Page 12 of The One With the Duke's Curvy Bride

“Philomena.” He grabbed her arms. “Are you all right?” If she thought the rain was desperate, it had nothing on Henry in this moment.

“Yes, I’m fine.” Well, as fine as a single woman alone in a cold cottage trapped by the rain could be. She had better say it again. “I’m fine, Henry.” Some of the desperation dissipated. Perhaps a third time was the charm. “I’m f—“

“Oh my God, Philomena. I love you.”

“What?”

“I love you.” He had a strong grip on her arms, not painful, but commanding. Yet, the grip those three words had on heartwasalmost painful. How could such long sought-after words be painful? But the truth of them, the weight of them, it cut through her. Those words told her, explicitly, undeniably, of the depths of his heart. And that, miracle of miracles, his depths matched hers. How could it be? It was impossible to accept. He must haveknown she was struggling to receive the words because then she heard them again.

“I love you,” he shouted to no one but her. Thankfully he had lifted his chin to the ceiling. “Can you hear me, my darling? I love you. However I need to say it so that your heart accepts it, I will say it. And however many times you need to hear it, I will repeat it.” His chin was back down. His eyes were piercing into hers. And those three massive words were not quite so painful. They were…a balm.

A balm she didn’t know she needed. A balm that she could receive and accept. Absorb into herself.

“You do?”

“Yes. I can’t believe it took me so long to realize I love you. And now I can’t stop saying it. You are my dearest, closest friend, and I must have you as my lover and wife. If you want me.”

“Of course I want you.” She thought she had only voiced the words in her head.

But when he responded, she realized she had loosed her tongue.

“I’m so relieved.” He pressed his damp forehead to hers. “I would hug you right now, but at least one of us should stay dry and warm.”

He grinned at her. One of his big, loopy grins.

“So that’s a yes?”

“What’s a yes?”

“To marrying me. You’ll marry me, won’t you, Mina?”

Dazed, she managed to say, “Yes.” And then to be sure she wasn’t just thinking it, she said it again. “Yes, I’ll marry you. That would make me the happiest person in the world.”

“Only after me. I think I take first place in that.”

“Let’s get you out of those wet clothes.”

“Mina, I never…” He feigned offense but was already stripping out of his layers. Right down to his smallclothes. In under a minute, a sopping wet pile of fabric lay at the door.

And a sopping wet pile of drool lay at her feet. Not quite. She managed to keep her mouth closed. Just barely. But his abdomen. His chest. His biceps. God above, she knew how he felt, but now she knew how he looked underneath it. Something else was pooling between her legs. She squeezed her thighs together as they moved to stand in front of the fire. Which was now making her too warm.

“There’s something I need to do, Mina.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. I need to kiss you.”

He leaned in and pulled her trembling body against his strength. Then he tilted her chin up to meet him.

A gentle brush of his lips swept across hers. She sighed into him and slowly put her hands on his chest. With tenderness she had never expected, he pressed his lips on her mouth and whispered, “You’re divine. You’re my goddess.”

This kiss, her first kiss, was everything she could have hoped for. It was with someone she loved, someone she knew, and someone that she knew loved her. It was the ultimate seal of ownership. She felt owned by him, and felt as though she owned him as well.

His lips took hers and then his tongue trailed along her bottom lip. He gave a soft bite, and when she gasped, his lips locked around her mouth, opening with her. Moving with her. Prodding her. Gently, but with heated desire. Her hands slid up the corded column of his neck and into his wet hair.

One of his hands slid down to her hip and then further down, across her bottom. With one large hand, he gripped her bum.

And then gentleness split wide open into fierce passion.

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