The Unexpected Heiress

by Kaitlin O’Riley

  The need to be together eclipsed all else. There was no need for words. No need for explanations. It was as if nothing had changed during their time apart.

  Her world seemed to shift, and her focus narrowed in on only Phillip. He was all she could see, all she wanted. Her legs shook, and she clung to him for support as he continued to kiss her as if he would never stop. His fingers threaded into her upswept hair, gently loosening the few pins that held it in place. Her thick hair fell in waves around them and still their kiss deepened.

  She belonged to him, and she knew it within the very depths of her being. She had known it from the start. This was where she belonged. With him. She never wanted to be away from this man again in her life. Nothing would ever come between them again.

  His seductive lips, warm and insistent, demanded more and more of her. He demanded everything, and she gave it willingly, eagerly. The light stubble along his jaw brushed against the soft skin of her cheek, branding her as his, and she was glad of it. Thrilled to be marked by him, marked as his. His arm locked around her waist, and he backed her up slowly, until her hips were pressed against her desk. And still, his mouth never left hers.

  A soft sigh escaped her, and her fingers splayed into thick hair at the base of his neck. One of his hands moved slowly over the curve of her hip, sliding upward until he cupped her breast. As he squeezed harder, she sucked in her breath at the pleasurable sensations he evoked within her body. She knew where this kiss was leading, and, heaven help her, she couldn’t wait to get there. This wasn’t like the first time they were together. This time she knew what to expect and the anticipation aroused her even more.

  With a groan, he broke away from their kiss at last. The loss of it almost made her cry out in protest.

  “Open your eyes and look at me,” he demanded, his voice thick with desire.

  As if waking from a dream, her eyes fluttered open and she attempted to focus on his face. He was so handsome, that he took her breath away. The gleam was back in his eyes, and he was once again the man she fell in love with.

  “You’re not going back to New York,” he declared.

  Meredith shook her head and murmured breathlessly, “No, I’m not going back to New York.”

  In that moment she would have agreed with anything he said to her. She would have done whatever he told her to do.

  “Tell me that you want me,” he demanded hoarsely. “Tell me.”

  Had she ever not wanted him? Meredith couldn’t recall. Her entire being cried out for his touch, she wanted him so desperately.

  “Yes, Phillip,” she murmured, touching his cheek with her hand. “I want you.”

  “God, Merry, I want you more than anything I have ever wanted in my life, and I have missed you more than you will ever know.”

  “I’ve missed you too,” she gasped, thrilled by his words, his touch, his very presence in her life once more. Light-headed, she was giddy with happiness at being with this man.

  “You’re mine,” he said.

  His mouth came down over hers again, as he began tugging at the wide belt that encircled the waist of her peach-colored day gown. She reached up and pulled at the dark cravat around his neck. With frantic and fevered motions, they began to undress each other, their desire driving them both to want more and more.

  She was left in nothing but her chemise and stockings when he swept her into his arms and carried her to the same little bedroom with the rosebud wallpaper that was the setting of their first time together. With her heart pounding, she lay on the bed beside him.

  “I love you, Merry. I can’t live without you,” he confessed as he covered her small body with his own larger one, his muscles stretched taut with desire.

  “I love you, Phillip.” She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, pulling him toward her. “I don’t ever want to be without you again.”

  Their mouths met once again in a heated kiss. Instinctively she arched her body against his, yearning for what only he could give her. It felt as if they were devouring each other.

  Then, as if coming up for air, he began placing featherlight kisses upon her face. His kisses fell ever so delicately upon her cheeks, her eyelids, her forehead, the tip of her nose, her chin, her ears, and the curve of her neck, sending wicked shivers of delight racing through every nerve in her body. His kisses moved lower, burning a heated trail of sensation from the hollow of her throat to the top of her chemise.

  In a skilled motion, he lifted her from the bed and eased the soft lawn up and over her head, leaving her naked before him. She sunk back into the down pillows as he continued his sensual onslaught of her body.

  He kissed her breasts, teasing her nipples with his tongue, causing heated flames of desire to course through her. Every part of her body cried out to be touched by him. She ached for him to touch her. She needed the contact of their skin, their bodies, and their breath. And he gave that to her.

  His head moved lower, placing sweet kisses along her taut stomach, inching ever lower until he found that achingly sensitive spot between her thighs. With a soft sigh of delight, she melted into the bed at the delicious waves of pleasure that spread through her. As he worked his magic with his tongue and fingers, she lost herself in the bliss that encompassed her body until she cried out as waves of intense pleasure coursed through her.

  Before she could even catch her breath, he rose above her, covering her once again with his muscular form. She was eager for him when he entered her with a sure thrust. As he moved within her, all her senses were on fire for him.

  “You’re so beautiful, Merry,” he whispered in her ear.

  But she could barely hear him, could barely think, and could barely breathe. The emotions that swelled within her, the intimacy that she was sharing with him, and the incredible love that they felt simply by being together, threatened to overwhelm her. She loved him so deeply and could feel the love he felt for her.

  His motions became more forceful, his breathing heavier. She matched his thrusts with her own, driving him forward until he cried out with his own release.

  She wanted to cry with the sense of completeness she felt with this man who had changed her life. Both slick with sweat now, he collapsed beside her on the bed, panting.

  They lay there together in the darkened bedroom, silent and sated, replete.

  “Well, this is not how I thought this day would end,” Meredith said finally, still slightly out of breath as she lay naked in his arms.

  “Neither did I,” Phillip said, kissing her sweetly on the cheek. “But I love having you beside me this way. This is where you belong, Merry. With me.”

  “I know I belong with you,” she said. “I don’t want to be anywhere else but with you.”

  It was like a delicious dream, being with him again. She’d believed it was all over between them. Yet somehow, miraculously, they had been given another chance together.

  Evening approached and the room grew ever darker, but Meredith had no idea of the actual hour. Time seemed to cease when Phillip came back into her life. She didn’t care what time it was or what day it was. All that mattered was that the two of them were together again.

  “I’m so happy, I don’t know what to do with myself,” she confessed.

  “Well, I know exactly what to do you with you,” he said with a playful growl before kissing her once more.

  She giggled at him and then whispered, “I’m afraid I’m going to wake up and find that I’ve dreamt all of this, and you’re still not speaking to me.”

  He rested his head back on the pillows with a remorseful sigh.

  “I don’t know if I can ever forgive myself for that, Merry, but I hope that you can forgive me. I am very sorry for just cutting you off that way. I regret every minute of it. It was agony being away from you. I know there is no excuse for acting like a pompous ass, but it’s just that I’d never been hurt that way before, and I acted poorly and out of spite. It was not well done of me, and I’m ashamed of myself,” he admitted
.

  Meredith had known that she’d wounded him by withholding the truth and she would have been just as upset had their situations been reversed. She understood why he was so hurt.

  “I am sorry as well, and quite ashamed of participating in my aunt’s ridiculous scheme. I never meant to hurt you or lie to you, Phillip, and I never will again.”

  “And I promise to never act like an idiot. I’ve been thinking . . . if we want our marriage to be successful, then we must both be honest and open with each other,” he said. “And I can’t shut you out.”

  Meredith agreed. “We have to trust each other first. And I shouldn’t have been so afraid to trust you with the truth of my position.”

  “I understand now why you did what you did. Simon explained everything to me. Somehow my little brother was able to make me listen, when no one else could. I was such a foolish clod to believe that you were deliberately after my money.”

  “The thought of money never entered my mind when I was with you, Phillip,” she told him. “I simply wanted to be with you. If I were only after wealth, I would have ignored you and married the Duke of Havenfield. But it was you. You were the one who I fell in love with. You were the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. The fact that you will provide me with financial security is simply an added benefit any young woman in my position would want. I would have married you if you had not a penny to your name, Phillip Sinclair, because I love you. Because we understand each other, and we want to help each other. We don’t want a marriage like everyone else has. Together we are going to do things differently.”

  “I think that’s what wounded me the most,” he said in a voice filled with hurt. “Deep down, I knew it truly wasn’t about the money. I was hurt that you didn’t confide in me, that you didn’t trust me enough. If we are to do things differently in our marriage, we have to believe in each other. You have to believe in me, Merry.”

  Meredith felt a lump in her throat. “I do. And I truly wanted to tell you. I came so close to doing just that, but each time I feared ruining what we had, and I’d promised Aunt Delilah, and I—”

  “I know,” he interrupted. “I think I understand now.”

  “Thank you.” Grateful for his forgiveness, she felt hopeful again. “So, it is sweet Simon I should thank for bringing you to your senses?”

  “You could say that.” Phillip gave a thoughtful pause. “He was certainly a big part of it. You could also thank Lady Katherine Vickers.”

  Meredith sat bolt upright on the bed, breaking away from his embrace. “I beg your pardon?”

  Lady Katherine Vickers?

  There was no way she could thank that flashy widow for anything. She had secretly feared that Phillip had gone back to her after they ended the engagement. Thank her? Has he gone crazy?

  Phillip pulled her back down beside him and kissed her. “Yes, you may want to thank her, Merry,” he said softly.

  “Why?” she groaned.

  “Because, believe it or not, Katherine was a big help to me. After that dreadful afternoon I ended our engagement, I went to her house.” He paused.

  Meredith felt as if ice water flooded her veins at the thought of Phillip turning to Lady Katherine Vickers.

  “Nothing happened between us,” he said reassuringly. “I need you to know that. I haven’t been intimate with another woman in that way since I met you, Merry.”

  They faced each other in the growing dimness, their eyes locked together. He reached out and touched her cheek.

  “Do you trust me?” he questioned gently, his eyes imploring her. “Do you believe me?”

  Did she believe that Phillip hadn’t been with the blond widow while they were apart? She wanted to believe him. She needed to believe him. But more than that, she believed that this man loved her, and looking into his eyes now, she hadn’t a doubt of that. She trusted him not to lie to her. The ugly waves of jealousy that had risen within her just moments ago suddenly evaporated. Slowly she nodded her head.

  “I trust you, Phillip. I believe you.”

  “Thank you,” he whispered, relief in his voice.

  “Can you tell me why you went to see her that day?”

  “I can’t say why exactly, but I did. I was beside myself. I couldn’t even think straight, and she was familiar and sympathetic.... She listened to me. But Katherine could see what I couldn’t. She saw that I was hopelessly in love with you. In her honest way, she said that she would have nothing to do with a man who was so completely in love with another woman. Then she called me a self-important fool and told me to go back to you.”

  “She did?” Stunned, Meredith could hardly believe that Lady Katherine would be so magnanimous.

  “Yes, and she said the same thing again to me earlier today.”

  “You saw her today?” Meredith couldn’t control the slightly shrill sound of her voice.

  In spite of Phillip’s reassuring words a moment earlier, a little flame of jealousy still smoldered within her.

  “Yes, I happened to run into her on the street on my way over here,” Phillip explained. “Once more she told me to ignore the malicious gossips in this city, and she said that the Remington Heiress Scandal would die down and be forgotten before long. She suggested that I should win you back before you left for New York and it was too late.”

  Meredith was speechless that someone she regarded as her rival would be so kind. Lady Katherine Vickers truly must have loved Phillip to want him to be happy whether she was with him or not. Meredith wondered if she herself could be that selfless.

  “Well, then I thank her from the bottom of my heart for sending you back to me,” she said. She turned and kissed him on the cheek. Then she snuggled within the crook of his arm, her head resting against his chest.

  “I’m happy to have you with me again,” he said.

  “Thank you for bringing my mother’s desk to London for me,” Meredith said, recalling his thoughtful gift. “That was the most loving and the most caring gesture. I was quite speechless when I saw the desk was here.”

  “I just wanted to make you happy, Merry.”

  “And you did. Very much so. I don’t know what I can ever do to thank you for doing that for me, but I will try.”

  “You don’t need to try. I love you, and it pleases me to make you happy.” He kissed her mouth and gave her a loving squeeze.

  “Do you believe the scandal will die down, Phillip?” she whispered into the darkness.

  “Yes, eventually it will. People tend to forget after a time and there is sure to be another scandal to take its place. Besides, once you are my wife, then there is nothing more for anyone to say. As the Countess of Waverly, my entire family will protect you.”

  A great weight seemed to lift off Meredith’s shoulders, and she released a relieved sigh. The last thing she had ever wished to do was to cause problems for Phillip’s family. They were wonderful people, and she loved each of them.

  “So our wedding is back on then?” she asked, hope welling within her.

  “As far as I’m concerned, it is. I still want to marry you and only you,” he declared. “Do you still wish for me to be your husband?”

  Meredith paused for a moment, thinking about how much she loved this man and how excited she was to be starting a new life with him at her side. Having Phillip Sinclair as her husband would be, indeed, a dream come true. Apparently, she paused too long mulling over his question for his liking. Phillip gave her a little nudge.

  “I’m thinking about it,” she said playfully, teasing him.

  “I’ll give you something to think about,” he said as he moved over her with a gleam in his eyes.

  She squealed with delight before he kissed her, all thoughts of anything but the two of them together fading completely from her mind.

  29

  Famous Last Words

  The wedding was back on once again and the Sinclair family—Lucien, Colette, and Simon—were gathered with Phillip and Meredith at Devon House to celebrate
the happy reunion. Phillip felt like a new man. He had somehow managed to right the ship of his life just by reuniting with Meredith and was now headed on a smoother, far more desirable course.

  She had forgiven him and still wanted to marry him. He’d been fortunate twice with this beautiful, kind, and talented woman. He’d been lucky enough to win her back. Lucky enough to still have her heart.

  Looking at his brother and his parents as they stood talking with Meredith, who was once again wearing his engagement ring, Phillip felt close to bursting with love and happiness. She was going to be his wife, for their wedding would take place next week.

  After spending last evening in bed with Meredith, talking endlessly about all they’d gone through, they had wasted no time the next day in sharing the good news of their reconciliation with everyone.

  His parents were ecstatic at the happy turn of events, as was his brother. The four of them, along with Meredith, sipped champagne together in the library, waiting for the rest of his Hamilton relatives to arrive for a great celebratory supper, along with Meredith’s aunt.

  “I’m thrilled that you will be my sister again,” Simon said to her.

  Meredith beamed with happiness. “I’ve always wished for a brother, Simon, and now I have the best one.”

  “Yes, we’re quite happy to have you join our family, Meredith,” Colette said, smiling. “And I’m even happier to be your mother once again.”

  “As am I,” Meredith said.

  Again Phillip was struck by how easily and seamlessly Meredith fit into his life. She loved his family, and they loved her. And not just his brother and his parents, but all of his family—aunts, uncles, and cousins too. He recalled his conversation with his uncle Jeffrey weeks ago. He had told Phillip that he would know when he met the right woman, and Jeffrey had been right.

  There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that Meredith Rose Remington belonged with him. He was so in love with her and so very proud of her. And together they would create their own life on their own terms.