. Don’t go. We must simply … slow down.”
She was red-cheeked, and he could feel the heat of her embarrassment as she dipped her head, avoiding his eyes.
“Please, look at me, Thea.”
“I am so sorry. This is … humiliating.”
He released one of his arms from behind her waist and used it to lift her chin.
When her brown gaze finally met his, he spoke.
“Never. Never think that. You came alive with my kiss. What could be more gratifying to a man than a woman whose passions run as strong as his own? It is I who must stop, lest I take you further than you planned this evening.”
She was delightfully disheveled, and with her cheeks full of color, she was even more beautiful. It took everything within him not to kiss her again and take her before the fireplace.
“I’m supposed to be respectable,” she said, shaking her head.
“Stop with the self-recrimination. And what you’re supposed to be is simply mine.”
She breathed out a sigh. Her head dropped forward until her forehead rested against his.
His heart panged with the sweetness of the moment. She was the most captivating woman he had ever encountered. And the depths of her response was his most mesmerizing discovery yet. One he loathed to stop exploring.
“What am I going to do?” she asked.
And even though the question was probably more rhetorical, he replied, “Just say yes, Thea. That is all you have to do. I will take care of the rest.”
She lifted her gaze to his. “You have no idea how badly I want to say yes right now.”
“Then why don’t you?”
“How can I abandon them?”
Her sense of honor and duty was not lacking, and rather than lament it, he chose to treasure it.
“I will wait. Not patiently. But because I know you want the same thing I want.”
“More than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. I just … I can’t be selfish.”
“This will happen, Thea. We will be.”
“I believe you,” she replied. “And I want that too. I don’t want to wait.” She looked away and paused. “But I do have to tell you something first that could change your mind about me.”
“There is only one thing you could tell me that would matter.”
Her dark gaze rested on his once more. “I was married before. I am not a virgin.”
“Was married?” Alexander needed to confirm. “As in no longer?”
She nodded. “I am a widow.”
“Why would that change my mind?”
Her shyness crept back in, and she broke eye contact. “Because I’ve known a man before. I am not untouched.”
“Thank God,” Alexander said, causing surprise to flash across her beautiful face.
“What?”
“The last thing I would ever wish to cause you is pain. It matters not to me that you are widowed. So long as you are not married now and out of my reach. That is the only thing that could keep me from you.”
Thea released a long breath. “Thank you.”
“Answer me one question though,” he started.
“Anything.”
Her unguarded openness entranced him.
“Were you loved?”
She nodded with a small smile. “Yes. Very much.”
“And you loved him.”
“Yes.”
“Can you love me just as much?”
A soft smile curved her lips, and her fingertips stroked over his cheek. “Yes.”
It was all Alexander needed. He guided her lips to his, wanting the taste and intensity of her once more.
Her hands curved around his head, tangling in his hair. His tongue dipped into the heat of her mouth. She was like fire in his arms. Every time he kissed her, she went up in flames.
But before they both ended up naked on the library floor, he pulled back and took a deep breath. “We will find love matches for your cousins forthwith. With all haste. I don’t care what it takes.”
Thea threw back her head and laughed. “From a kiss?”
He smoothed her disturbed coiffure. “Not just any kiss. Yours.”
She leaned toward him once more and pressed her lips lightly against his. “I should go, shouldn’t I?”
“If you do not wish to wake up in my bed in the morning, it would be wise.”
“And if I do want that?”
He pulled back to meet her gaze and cupped her soft cheek in his palm. “Then you know the only word you must say.”
Her brown eyes glittered like the richest Baltic amber. “Soon.”
He kissed her again. “I must get you home.”
“Soon,” she whispered again, leaning in to kiss him once more.