Page 22 of The Captain's Midwinter Bride
Phillip stared down at her for a long moment, her reflection mirrored in his blue, blue eyes. She wished she knew what he was thinking. What he was looking for. But eventually, he nodded and shook free of her grasp to pull his dress coat from his shoulders to toss on a nearby chair. Next, he made quick work of his waistcoat, depositing it on top of his coat, before yanking off his boots. When he made to slide onto the bed next to her, she shook her head. Firmly.
“Your trousers. Surely you don’t sleep in your trousers?” she managed to say with only minimal wavering to her voice.
With his Adam’s apple bobbing, Phillip stared at her before he nodded. Quickly shedding his trousers, he slipped under the covers beside her clothed only in a dress shirt and small clothes. Such knowledge made her warm all over.
Annalise did not hesitate to burrow into his side, her cheek coming to rest not far from his heart. After a pause, he wrapped an arm around her, and the strength of that limb holding her close eased all the tension from her body.
With his long fingers gently toying with her curls, Phillip finally asked, “What happened next, Lise-dear? After he kissed you that second time?”
She pressed her face into his chest, drawing his scent into her lungs and allowing it to strengthen her fortitude. “Mrs. Pellingham walked into the room. She claimed she had thought it the ladies’ retiring room, but I know that for an untruth. We had visited the room earlier in the evening. With effortless grace, she plucked me from Mr. Thompkins’ grasp and maneuvered me right out the door. Anne—that is, Mrs. Pellingham—revealed to me later that Mr. Thompkins had a reputation for taking advantage of widows and spinsters, and she had been uncomfortable with the regard he showed me. So when I had not returned from the retiring room in due time, she went looking for me.”
“I knew I liked that woman,” he said, bussing a kiss to her forehead.
Annalise laughed, releasing some of the stress that had coiled in her chest. “I do, too.”
“Has the villain bothered you since that night?” Phillip asked, his voice deceptively calm.
“I haven’t given him a chance.” She twirled her finger in the soft cotton of his shirt. “I’ve been busy with the children, and I try to avoid any gatherings I suspect he will be at. Plus, I have wonderful friends who never let me walk down corridors alone.”
Silence reigned between them for several long moments, but the quiet was not uncomfortable. Annalise’s chest felt lighter for having told Phillip what had occurred between her and Mr. Thompkins, and she was vastly relieved he had not admonished her for not being more careful. More circumspect. For not recognizing the danger the other man posed.
She’d expected him to recriminate her as she had recriminated herself for so many long years.
“I’m sorry I left you to fight so many battles on your own. I know my career provided a comfortable place for you to live, but it also stripped you of having a true husband to protect and care for you. It kept Oliver and Beth from having a father they could depend upon.” He danced his fingertips along her cheek, across to her jaw, and down her neck. She positively hummed in the back of her throat at the sensation. “Yet you have all created a wonderful life for yourselves, filled with people who care about you and your well-being. My presence now is almost unnecessary.”
The desolate note in his voice made her heart lodge in her throat. And it made her angry. Lifting her head, she pierced him with a glare.
“Don’t ever say such a thing. Your return has completed our puzzle. All these years, we’ve had an integral part missing from our lives, the piece that turns us into a true family. And now that you’re here, our family is complete.”
Phillip opened his mouth to argue, but she pushed a finger to his lips. “We did what we had to do to get through your voyages. We’re not the only family to experience such separations, and we certainly won’t be the last. I’m just thankful you were able to return home safely, because it was never a guarantee.”
Tearing her gaze from his, she studied her fingers as they sifted through the dark hairs peeking through the top of his shirt. “I went into this marriage with an understanding of what to expect. Not once did I magically think you would give up your career to remain in Bristol for me, your unwanted bride.”
With a speed she could not fathom, he flipped her flat onto her back, his overwhelming presence looming over her. His chest brushed against hers and his powerful arms bracketed her head like a cage, but she wasn’t frightened. Phillip had never made her feel frightened.
Instead, her pulse roared in her ears as something hot and arousing pumped like opium through her veins. Her skin grew hot and tingly, and for the first time since…the last time he was in her bed, she was altogether alive.
“You haveneverbeen unwanted. Never.” His eyes burned like blue torches. “Who do you think first suggested I marry you?”
Her mouth fell open. “I thought your father had suggested it.”
Phillip shook his head, his gaze dropping to her lips. “He told me of your troubles, but I suggested marriage. I had always held you in high esteem, and now I suspect that my father was aware and counted on my offer.”
“You fancied me?” she whispered hoarsely.
He nodded. “You’ve always been so lovely. So poised and cheerful. Completely charming. It was impossible to stand in your presence and not want to know you more.”
“Charming and lovely?” Annalise waved her hand, brushing him across the chin. When his eyes flared, she dropped it to her side. “Surely you jest.”
“Lise-dear, have I ever been known for my sense of humor?”
She scowled. “I find you very funny. You make me laugh every day.”
If she hadn’t been watching him so closely, she would have missed the faint tinge of color that touched his cheeks.
“You may be the only one.”
Before she could respond, he pierced her with those blue eyes again. “I had thought that perhaps one day I would be able to capture your attention. In those fleeting moments that I saw you when my father took me to visit your father at his factories, and I was able to catch a glimpse of your smile, which was always so easy and bright. It left me happy for days. But I was a quiet child. My father called me petulant. I’ve always been the exact opposite of you.”
