Page 20 of Look at Her Duke
“I wasnae going to speak her name.” There was a sparkle in his eyes as he brushed his lips across her wrist again, then reached for her other hand. “But aye, her. My association with her—my mother’s friendship with her mother—brought her into yer orbit. Thus her cruelty is my fault.”
“N-nay.” The man had turned his attention to her other wrist, and without dropping the first one. “She is—oh.”
“Ye told me that ye once cared for me.” He watched her over the top of her knuckles. “Do ye think ye might learn to love me again, Mellie?”
Oh, my heart.
“I-I do,” she gasped, delighted by the sensations coursing through her body, and the look ofpromisein his eyes.
He grinned. “I like the sound of those words on yer lips. If ye ask me the same…?”
“Could you—could you love me again, Kipling?” Amelia whispered, eyes wide.
“Och, darling, I already do. I’ve loved ye for years. I still love ye. I’ll love ye forever.”
She melted.
That was the only explanation.
Between the heat of his gaze, and his teasing kisses, and the whole sitting-on-the-damp-ground thing…she melted.
Right into his arms.
One moment, she was upright, the next she was clasped to Kip’s chest, her arms around his neck, and he was beaming down at her.
And Becky the chicken was still in her lap, somehow.
“Can I kiss ye, Mellie?” he murmured.
“If you do not, I shall likely perish posthaste.”
The Grin flashed, and then his lips claimed hers.
Finally.
Part of Amelia was singing in joy, knowing that after so many long years, she was finally able to taste Kipling Mancheste. Another part of her was telling the first part to shut up and pay attention, because this was a truly remarkable experience.
Andallof her was melting again.
His lips were remarkable. Soft and determined all at once, his beard a delightful sensation against her skin. He showed her how to tease, how to play. When he nibbled at her lower lip, she gasped, and he used the opportunity to drag his tongue along the crease of her lips.
Well,thatwas even more delightful, wasn’t it?
Their tongues caressed one another, playfully at first, then intensely. The kiss grew too large to contain, and exploded into a dozen smaller kisses, each of which was placed along her jaw, and her throat, and once, the tip of her nose, which made her smile.
Amelia was still smiling when they finally broke apart, breathing heavily. His palm cupped the side of her neck and he rested his forehead against hers, looking as if he was desperately fighting for control.
“Marry me, Mellie?” Kip murmured.
She thought her heart had been full.
It turned out, itcouldtake a bit more shock. “Marry…?”
Kip straightened, pulling away just enough to look into her eyes, but not so much that it broke their connection.
“Marry me, Mellie,” he repeated. “I swear to ye, I’ll make ye a fine husband. I’ll spend the rest of my days loving ye, and proving how much I love ye. I’ll support ye in all yer endeavors, whether that’s raising prize ornamental chicken breeds or reform charities. I’ll be more than happy to find space at Bestingbum for all of yer—our—pets. I’ll even give up eating meat, if that’s what ye want.”
She was crying, wasn’t she? She was absolutely crying.
