Page 63 of To Tempt a Scandalous Lord
Alicia dropped her head to the mattress with a long moan, her fingers twisting the cover pane urgently in her hands as she attempted to moor herself under his ministrations. For Niall showed her, with every delicious stroke, with every kiss and sigh, how much he wanted her. And when she teetered on the precipice of bliss and frustration, he sent her over the edge with a press of his thumb and a forceful jerk of her hair.
Sometime later, he lay pressed against her back, his skin sweaty against hers.
His arm was wrapped tightly around her waist, his hand resting just below her breast, where his finger stroked softly against her skin. These were the moments she loved. The lovemaking was indescribable.
Niall was an impassioned lover, and Alicia could not get enough of his bold tongue and scandalous words, reveling in his authority in ways she would never countenance outside the bedroom. But it was the aftermath, when they cuddled and talked, that contained all the intimacy she had craved in a marriage.
His fingers traced a pattern on her skin, and she stretched under his touch. “What are you thinking about?”
“About how content I am,” she said truthfully.
Niall shifted until Alicia lay flat on her back, looking up at him. Running the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip, he said, “You are?”
“Of course I am.” Her brows drew together. “Considering our inauspicious start, I feel we’ve found a pleasant routine. Do you not agree?”
“I do.” He threaded his fingers through her hair. “I just feel…relieved to hear you feel the same. You know I did my best to maintain some distance between us, and I regret my behavior deeply.”
A pounding built behind her eyes, and Alicia clamped them closed.
“What is it, Alicia?”
His tone was so gentle. So coaxing. She opened her eyes and licked her lips; the urge to confess, to tell him about the new essay she would be delivering to Effia on the morrow, was almost overwhelming…
But she couldn’t do it. She wasn’t ready to pop this idyllic bubble they lived in, where Niall stroked her cheek so tenderly and looked down at her with his heart in his eyes.
Reaching up, Alicia wrapped her arms around his neck and claimed his lips with her own. When they pulled back, panting, moments later, she smiled. “There’s nothing left to regret.”
And she hoped she could say the same for herself soon enough.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Marriage looks good on you.”
Alicia glanced up at Effia, who sat on the other side of the narrow table in their favorite coffee shop. “What do you mean? I’ve been married before, you know.”
Effia nodded, dimples bracketing her small smile. “So you have. But I’d wager that your marriage to Lord Inverray is quite different than your union with Lord Lindsay.”
“Well, they are different men, are they not?”
“Of course they are.” Effia chuckled. “But happiness is a part of this marriage when it didn’t seem to be in the first. You deserve to be happy.”
She fought not to fidget in her seat. “The marquess has been a kind husband.”
“And do you not feel you deserve his kindness?”
Alicia smoothed invisible wrinkles from her skirts. “No. Becausehedeserves my honesty.”
Her friend brandished a hand. “And you will be honest with him…after you’ve done everything you can to help his campaign by pushing public opinion on reforms.”
“I know. I know.” She plucked at the button on her glove. “It’s just…if he finds out before I have an opportunity to tell him myself, everything we’ve gained will be…ruined.”
“We’ll be more cautious.” Effia sighed, glancing quickly around the crowded coffee shop. “We should refrain from meeting in person again until you’ve told your husband. How does that sound?”
“Along with that, I think we should wait until after the party vote,” she said quietly, covertly studying the patrons around them.
At Effia’s nod of agreement, Alicia reached into her reticule, darted her gaze about to ensure no one was watching, and slid her new essay quickly across the tabletop to her.
Her friend stared at the nondescript envelope. “Do you intend to tell him after the party vote?”
