Page 117 of All I Want for Christmas… Is You
CLIFF’S EDGE, ESSEX, ENGLAND, LATE APRIL, 1813
Marriage had made Dinah shamefully lazy.
Or perhaps it wasn’t marriage itself. Perhaps it was just a blissful marriage to a man she adored, but a lady did tend to spend a great deal more time lounging in bed when she was safely snuggled in her husband’s arms, her cheek pillowed on his bare chest and his hands stroking her hair.
Oh my, yes. She was every inch the languid, indolent lady these days. A contented smile curved her lips as she reached across the bed for Oliver. But instead of the smooth, warm skin and wild, rumpled hair that made her fingertips tingle with delight, her hand found only cool sheets.
“Oliver?” She sat up, frowning. The scent ofMalmaisonlingered in the folds of the sheets but it was faint, just an echo of vanilla and cedar. She glanced toward the window. A sliver of pale, dappled moonlight peeked between the drapes.
Where on earth was Oliver? She didn’t fancy a midnight game of hide and seek, but there wasn’t a chance she’d fall asleep again without him by her side.
She indulged in one last long, languid stretch, her arms over her head and her toes curling, but before she could throw the coverlet aside and commence a search for her wayward husband she was interrupted by a low, husky drawl from the doorway.
“Ah, now there’s a tantalizing vision.”
Dinah turned her head on the pillow. Oliver had one hip propped against the doorframe, his glittering blue eyes taking her in from head to toe.
“There you are.” Dinah rose onto her elbow and rested her head on her hand. “Where have you been?” Her gaze lingered on the bare expanse of skin revealed by the open neck of his shirt. “I missed you.” She held out a hand to him. “Come back to bed.”
Oliver’s eyes darkened and a flush rose in his cheeks, but he shook his head. “Soon. I want to show you something first. Come with me, sweetheart.”
“Can’t it wait?” She crooked a finger at him, an inviting smile curving her lips.
Oliver’s lips parted on a soft groan, but he kept a stubborn distance between himself and the bed. “No. You’ll like it, I promise you.”
She threw the covers aside with a sigh and rose from the bed. “Oh, very well. Do I have to get dressed, or…Oliver? What’s the matter?”
He looked pained, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. “The moonlight, behind you. I can see every inch of you through your night rail. You’re so beautiful, love.”
Dinah looked down at herself, her cheeks heating. She’d never been the sort of lady who blushed, but Oliver’s hungry gaze seared her.
He strode across the room and snatched her into his arms. His hands moved restlessly over her curves as he nuzzled into her neck, inhaling deeply. “Dear God, you smell good. How do you always manage to smell so good?”
Dinah tangled her fingers in his hair. “I smell likeyou.”
“Hmmm. I smell lovely, then.” He bit gently at her throat, letting out a low growl. “Perhaps we should return to bed, after all.”
“Certainly not, my lord,” Dinah said with mock sternness. “I’m up now.”
“Yes, well, so am I.” He nudged his thigh between her legs. “Just let me…”
He trailed off with a groan as Dinah sank her teeth into his earlobe. She teased the tender flesh between her lips until Oliver was panting, but then she set him gently away from her. “If I let you do anything, we’ll never leave this bedchamber, and I’m curious to see what got you out of it in the first place.”
“A thing so magical I left my lovely wife alone in our bed, which was no easy feat. Here, you’ll need this.” Oliver took up the thick woolen shawl draped across the foot of the bed and draped it over her shoulders, then grabbed her hand and led her from the bedchamber and down the stairs to the ground floor.
“My goodness, Oliver. Where are you taking me?”
“Shhh.” Oliver pressed a brief kiss to her lips. They crept down the darkened hallway and into William’s study, then slipped through the glass doors onto the terrace. They dashed across the west lawn, the dew dampening the toes of Dinah’s slippers, then stopped at the door to Penelope’s greenhouse.
“Good Lord, what a monstrosity.” Oliver eyed the octagonal building. “It’s a wonder there’s any glazing or cast-iron left in England.”
Dinah laughed. William had gone a bit too far with the greenhouse, but Penelope was delighted with it, and spent many happy hours inside, fussing over her plants. “Oh, come now. It’s lovely.”
“I will admit I find greenhouses a great deal more intriguing since our visit to Lord Horace.”
Oliver waggled his eyebrows, making Dinah laugh again. “I hope you haven’t brought me out here to debauch me in Penelope’s greenhouse.”
“Not tonight, but you can be sure I’ll keep it in mind for another time. For now, I believe I’ll settle for a pineapple.”
