Chapter 29

CHAPTER 29

T hey stared at each other for a long moment. Beatrice’s heart pounded in her chest, knocking against her ribs as if trying to pummel its way out.

“I thought you’d left,” she said.

He shrugged. “I came back. The observatory looks very clean, by the way.”

She glanced up at the open roof, the stars glimmering through the glass dome.

“I assume that it was you who opened the panels?”

Stephen nodded. “It occurred to me that you might not have seen the observatory entirely open. At night, no less. Tell me, what do you think?”

Beatrice took a few tentative steps to the center of the room, tilting her head back.

The sky was magnificent. Studded with stars, there were more constellations and stars everywhere she looked, more and more until it was too dizzying to look up at the sky.

Swallowing, Beatrice glanced down at Stephen.

He was dressed carelessly in his shirtsleeves, and she saw that there were sheets and pillows thrown over a chaise longue behind him.

“I didn’t even know there was a sofa in here,” she said, pointing at it.

It felt like a silly thing to say, but the atmosphere between them was so thick and heavy that she had to say something .

He twisted around, grimacing down at the sofa. “Yes, it was covered in books and papers.”

“Were you… did you sleep here?”

He cleared his throat. “I did, yes. I meant to go to my townhouse, but when I got there, I could not quite bring myself to go in. I came back, and Mouse showed me up here. He couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t choose a guest room, but it felt right in here, somehow.”

She swallowed, nodding. “This is your home. I shouldn’t have made you leave.”

“And I should not have left.”

Her head snapped up, and she eyed him. “You still did. But I am sorry I made you. Even though you never apologized for taking over my room.”

He narrowed his eyes. “This again? It was my room first. I am not an apologizing sort of man.”

She threw out her hands. “Oh yes, silly me. I forgot, everything in this house is yours, and you are never in the wrong.”

He rose to his feet, advancing on her. “I earned it before you did.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that…” He stopped abruptly, turning away. “It doesn’t matter.”

Some of her anger melted away. “I am sorry, Stephen. This is your home.”

“And I…” He paused, clearing his throat. “I am sorry, too. I think that we have both acted rashly in this regard.”

“That is true. But why are you back? Are you here only for the rooms? I…I don’t understand you,” Beatrice said.

Perhaps it was high time for the truth.

Stephen bit his lip. “I know. I warned you that I don’t even understand myself at times, didn’t I? All these years, I’ve been hellbent on avenging myself. It seemed so noble, but when you said it like that—denying myself something you want to spite a dead man—it suddenly seemed different. Silly. Pointless. Like stabbing myself and waiting for him to feel pain.”

He took a step closer, and for the first time, Beatrice realized that he was uncertain. “On the way to the townhouse, I didn’t care for all of this. All I could think about was you. Your smile when you discover a new book, the sparkle in your eyes when I tease you, your blush when I touch you, your voice when you talk about something you’re excited about… I couldn’t stay at the townhouse. I didn’t want to lose all of this. I didn’t want to lose you. I love you, Beatrice.”

She sucked in a breath. “You don’t mean it.”

“I have tried to convince myself I didn’t mean it. Love is troublesome, or so I’ve always believed. My father taught me that. I thought I could be attracted to you, but nothing more. I was so sure I could control myself, keep the values I’ve held onto for so long.” He closed his eyes briefly. “But dreams change. And for some time now, I think you have been my new dream.”

A lump formed in Beatrice’s throat. She took a tentative step forward but did not reach out to touch him. She wanted to, badly, but it was as if there was a pane of glass between them. A boundary.

“Cornelia approached me at the theater,” she said.

Stephen stiffened. “That wretched girl. I’ll?—”

“No, no, please listen. She told me she was not with child. She admitted that things had ended between you. She said that she believed you were fond of me.”

He paused, giving her a wry smile. “I’m glad she did the right thing at last. And fond of you? I’m afraid it’s rather more than that.”

Beatrice wet her lips. Stephen followed the movement of her tongue across her lips, and something darkened in his eyes. Beatrice felt the answering tug of desire in her gut but pushed it down.

Not yet.

“And the agreement?” she managed. “The rules?”

He smiled wryly. “I believe I gave you an updated version.”

“I burned it,” Beatrice retorted. “Can I trust you, Stephen, or must I sign another document?”

He came closer, close enough to cup her cheek in his palm. Beatrice let her eyes flutter shut, leaning into his touch. Tentatively, she reached up to put her hand over his. She could feel some bruising and scabbing on his knuckles, and she made a mental note to ask him how on earth he’d gotten those injuries.

Not now, though. Not now.

“You burned the rules,” he said, his voice low and rasping, “But I’d burn down the whole world if you asked me to.”

Beatrice opened her eyes, meeting his cool green gaze steadily. “I don’t need you to do that. I only need this. I only need you. I love you, Stephen. I love you.”

He drew in a shuddering breath, and Beatrice could almost sense his control breaking.

The glass between the two of them shattered.

Stephen crushed her to him, pressing them together as if the proximity would never be enough. Their lips met, heat sizzling down Beatrice’s spine, stoking the desire in her gut into something frantic and desperate. She wound her arms around his neck, pulling him close. There was something firm pressing against her hip, and she did not have to wonder what it was.

They broke apart to catch their breath, their eyes wide.

“I want you,” Beatrice stammered out. “Properly. You know what I mean, don’t you?”

Stephen’s eyes darkened, and he pulled her closer still. Beatrice could feel the familiar pulse of desire turning into a rapid, rhythmic ache in her hidden places. She smoothed a hand over his cheek, feeling the scratch of stubble, and pushed her fingers into his thick hair.

“Then you’ll have me,” he responded, his voice tight with desire. “Or rather, I’ll have you .”

She let out a chuckle at that. On impulse, she leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the side of his neck. His pulse leaped under her lips. More of curiosity than anything, Beatrice carefully gave his skin a soft bite and ran her tongue over the divots.

Stephen growled low in his throat. “Biting, eh? I’ll have to teach you a lesson, wife.”

Before Beatrice could respond, he hauled her into his arms. She knew she was not a light, willowy sort of girl, but Stephen did not hesitate or miss a beat. She clung to his shoulders, breathless, until she was abruptly and unceremoniously dropped onto the chaise.

Stephen did not give her the chance to catch her breath, pressing her down at once. Beatrice had an instant to notice the new red spot on his neck, where her teeth had been, and felt a brief flash of pride and a sense of ownership before his mouth covered hers.

It was a quick kiss, only a faint swipe of his tongue across her lower lip. Seizing her wrists, Stephen pulled them up to rest on the chaise beside her head.

“You’re going to be a good girl, aren’t you?” he murmured, his voice gravelly.

“I thought I told you, Your Grace , I’m neither good nor a girl.”

He pressed a quick, chaste kiss to her temple. “How could I forget?”

Beatrice had some witty retort lined up and ready, but the words died on her lips when Stephen slid his hand unceremoniously under her skirts, his fingers moving straight to the apex of her thighs. Biting her lower lip and clutching at the cushion behind her head, she closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation. Her climax seemed within reach when he abruptly removed his hand.

Beatrice opened her eyes. “Why did you… why did you stop?” she gasped.

Stephen had his knees planted on either side of her hips and was grinning down at her with a wolfish expression.

“You are very demanding, wife.”

Before she could respond, he neatly took off his linen shirt, revealing smooth, bare skin underneath. Breath hitching, Beatrice reached out to touch his chest, her fingers exploring ripples and mounds of muscle, feeling them shift under her fingers.

When she had explored him for a moment or two, Stephen firmly took her wrists again and pinned them to the cushion.

“I believe I said that you should keep your hands there , my dear Duchess,” he said, his voice smooth. “I do hope I won’t be obliged to punish you. Stop smiling at once! It is a punishment, and you are not meant to be enjoying it!”

Beatrice couldn’t quite smother the gurgles of laughter, and Stephen grinned down at her. Behind him, the night sky spread out in the most marvelous array, but somehow it seemed less magical than Stephen himself.

His hands slid up her ribcage, curving around her breasts, and Beatrice was a little surprised to feel answering twinges of desire.

“Laces up the back,” Stephen muttered, a tinge of disappointment in his voice. “I suppose I shall have to wait until later to enjoy these.”

“I suppose you shall—unless you fancy spending half an hour or so lacing me up again,” Beatrice heard herself say, her voice shaking.

He leaned down to kiss her again, and she wrapped her arms around his bare shoulders, forgetting her orders already. She did not see Stephen undo the front of his trousers, but she felt his hands spread her legs more widely, while his fingers brushed against her. Then she felt the nudge of an intrusion, and she held her breath.

“Just a moment, my love,” Stephen whispered in her ear, his voice cracking.

“Aren’t you afraid?” she murmured back. “Of children? Of babies?”

“For future reference, darling, do not bring up babies and families at a time like this, hm? And the answer, surprisingly, is no.”

She bit back a smile, pressing her lips to this shoulder.

He shifted above her, and she felt the tip of his member, noticeably thicker and hotter than his fingers, pushing into her. The sensation of Stephen sliding inside her was a strange one—not painful, but uncomfortable for just a moment.

As he had promised, though, only a moment. It seemed entirely natural for him to shift, pushing into her, and for her to roll her hips up to meet him.

Beatrice’s heart thumped, her body singing with desire, and she squeezed her eyes shut as their movements quickened. Stephen whispered things in her ear which she half-heard due to her own quick pulse.

His movements grew sharp and jerky, and Beatrice barely had time to wonder about this change in rhythm before her climax blossomed out inside her, almost as a surprise. At the height, Beatrice opened her eyes, taking in the miraculous night sky beyond Stephen’s broad shoulders. She let out a shuddering breath.

Stephen growled, his movements slowing to a halt, and she felt the prick of teeth ever so gently on the side of her neck.

“Fair’s fair,” he mumbled, sounding almost drunk.

Gasping for breath, they rolled apart.

There was no room for two to lie side by side on the chaise, of course, but with some maneuvering, Stephen lay on his back and Beatrice sprawled across him, each clinging to the other to avoid falling off.

Sweat dried on Beatrice’s forehead, cooling her down, and her breathing returned to normal. She twisted to look up at Stephen, only to find him already looking at her.

“You know, I might well be with child after this,” she said. “Would it truly not bother you?”

He kissed the top of her head. “I don’t believe so. I think I would like them if they have your red hair.”

Beatrice smiled, pressing her forehead against the side of his neck.

“Now, since we have a little time, why don’t you start by telling me what you know about astronomy? Point out a few constellations. I’d like to learn, and there’s no time like the present. Tell me about the stars, Stephen.”

He smiled affectionately down at her. “ You are my star, darling.”

Beatrice wasn’t entirely sure what to say to that, so she contented herself with kissing him instead.