Page 99 of The No Good Irresistible Viscount Tipton
Rayne propped his arm against the window and gazed down at the view of the gardens. Devona knew he saw Maddy weeding her precious flower beds.
“You have been avoiding me.” There, she had said it.
“I wanted you to rest.” His wry glance skimmed her from head to toe, admiring the seductive way the thin fabric revealed as much as it concealed. “Brock and your father have refused my advice as well. I should have known better than to order about a Bedegrayne.”
“Wyman,” she lightly corrected. “We made a bargain. I intend to uphold my end of it.”
He visibly sagged at her announcement. “I thought I had lost you. First when you disappeared from the house, and later as I stood over the earth covering you.” He rubbed his eyes and inhaled. “I bullied you into our bargain.” He hesitated; a guarded expression replaced the pain she had glimpsed. “My family has visited enough misery on yours. What if I said that I did not want to remain married just for the sake of a bargain?”
He was pushing her away. Looking into those mysterious pewter-colored eyes, Devona realized she and Rayne might as well have been separated by an ocean. He had spent half his life distancing himself from love. He would sacrifice his chance of having a wife, a home, and his own family if she did not stop him. This was one rescue for which no one would accuse her of being reckless. Getting on her feet, she moved closer to him. Her gait was still unsteady from the effects of the drug.
“What if I agreed? After all I have experienced, I think I deserve a marriage not bound by past bargains,” she murmured; the flash of emotion he could not hide from her gave her the courage to continue. “What if I demanded a new bargain? This one made for love?”
He caught her and pulled her close. “You love me? Not for Doran’s sake? Not even for mine?”
“You know us Bedegraynes.” She smiled up at him. “Never a more stubborn clan.”
“Wyman, Lady Tipton,” he corrected, brushing a kiss against her lips. “My beautiful beloved. I thought you were a maddening piece of baggage the night you barged into my study and demanded that I help you.” He swept her off her feet and carried her back to bed. He placed her gently on the mattress, then stretched out beside her.
“I thought you were wickedly handsome.” She sighed, reaching for the bit of leather that bound his hair, and tugged. It gave way easily and his hair curled slightly against his shoulders. She threaded her fingers through it and he leaned into her touch.
His eyes, this time glowing the lightest blue, touched her as tantalizingly as his roaming fingers. “I love you.” The words rushed out as he kissed the lace at her throat. “I promised your father that I would give you a dozen children to keep you too busy to revert back to your reckless ways.”
Devona laughed. Yes, they would have children. Beautiful babies possessing her cinnamon-fire hair and his keen intelligent gaze. Together with their extended family, they would rebuild Foxenclover, this time filling it with love.
“Well, hopefully I will not have to give up all my reckless tendencies.” To prove her point, she teased the outline of his mouth with the tip of her tongue. He growled, claiming her mouth in a devastating kiss.
Rayne pulled back to nibble her lower lip. “Not all of them,” he amended. Smiling, he rolled her on top of him, encouraging her to demonstrate her uninhibited nature. Devona happily complied.
Le Cadavre Raffiné had rediscovered his heart.
