Page 46 of Irish Rose
“I hope so, because there’s no place I want to be but here with you.”
He framed her face with his hands. “You haven’t had much chance to compare.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
But he wondered. He was the only man she’d ever known. Now he’d done his best to be certain he was the only one she ever would. Selfish, yes, but a desperate man takes desperate measures. He kissed her again and then, while his lips were on hers, lifted her into his arms. “There’s no threshold to carry you over.”
Her eyes laughed at him. “There’s one in the bedroom.”
“I told you that you were a woman after my heart,” he said, and carried her up the stairs. Rosa had champagne chilling in a bucket and two glasses waiting.
“Burke, I wonder, would you mind giving me ten minutes?”
“Who’s going to help you out of that dress?”
“I can manage. I’m sure it’s bad luck for the bridegroom to do so. Just ten,” she repeated when he set her down. “I’ll be quick.”
With a shrug, he pulled a robe out of his closet. “I suppose I can get out of this straitjacket somewhere else.”
“Thank you.”
He didn’t give her a minute more than that, but she was ready. She was still in white, but this gown was like a cloud, wisping down, shifting with each breath she took. Her hair was loose over the shoulders, fire against snow. He closed the door quietly behind him and looked his fill.
“I didn’t think you could be more beautiful than you were this afternoon.”
“I wanted tonight to be special. I know we’ve already... we’ve already been together, but—”
“This is the first time I’ll make love to my wife.”
“Aye.” She held out her hands. “And I want you to love me. I want you more now than I did before. If you could—” It was foolish to blush now. She was a married woman. “If you could teach me what to do.”
“Erin.” He didn’t know what to say. He simply didn’t have the words. But he took her hand and pressed a kiss to her brow. “I have something for you.”
When he took a box out of his pocket and handed it to her, she moistened her lips. “Burke, I don’t want you to feel obliged to buy me things.”
“If I don’t, how am I going to please myself by looking at you wear them?” So he opened the box himself. Inside was a rope of diamonds holding one perfect sapphire.
“Oh, Burke.” She wanted to cry because it was so lovely. She wanted to cry because she was afraid he thought she required it. “It matches my ring,” she managed.
“That was the idea.” But he was watching her, frowning at the look in her eyes. “Don’t you like it?”
“Of course I do, it’s like something out of a palace. I think I’m afraid to wear it.”
He laughed at that and turned her toward the mirror. “Don’t be silly. It’s made to be worn. See?” He held it up around her throat. The sapphire gleamed dark against her skin and the wink of diamonds. “What good are pretty stones if a woman doesn’t wear them? You’ll need more than this before it’s done. We can pick up some things on our honeymoon.” He kissed the curve of her throat. “Where do you want to go? Paris? Aruba?”
Ireland, she thought, but was afraid he’d laugh at her. “I was thinking maybe we should wait awhile for that. After all, this is one of the busiest times of year for you, with the Derby coming up. Could we wait a few months before we go away?”
“If you like.” He placed the necklace back in the box before turning her to face him. “Erin, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s just all so new and... Burke, I swear to you I won’t do anything to cause you shame.”
“What the hell is this?” Patience gone, he took her by the arm and set her on the bed. “I want to know what you’ve got into your head and how it got there.”
“It’s nothing,” she said, furious with herself that she was always an open book to him while she could never dig beneath the top layer. “It’s just that I realized today that I don’t really fit in with your people and lifestyle.”
“My people?” His laugh wasn’t amused and had her tensing. “You don’t know anything about my people, Irish, and you can consider yourself fortunate. If you mean the people who were here today, two-thirds of them aren’t worth the snap of your fingers.”
“But I thought you liked them. You’ve friends among them, and associates.”
