Page 89 of As the Earl Likes
“Eventually. Like you, I wish I hadn’t hesitated. Think of all the time we wasted.”
Sheff continued to move—and she was moving with him—which was causing his brain to lose focus. “Not that much in the great scheme. All that matters is we are together now.” He drove deep into her, making her gasp and her eyes narrow with desire. “Quite literally.”
Jo clasped her legs around him more tightly and drew his head down for a long, torrid kiss. Sheff lost himself in a haze of emotion and pleasure. He couldn’t remember an experience like this because he’d never had one.
Their bodies rocked and glided together, rushing toward that peak of rapturous fulfillment. Jo clutched his back, her fingers digging deliciously into his flesh as her muscles clenched around him. He felt her orgasm grip her body and thrust faster and deeper to catch his own. He cried out amidst her moans and whimpers, holding her to him.
They remained like that, entangled together, for quite some time, their bodies settling into their normal rhythm. Yes, this was normal—Jo in his arms. He could hardly believe it.
He pulled out of her at last but still held her close. One of her legs was still wrapped loosely around his thigh. “Are you happy?” he asked softly.
She nodded. “More than I ever imagined I could be.” A gentle furrow settled into her brow. “I am anxious about becoming a countess.”
“Society will accept you,” Sheff said firmly. “I will make them.”
Laughing, she brushed his hair back from his forehead. “While I appreciate your primal instincts, I don’t think you can force everyone.”
“I suppose not. But the cut direct goes both ways. I will not forget the people who treated you poorly when you were my pretend betrothed. When you are my wife, anyone who is less than welcoming and kind will simply be ignored.”
“That sounds like a good plan, though I still don’t want to be at the forefront of Society. Are you all right with that?”
“I am glorious with whatever you want. If you’d prefer to live in a cottage in the middle of nowhere, I would gladly do that.”
“But you have responsibilities,” she said. “Or, you will, someday when you inherit the dukedom.”
“Yes, and I do think my father is going to want me to take on more responsibility. He has made some changes to his life since spending time with me in Weston. It was a revelatory period. He explained some things to me that I had not known, such as the true reason behind the strife in my parents’ marriage.”
Jo came onto her side and snuggled against him, putting her palm on his chest. “I am most intrigued.”
He met her gaze. “Would you believe that it isn’t entirely my father’s fault?” He went on to explain how his father had been in love with his mother, but that she’d rejected him and had an affair. But Jo did not appear surprised. And why should she be when his mother had been awful to her?
“You don’t have trouble believing my mother shares the blame,” Sheff remarked. “I confess I didn’t either once I heard it. I’m a bit annoyed with myself that I hadn’t determined that before.”
“I know about her affair,” Jo said. Now Sheff was surprised. “My mother finally explained how she came to know your mother. She had an affair with my father.”
Sheff bolted up into a sitting position, his eyes wide. “Oh, God. That means Ellis is your half sister.”
Jo also jerked upright. “I suspected that may be the case. But you know it to be true?”
“Yes. My father told me she is my mother’s daughter and is the result of her affair. However, my father didn’t know the identity of Ellis’s father. Now, I do.” He looked to Jo in distress. “What are we to do with this information?”
She took his hand. “I don’t know. It’s certainly strange for us to know the entire truth when no one else does. My mother was aware of the affair, but only suspected your mother had a child. My father knows nothing of a child. We have all the pieces of the puzzle. But I don’t want to tell Ellis about her parentage. Shouldn’t that come from her parents?”
“My mother won’t say anything.” Now that Sheff knew the truth about her, he was incredibly angry. “I loathe the way she’s treated my father and Ellis. I don’t think I can be around her without saying so, without informing her that I know the truth.”
“Will you tell Min?” Jo asked.
“The duke said he would speak to her the way he did me, but I don’t know when that will happen.”
“He hadn’t told her as of yesterday,” Jo said. “I saw her, and I think she would have said something.”
“Though it will be hard to keep this secret, I think we must—at least until we can inform all parties.” Sheff relaxed. “I’m so glad I have you. This would be far more burdensome on my own.”
She stroked her thumb along his hand. “I feel the same. Now, where are we going tomorrow? London or Weston?”
“Where do you want to get married? Because that is the very next thing we are doing.” He lifted her hand and kissed her palm.
“I would have said London, but my mother is in Weston and our friends will be, so I think I’d like to have the wedding there. But we’ll need to send for my father. Can you arrange for his transportation to Weston as soon as possible? He must be at the wedding.”
