Page 52 of Desired By Mr Darcy
“You would plan for our next so soon?”
“I believe it an inevitability,” she said with a sly smile, “for I cannot be without my husband.”
Darcy laughed, a sound deep and warm, and touched his forehead to hers.
“You are insatiable.”
She tipped her head, her eyes assessing his body. He did not bother to even try and hide the erection that had formed in her presence. Her gaze still burned him, her approval of his body meaning everything to him. She nuzzled happily into his embrace.
“You do not complain.”
“No,” he admitted, brushing his lips over her damp temple. “Nor shall I ever.”
She sighed with content, resting her head against his shoulder as the water swayed around them. A soft breeze stirred the humid air, sending tiny ripples across the surface. Elizabeth shivered, though she would not admit to it, and instinctively he pulled her closer.
“To think, in a few weeks we will have a new Darcy here. The first since darling Georgiana. I hope they shall love Pemberley as much as we all do.”
Darcy smiled. His wife’s affection and devotion to their home had been a most welcome surprise; they had left only once since their marriage, and regretted every moment spent away. It was their sanctuary, a heaven of their own.
“They shall have the run of these lands, know every tree and stream as you have come to know them. And they shall be loved.”
His hand slid down, resting against the firm curve of her belly, warm and protective.
She covered his hand with hers, fingers intertwining.
“Yes,” she murmured, “loved beyond measure.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“Come, let us go in before you catch a chill.”
“I do not think it possible to catch a chill in such weather, my love,” she said with a laugh. “A little longer, please. You cannot refuse me when I carry our child.”
He huffed a soft laugh, shaking his head. She was right; he could refuse her nothing.
“You will be the undoing of me, woman.”
Elizabeth smirked, tilting her face up to meet his gaze.
“And yet you would have it no other way.”
His sigh was one of surrender.
“No, I would not.”
They lingered a moment longer, wrapped in each other’s arms, before finally wading back toward the bank. Elizabeth stepped onto the sun-warmed grass, droplets glistening upon her skin. Darcy reached for a blanket and carefully draped it over her shoulders, watching as she dried herself. He did not miss his wife’s own gaze, her eyes raking slowly over his naked form.
“You stare, Mrs Darcy.”
“I do,” she admitted unabashedly. “My husband is a very handsome man.”
He stepped closer, capturing her chin between his fingers and kissing her soundly.
“And my wife is a most impertinent woman.”
She laughed against his lips before pulling away, clutching the blanket closer. She dried herself thoroughly, before reaching for her clothes. She pointed to Darcy’s, and he took the blanket from her to dry himself as she began to dress.
“Come, let us return home,” she said once they were both dressed. “I believe our child is demanding luncheon, and I am inclined to listen.”
Darcy chuckled, offering her his arm.
“Then I shall see that your every craving is satisfied, as any devoted husband should.”
With one last glance at the shimmering water, they walked back toward Pemberley, the future stretching before them like the golden hills in the distance - bright, promising, and filled with love.
The End
