by Vella, Wendy
“Then we came here, and there you were again, and I felt the pull inside me to come to you. I wanted to hurt that man at the kissing booth. Then under that tree, I felt something inside me give. The tightness I’d always carried began to ease, and it was all because of you.”
He held her hands to his chest.
“When I knew those men were in the castle, all I could think about was getting them out so you weren’t harmed… any of you. Then you were shot, and I have never known such fear.”
“Oh, Rory.” Kate fell forward into his arms, wrapped hers around his waist as his went about her back.
“I never wanted love, Kate. Believed I wasn’t capable, and yet when I came here it was thrust at me from every side. Sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews. Then, of course, there was you.”
He eased her from him, bracing his hands on her shoulders.
“I don’t know what to do about what I feel for you.”
“Love me.”
His eyes closed briefly, and she held her breath.
“It’s not a comfortable feeling.”
“Love?”
“Yes.”
“Then we shall be uncomfortable together.”
She watched as he exhaled slowly.
“I do love you, Kate Sinclair.”
“Then for now, that is enough.”
She kissed him, pouring her feelings into it. Letting it surround him. She felt the thud of his heart against hers, the strength in his body as she leaned into him.
“I’ll return you to your room.”
“No, I want to stay with you.”
“Kate—”
“There will be no other for me but you, Rory. You are my love.”
Chapter Eighteen
In that moment, he felt the last of his fear ease. Looking at this beautiful woman who loved him, Rory finally allowed himself to believe.
“Kate.” He pressed his lips to her neck, inhaled her sweet scent. “God, how I want you.”
“As I do you.”
“But you are injured. I would not hurt you.”
“You could never hurt me, and you are injured also, so we must be gentle with each other.”
Her eyes held so much emotion shimmering in the green depths. Love, for him.
“I love you.” Now that he’d allowed himself to believe the words, they seemed to want to spill endlessly from his lips. “So much that it terrifies me. For so long I have cared for only Maddie.”
“And now there are many more.” She smiled. Soft, knowing, the smile of woman who knew she was loved by her man. Him. The thought no longer terrified Rory.
How had he fallen so fast? He knew she was responsible. This wonderful, vivid woman.
Her hair hung in a long braid to her waist, wisps freed and curled around her face. Rory pushed the dressing gown from her shoulders exposing a white nightdress. Firelight turned her skin to a soft golden hue, and he knew her body, when uncovered, would be the same.
“Such beauty.” His hands shook as he undid the buttons that ran down the front. “Don’t be afraid.”
“I am not scared, Rory.”
Her hands went to his shirt, performing the same task as he. She laid the palm of her hand on his chest, and he could do nothing to stop the moan. It was like a brand; heat traveled through him.
“I am.”
She leaned forward and placed a kiss on his lips, and he held her there, felt their skin touching. It ignited him. Easing her back, he took off her nightdress.
“You are perfection.” His eyes traveled down the slender column of her neck to the rise of her lovely breasts below. When he moved lower, his body clenched as he saw the white bandage. He could have lost her and knew now everything would have changed for him if he had. He’d been lost before, but knowing he must live in a world without her would have destroyed him.
“I am here with you.” She pushed upright as he joined her.
“I knew such fear, Kate.” He held her close, needing the contact.
“And yet we are together.”
“Thank God for Lilly.”
“We should talk about that.” She eased back, laying a hand on his chest. “What we are.”
“I don’t care what you are as long as you’re mine. The rest I’ll come to understand, I’m sure, or at least try to.”
“It is hard to understand.”
“We spoke of this already, Kate. It’s part of who you are.” He took her mouth in a slow, heated kiss, then lowered her back until she lay on the rug once more. He then rose to remove his clothes. Her eyes followed his movements.
“Do you know what will happen, Kate?”
“Alice told me.” Her eyes went to his groin.
“I will not hurt you.”
“I know that. I worry for your shoulder.”
“My shoulder is fine, but there may be some pain for you,” Rory conceded.
“I know that also.”
He lay beside her and cupped a breast. The weight was perfect in his hand. Her eyes closed as he kissed the offering. Licking the skin, he circled the nipple, making her moan. Rory spent time tormenting both breasts until she was breathless and arching off the rug.
“Let go for me, Kate.”
“I-I don’t know how.” Her eyes were pools of liquid heat. Aroused to the point of pain, Rory would not allow himself to take what he wanted; she had to be ready for him.
“You will.” He kissed her stomach, then moved lower.
“Rory, what are you doing?”
“Trust me.”
She nodded, and he circled her navel and then moved lower to the sweet offering beneath. He ran his tongue over the soft, drenched folds, and she cried out, some shock, some pleasure. He continued, and when he eased a finger inside her, she shattered, the cry his reward for her pleasure.
“I did not know,” she whispered as he climbed over her, taking his weight onto his good arm. The look on her face was wonder, and he felt blessed to be the man witnessing it. Would be the only man to ever witness it, he vowed silently. “Know what could be between a man and woman,” she added.
“There is so much more, my love. Take me inside you now, Kate.”
Her legs opened wider, and he was there, pressing against her slick entrance.
“Now, Rory.”
“We must go slowly, Kate.”
“I don’t want you to go slow.”
“You don’t know what….” He gave up the fight and surged into her.
The breath hissed from her throat.
“I’m sorry, so sorry.”
“Don’t be, it is wonderful to feel full of you.” She closed the inches between them and kissed him.
“God, I love you,” he rasped, easing out, then thrusting back into her. Her muscles clenched around him like a fist. “So good.”
He kept the pace slow, a kind of torture that he would endure for her. When he felt her body tighten with tension, Rory took her cries into his mouth as he thrust back into her. Seconds later, he scaled the mountain of pleasure at her side.
When his breath returned, he rose to his feet. He felt unsteady, as if he’d run a great distance. It was her, and the love they shared. Rory had never experienced pleasure like that. Bending, he lifted her into his arms.
“Rory, your shoulder!”
Ignoring her, he walked to the bed and slipped them both beneath the covers.
“I should go back to my bed.” She yawned.
“I will get you there before the sun rises. For now, I want to hold you.”
He held her back to his front, both arms wrapped around her. He’d never slept with a woman like this before and knew it would not feel this way with anyone but Kate… his love. He didn’t know what this meant for him, or her, only that he couldn’t walk away from her now… or ever.
“I love you, Rory.” Her words were sleepy. He felt the smile tug at his lips as his eyes began to close.
So this was what it felt like to be loved.
Chapter Nineteen<
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Christmas Day, and Alice and Nicholas’s wedding day, dawned clear but cold. Snow had fallen and dappled the ground. Kate woke in her room and had a vague memory of Rory rousing her, then forcing her into her nightdress, slippers, and dressing gown. He’d then walked her back to her room. She’d slipped inside after a last kiss and fallen straight back into a deep sleep.
Now she was traveling with her sister to the church on Raven mountain, where they would wed, then the family would have a celebration for both Christmas and their nuptials.
“Are you nervous, Alice?”
“No. I love Nicholas and cannot wait for us to be together always.”
Her sister looked beautiful in ivory satin, with a heavy emerald cloak on top. Her hair was pinned with tiny diamonds, and she wore a circlet of white flowers on her head.
“You look stunning.” Kate dabbed her handkerchief to her nose.
“You’re not going to start weeping, are you?” Wolf was a large, calming presence at Alice’s side. Her hand was in his, clasped tight as the carriage rolled down Raven Mountain.
“Very likely,” Kate sniffed. “People cry when they are happy.”
“But there is more than your sister’s wedding making you happy, isn’t there, Kate?” She was subjected to an intense look from her siblings.
“This is Alice’s wedding day. We have no need to discuss anything but that.”
“I don’t mind, and it will take my mind off things.”
“I thought you weren’t nervous,” Kate said.
“I am a bit. So tell me, have you and Rory finally realized you love each other? He certainly seemed happy when I passed him in the hallway this morning.”
“I see the church,” Kate said, looking out the window.
“You love each other,” Wolf said in a flat tone that suggested he wasn’t sure how he felt about that. “And he’s a Raven, so that’s in his favor. What I want to know is when you had time to have a discussion about your feelings for each other.”
“Don’t be stuffy, Wolf, it is enough they share their love and Kate is happy. There is no need to dwell on anything but that.”
“It is a wonder I am not gray-haired because of what you both put me through.”
“And yet there you sit, handsome as always with your black silken Sinclair locks.” Alice beamed.
Wolf sighed. “Oh, very well, I will yield. It’s not like I ever had a say in anything either of you want.”
“I do love him,” Kate said softly. “And he loves me.”
“Well then,” Alice said, “nothing more need be said.”
“It appears not.” Wolf sighed again.
Rory sat with Max on one side and Rose the other in the small church.
He’d woken smiling this morning, light inside, and happier than he could ever remember feeling. He didn’t know exactly what the future held, only that it would now hold Kate and his family.
“You’re smiling again.”
“No, I’m not.” Rory tried to frown and failed as he looked at Max.
“It looks good on you. Is it because of Kate?”
“That’s personal.”
“Nothing in this family is personal,” Rose said, rubbing her belly. “Do you love her?”
“Yes.” The word came out before he could stop it. “I love her.”
“Excellent,” Max said. “I’m not sure when this change happened, but I can’t be unhappy about it if it keeps you here.”
“I’m sorry,” Rory said softly.
“Am I forgiven then?”
He turned to look at his brother. Their eyes caught and held.
“I missed you.” Rory made himself say the words. Perhaps it was not the place, but then where was? “I do understand why you left. We were just lost without you.”
“And I should have tried harder to come back, but when I realized what I’d left behind, I couldn’t find you.”
“We must bring Maddie here.”
“We will. Perhaps we should both go back and get her?”
Rory nodded. “Yes, she’d like that, as would I.”
His brother held up his hand, and Rory clasped it hard. Max’s arms came around him and they hugged. Brief, but a good solid hug that brothers should share.
Rose started crying, so Rory put an arm around her shoulders and held her close. It felt natural to him now. This sister was his to love, as was the one next to her, Emily, and the other behind him, Samantha.
James smiled at him from his place beside Nicholas at the altar, and he nodded back.
The music started, and then there they were, the bride glowing on the arm of her brother. But it was the woman behind them who caught and held his eyes.
“The look on your face matches Kate’s,” Rose whispered.
Rory didn’t answer, just took her hand in his and held it as he watched Kate walk down the aisle. She wore rose beneath her emerald cloak. Her hair was loose curls with the sides pulled high.
His Kate, his love. She found him and smiled. He felt her love.
“Beth, stop blowing your nose on my shirt.”
Rory laughed as Warwick tried to force his handkerchief on the little girl who was on his lap.
Children ran around the church and laughed and chattered as the couple exchanged vows, and Rory enjoyed every minute. His family was a large, boisterous one, and he realized he liked it that way.
They threw rose petals over the newlyweds as they left the church, and he found Kate at his side.
“You look beautiful.” He wanted to lean down and kiss her soft lips.
“Thank you, and you look handsome.”
He leaned closer. “I love you.”
She turned, and he lost every thought but one. Kate.
“Oh Lord, the bride and groom are kissing again,” Warwick moaned.
“Just leave them there, they’ll find their own way to the castle. Granted, they’ll be covered in icicles,” Dev added.
“There’ll be more food for us if we do,” Cam said.
“There is that.”
“Why do people have to stare into each other’s eyes constantly? It makes me want to hurl up the contents of my stomach,” Warwick muttered. “I’ll never do that.”
“Because they are in love, just as I love Kate,” Rory said to Warwick as he held out his arm for her to take.
“Does that mean we have to go through this again?”
“Very likely,” Rory said, further shocking Kate. “What?” he asked at the look on her face.
“Y-you said you love me in front of all of them. Y-you talked about doing that.” She waved at Alice, who was still in her new husband’s arms.
“Because I do, and I think we should marry, don’t you?”
Her mouth formed a perfect circle.
“Oh, come on, Kate, wise up. It’s fairly obvious that if he loves you, he’ll marry you. I’d gut him if he didn’t, after all.”
“You could try,” Rory replied to Wolf.
“Can we discuss this further in the warm? Rose is tired,” Wolf added.
They jammed into carriages, children on laps, and Rory held Beth, as somehow she’d made it into his carriage with Max, Essie, and Samantha. Kate had been dragged into a carriage away from him, with the twins.
“’Lo, Uncle Rory.” Beth smiled up at him.
“Hello.”
She then proceeded to play with his necktie for the entire journey, and he let her. Essie took her when they reached the castle. Rory hung back until Kate arrived. She was last through the huge doors.
“Hello.” he took her hand in his. Needing to touch her.
“I love this hall.”
“Yes, it’s something special.” He led her to where their ancestors looked down on them.
“I see you in him.” Kate pointed to an austere-looking man in doublet and hose.
“Charming.”
“It’s in the jaw and the eyes.”
“Oh, now that’s fortuitous.”
“What is?”
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“That’s mistletoe. I must thank James.”
“Is it?” She turned to face him. “I must thank Eden.”
“Your brother will likely thump me if he sees us.”
“I’ll thump him back.” She rose to her toes and leaned into him, and he felt his heart sigh.
“For so long I believed I needed no one. I realize now I was wrong. I need you.”
“As I need you.” Her words brushed his lips.
It was a kiss that stirred his soul. The rightness in him should have rocked him; it didn’t.
“Marry me, Kate.”
“Yes. I could think of nothing I would ever want more than that.”
He kissed her again. Then together, they went to see their families. The day would be filled with love, happiness, and Christmas spirit, the first one Rory had ever known.
* * *
Thank you for reading SEDUCTIVE DANGER! I hope you enjoyed Kate and Rory’s story.
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Born into wealth and privilege, the Lords of Night Street have vowed to serve those most in need. They navigate the glittering ballrooms of society and London’s criminal underworld with equal ease, leading the fight for love and justice.
The Earl of Attwood (Nick) and Miss Grace Esseltte, two characters who should really not marry, but circumstances put them together. Instead of getting the docile wife he wanted, Nick ends up with the scholarly Grace, a dowdy spinster with a tart mouth and secrets of her own. Nick soon finds that while protecting prickly Grace, he must also confront dangers of the heart, as well as his foe.
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“I truly enjoyed, Wendy Vella's sweet and charming novella, Lord Gallant, the first story in the Lords of Night Street! The lords are a group of wealthy men, devoted to help the less fortunate! It's filled with intrigue, danger and romance.”
