Page 54 of Married to a Scandalous Spinster
Pleasure crashed over her, weakening her legs. Before she could catch her breath, Wyatt stood, lifting her into his arms and pinning her against the door. He entered her hard, and this time Gemma had no hope of controlling the near-scream that he drew from deep inside her. She buried her head against Wyatt's shoulder, certain there were people in the house who had heard.
“Let them hear,” Wyatt murmured, as though reading her thoughts. “Let them hear what I do to you. And what you do to me.” Gemma wrapped her arms tight around his shoulders, submitting to the whims of her body as Wyatt thrust into her, harder with each stroke. When the pleasure peaked a secondtime, setting every inch of her body alight, Gemma let herself cry out, far too lost in the sensations by now to care who heard her.
Moments later, Wyatt groaned against her neck as he reached his own climax, and for several breathless moments, he just stood with her in his arms, their heavy breaths mingling with each other's. Finally, he lowered Gemma gently to the ground but kept her close, his forehead resting against hers.
“I've never been in your bedchamber before,” Gemma said finally.
Wyatt shifted slightly to look her in the eyes. He kept his palm pressed firmly to her cheek, his thumb tracing her jawline. “I have lost count of the number of times I have fallen asleep in that bed, wishing you were sharing it with me.” The moment he spoke, he pulled his eyes away from hers, as though he had admitted something he had not intended to.
Gemma's heart began to quicken. “But… when you come to my bed… You always seem in such a hurry to leave…”
Wyatt let out a short laugh. “Believe me, Gemma, it takes a great deal of willpower on my part to get out of your bed each night.”
She stared at him. “Then why…?”
A slight frown crossed his features. “I thought that was what you wanted. You've always been so clear on the fact that you never wanted a husband. And after all I've put you through, I thought the least I could do was give you your own space to sleep at night.”
“And then pack me off to Devon once I've given you your precious son?!” Gemma blurted. She had no idea where her sudden anger had come from. Her mind was awash withconfusion and frustration. Wyatt was right—she had never wanted a husband. She had not been shy about letting him know that. But now… Now everything was different. And that was more than a little terrifying.
“Pack you off to Devon?” Wyatt repeated, his expression one of utter bewilderment. “I would neverpack you off to Devon, Gemma. I thought that was what you wanted. I was just trying to make you happy. You told me?—”
“I know what I told you!” Gemma cried in frustration. “But I was wrong!” The moment the words were out, she felt a great weight lifted from her shoulders. But the fact that she had confessed such a thing made her heart thunder. Here she was laying her feelings bare, and if her husband did not feel the same way… She could hardly even fathom how painful such a thing would be. Without the walls she had built up to protect herself, she felt impossibly vulnerable.
Wyatt stepped close to her again, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Then what do you want?” he asked gently.
“I want to stay here with you. As your wife.” The words came out softer than Gemma had intended, as though there was a part of her that could not believe she was speaking them. “And I want…” She swallowed. “I want you to spend the nights with me. I do not want you to just rush off back to your own bedchamber the moment we are finished.”
Wyatt smiled, pulling her into a deep kiss. “There is nothing I would like more than that, Gemma.” He stroked her cheek. “Tonight, after this infernal ball, you and I will spend the rest of the night curled up in each other's arms. And all of the next day too, if you wish it. And the one after that.”
Gemma felt warmth spreading through her chest.I love him.She knew there could be no denying it now.
“That sounds wonderful,” she murmured. Then she dared a cheeky smile. “Perhaps I might show you my new nightgown.”
Wyatt grinned. “That sounds like an excellent idea.”
Gemma raised her dark eyebrows. “And what do you mean, 'this infernal ball?' The entire thing was your idea!”
Wyatt let out a breath. “I know, I know. I am an idiot.”
“Are you regretting it?” she asked curiously.
“Only because I can see how anxious it has made you,” Wyatt admitted, tracing his finger over her thumbnail. “That was not my intention at all. Although now I stop to think about it, I cannot see how it could have made you feel any other way.”
Gemma smiled, touched by his concern for her. “It is true, I was anxious about the ball. Or rather, I was dreading it. But not anymore.”
Wyatt raised his eyebrows. “Oh?”
“I know everything will be all right.” Gemma held her lips against his for a moment. She rested her forehead against his for a moment. Suddenly, she was brimming with confidence. And something close to joy. Wyatt wanted her here. He wanted her as his wife. He wanted to spend each night with her. And admitting the way she felt had not been nearly as terrifying as she had imagined. “Whatever happens, whatever people say, we will get through it together.”
“Indeed we will.” Wyatt grinned. A sudden seriousness fell over his face. “Gemma, I?—”
“Wyatt! Are you in there?!” The Duchess banged on the door so hard the vibrations rattled through Gemma's skull. “You have guests arriving! And where the devil is that wife of yours?”
Wyatt let out his breath in frustration, mouthing a silent apology to Gemma. She smiled in response. “Gemma and I shall be down in a moment, Mother,” Wyatt said firmly, his tone allowing for no argument.
The Duchess seemed to hesitate outside the door a moment, then her sharp footsteps clicked off down the staircase.
Gemma hurriedly tried to smooth her skirts. She could only imagine how creased the silk was at the back, given the way Wyatt had ravaged her up against the door. And as for the hairstyle Ivy had spent at least an hour crafting, she hardly dared imagine what state that was in.
