Chapter 20

Fifteen minutes remained until midnight, but Killian couldn't wait a moment longer. He left his room and almost crashed into the Duchess of Dorset as she exited Hannah's.

Shit.

‘I, uh, was just… um…' Heading to your ward's room to ravage her.

‘Lord Killian. What a surprise.' Lady Philippa narrowed her gaze, making him squirm like a schoolboy. ‘I was determined not to like you. Men, in general, are among my least favourite things. But you've proven me wrong. Which never happens. Don't ruin things now.' Philippa took a step closer to him, and he forced himself not to retreat, knowing she would see it as a sign of weakness. ‘If you hurt her, I will kill you. Slowly and with great relish.'

Killian cleared the fear from his voice. ‘I know. I won't hurt her. Ever.'

‘I'm inclined to believe you. May wonders never cease.' She strode past, frankincense and jasmine lingering in her wake.

Killian exhaled a breath he wasn't aware he was holding. That woman is more terrifying than any man I've ever met.

Killian opened Hannah's door. Betty was helping Hannah with the buttons of her dress. The maid squeaked when she saw Killian.

‘Oh.' Hannah's eyes warmed, and Killian's heart expanded to stretch his ribs. ‘You're early.' She turned to Betty. ‘I think you can retire for the evening, Betty.'

‘Yes, miss. Of course.' She curtsied and rushed past Killian, pausing at the door. ‘I'm awfully glad you weren't hurt, sir.' Her cheeks rounded like apples as she smiled. She dipped another quick curtsey, her hat bobbing madly as she bustled past.

Killian crossed the room and wrapped Hannah in his arms. He propped his chin on top of her head and held her, breathing in her scent. Soaking up her warmth. Revelling in the strength and softness that made her so unique.

Hannah sighed and sank into him. For a time, they just breathed together.

‘May I undress you?' He needed her skin against his. Their bodies intertwined. Her weight holding him onto the earth's surface, so he didn't fly away in all the ‘what if's' that could have taken her from him.

‘Please. Only, carefully.' Hannah smiled, her cheek stained purple from the night's violence.

Killian feathered a kiss against the bruise. ‘Always.'

He moved behind her and took his time with the buttons of her dress. When he slid his hands beneath the fabric to push it over her shoulders, she sighed as the weight fell away. He untied her skirts and pushed them down, helping her step out of them before gazing his fill at Hannah in nothing but her shift and corset. With each breath she took, her breasts pushed against the boned cotton.

‘God, you are beautiful.'

Hannah bit her lip. Killian fell impossibly deeper.

Turning her, he broke his promise to remain gentle, tackling the silk laces tied in a perfect bow.

Killian leaned forward and pressed open-mouthed kisses where her neck met her shoulder, savouring the salty flavour of her skin.

She gasped when his teeth sunk into her flesh.

His cock demanded immediate fulfilment, but his heart needed to spin this moment out forever. Stepping back, he began unravelling the ribbons. Each tug elicited a sigh of pleasure from Hannah.

The stiff material fell away. He gripped her shoulders, turning her to face him. Hannah started to lift her hands, then winced. Killian captured both her hands, halting her movement. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss against each wrist where Hannah's pulse beat madly.

‘Do you have any particular attachment to this shift?' He glided his fingers up her arm and tripped along the neckline. Her nipples hardened beneath the thin fabric, and he clenched his jaw. She was destroying him in delicate degrees.

‘No.' Her eyes glittered with mischief, daring him to make the next move.

‘Good.' He ripped the flimsy material in two, the pieces floating to the floor in a heap. She was completely naked, save for the pistol strapped to her thigh, the throwing knives secured in a clever leather holster around her forearm, and the dagger on her ankle.

Hannah put her hands on his vest. ‘Why am I the only one naked?'

‘You're hardly naked. You could wage war like this, a fearsome Lady Godiva. I'm not sure whether to be scared or very, very aroused.'

‘Both.' Hannah laughed softly, and the sound caressed his senses.

Killian helped her remove her weapons before quickly stripping off his own clothes.

She had vicious bruising across her ribs. Her left hip was scraped raw, and her elbow was bleeding.

‘We killed him too quickly. He should have suffered for every injury he dealt you.' Rage overpowered Killian's lust as he remembered the desperate helplessness of watching Hannah suffer.

She ran her hands over his chest and down his arm to trace the bandage around his wrist. ‘Indeed. He did not deserve such a merciful death. But revenge holds no comfort.' She pressed her palm against his heart. Catching his hand in hers, she moved it to her own chest and pressed it flat between her breasts so he could feel the steady rhythm. ‘This is our sanctuary. This is our benediction. This is the grace we seek and the only vengeance we need.'

Helpless to resist, Killian pulled her close, pressing his mouth against hers, questing her depths, tangling his tongue with hers, seeking an absolution only she could provide.

Hannah broke their kiss and lead him to her bed. She wanted him inside of her, to feel his powerful body surrounding her, healthy and vital and strong. She needed the heat and friction of him to know it was real.

He helped her under the covers then climbed in after her, holding his weight on his arms so her ribs wouldn't be crushed. She opened her legs, and he settled between her thighs, easing into her body like an ocean wave. He rocked slowly, and she sank into the pleasure, glory made sharp by their love.

‘Stop me if it hurts.' Killian's forest-green gaze burned into hers.

‘Never.' She tipped her pelvis and flexed internal muscles, cradling him in her depths.

‘Marry me, Hannah.' He thrust into her, his words falling against her skin like rain on wildflowers. ‘I know this isn't how a proposal should be made, but I can't live without you.'

‘Who determines how a proposal should be made? And you never have to live without me.'

When he froze, Hannah nudged him with her hips, but he stayed still.

‘What are you saying?' His dark brows pulled together, a wrinkle forming between them.

‘What do you think?' She pulled his head down and kissed him. ‘I'm saying you have proven my fears unfounded, Lieutenant General Robert Killian.' She pushed up with her hips, ignoring the pain in her ribs. ‘I'm saying I trust you with my freedom.' He refused to play her game, staying resolutely frozen, hard as granite and just as immovable. She grew more determined. ‘I'm saying, despite your title, your money, and your position in society, I will marry you anyway.' She clenched around him, silently demanding friction. The insufferable man remained still.

‘You'll marry me?' His muscles shook from the strain of holding his weight above her.

‘I won't if you don't bloody well ravish me properly.'

Killian's lips curled in a smile. ‘Liar.'

He thrust into her. Hannah gasped as he found that gloriously bright place hidden deep within her core.

‘Of course I'll marry you, Killian. I can't live without you either. I love you,' she managed before words were lost in the eloquent language of their bodies merging, the symphony of heartbeat and breath, the divine magic of two souls weaving into one.