by Lauren Royal
He undressed her himself, pulled one of her new nightgowns over her head, then stood back to judge the effect.
He gave a low whistle. "Are you certain you're ill, love?"
"Quite certain." She forced another cough and clutched at her stomach. "Leave now, please, before I embarrass myself in front of you." She climbed into the bed, moaning softly to demonstrate her illness. "Could you put the chamber pot beside me before you go?"
"Sickness is nothing to be embarrassed about," he assured her. With a small thud, he deposited the chamber pot on the bedside table. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay?"
"I'm positively sure. Go enjoy the games." When he hesitated as though not quite convinced, she added, "If you'll but let me rest, Colin, alone, when you return in a few hours I'm certain to be feeling better."
"Well…"
"Much better," she repeated meaningfully.
She watched his eyes light up before she rolled away with a groan and pulled the covers over her head.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
Half an hour after the charades game began, Colin and his siblings were interrupted by the head butler announcing the unexpected delivery of a crate. They all hurried to the stone hall to see what it might be.
The crate was enormous, standing taller than Colin himself, and his name was scrawled across the front. There was no indication of where or whom it had come from.
"Do you suppose it's a wedding gift?" he asked, coming up to stand beside it.
"Open it and see," Jason suggested.
The buoyancy in his voice had Colin turning to him sharply. "It's from you, then?"
"I didn't say that. Just open it."
"It must be furniture. A nice thought, Jason, but much too generous—and besides, I have no place to put anything yet."
Jason laughed. "Look, it's not from me. Just open it."
Colin considered. "Very well, but Amy should be here. Perhaps she's feeling better now. I'll just go and check."
"Let her sleep," Kendra said. "She felt beastly. "Checking might wake her, and you mustn't do that."
"I'm not sure what to do, then." Colin twisted his signet ring on his finger. "I expect this can wait until morning."
"It's addressed to you, not Amy," Kendra said. "She can see it in the morning. Open it, please—or I'll do it for you. I want to see what's inside."
"Well…"
"I'll fetch some tools," Ford offered, rushing off before Colin could protest.
Not that he really wanted to—he was at least as curious as Kendra.
A minute later, Ford was back, and together they pried off the front of the crate—only to find another box enclosed inside. They pulled the remaining three sides of the crate apart, but there was still no clue to the contents. The new box was unmarked.
"It must be fragile," Colin remarked uncertainly. "Let's be more careful opening this one."
The second box revealed nothing more than a slightly smaller version of itself hidden inside.
He threw his siblings a sidelong glance and silently set to opening it. When a fourth featureless box was revealed, he grinned at the profusion of lumber littering the hall. "What the hell is going on here?"
"I'm sure we don't know," Kendra protested.
"We were just minding our own business, playing charades," Ford offered.
"Just open it," Jason said.
Colin shrugged, trying to hide a smile. He loved a joke played on himself almost as much as being the perpetrator of one. "I think I'll wait until morning, after all," he said blandly, turning to leave.
Kendra lunged at him, tugging on his shirt. "Colin Chase, you open that box right now. I'm—I'm dying of curiosity."
He turned back and fixed her with an innocent look. "Well, then, I suppose I must. I wouldn't want you to die on account of me."
They laughed as he pulled the box apart, and he was not at all surprised to find a fifth box inside. This one had a sign on it, though, spelling out the words CONTAINS THE EARL OF GREYSTONE in neat block letters.
"It should say 'Contents for the Earl of Greystone,'" he pointed out. "Somebody doesn't know how to spell."
His siblings shrugged.
"It cannot contain the Earl of Greystone," he insisted, staring at their blank faces. "I'm the Earl of Greystone, and I'm quite obviously not in that box. I'm not certain I would even fit," he added as an afterthought.
A cough came from within the box.
Colin swung around. "What the devil…"
The top was hinged. He threw it open. Amy slowly rose, completely captivating in a soft peach gown, a dazzling smile on her lips and in her eyes.
"You! Uh—aren't you ill?" Colin sputtered.
"Do I look ill?"
"No. And you don't look like the Earl of Greystone, either."
Laughter came from behind him, and he turned, confused. Kendra tilted her head. "Don't you like your Christmas present, Colin?"
A grin of amusement twitched on his lips as he turned back to Amy. "You're lovely, but you're not a present, love. I have you already." He grasped her under her arms, effortlessly lifting her out of the box. "It was a good trick, though," he conceded as he set her on her feet. "Even if the sign was spelled wrong."
"No, it was spelled correctly," Amy said.
He remained silent, his brows drawn together in puzzlement.
"The box contains the next Earl of Greystone."
Colin could sense all their eyes on him, but his brain refused to work. His head felt completely blank. He leaned over a little, gazing into the empty box.
"It contained the next Earl of Greystone, I mean," Amy clarified. "He's not inside the box anymore."
Colin blinked stupidly.
"You'll have to wait to see him, though—about seven months, I suspect."
His heart faltered in his chest.
"He's inside me, Colin," she finished softly.
His mouth opened, closed, then he let forth a whoop of joy as he swept her up and swung her around and around in a wide circle. Jason and Ford both laughed, while tears brightened Kendra's eyes.
Suddenly, Colin stopped and set Amy down with exquisite care. "Have I hurt you?" he asked earnestly. "Either of you?"
"No, we're not that fragile. Though it's a good thing I don't seem prone to morning sickness."
Ford snorted. "You'd have gotten it straight in your face, I expect."
"Ford!" Jason and Kendra shouted together.
"Forgive him," Jason continued to Amy. "He's hopelessly uncivilized."
"I think he's funny," Amy declared between giggles. "And quite handsome, besides."
"Well, Colin, I reckon the honeymoon is over." Jason's smile belied the seriousness of his tone.
"Come again?"
"She played a joke on you. She's challenging your virtuosity as a prankster already."
Colin looked at his bride, his heart swelling with emotion. "Au contraire," he said slowly. "The honeymoon is only beginning." He swept her up, bearing her slight weight as one would a sleeping child, his arms beneath her shoulders and knees. Cradling her against his upper body, he strode toward the stairs.
"Wait!" Kendra shouted. "The games!"
"Go ahead, children," Colin called over his shoulder. "We have our own games to play."
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
Colin kicked the door closed behind them and gently deposited Amy on the bed. The sudden apprehension in her eyes made his gut clench.
"Are you truly pleased?" she asked in a small voice. "I mean, it's so soon…and maybe I should have told you first, privately…"
She looked away, staring up at the underside of the canopy.
"Oh, love, how could you doubt it?" He lowered himself to the bed and turned her face toward him with a fingertip. "A family…a babe…"
Amy's breath rushed out, and she offered him a shaky smile. "A son," she said. "I don't know why, but I'm sure of it, Colin."
He didn't care whether she carried a son or a daughter. Either way, his
throat tightened as he thought of their child growing within her. But he knew better than to argue with a pregnant woman. "A son," he echoed, suppressing a chuckle. "How long have you known?"
Her fingers toyed with a lock of her hair. "I think it must have happened the very first time, at Greystone. I first thought of the possibility when I was…stuck in that awful room with with Robert." At Colin's wince, she rushed to add, "It was that thought that kept me going, made me fight."
"But you said nothing."
"It was too soon to tell, barely more than a fortnight," she defended herself. "Besides, I would never have trapped you into marriage that way."
No, she wouldn't do that, Colin agreed silently. She was much too honorable to pull such a stunt.
He wished he could say the same for himself.
She'd known they weren't meant to wed, but he'd manipulated her by bringing Robert's threat into the equation. And look where it had gotten him: He was happy beyond belief, but those days were numbered. A year—one precious year—until that buzzard's debt was due.
He laced his fingers with hers. He'd been right all along: marrying for love was illogical. A mistake. But one he couldn't bring himself to be sorry for—yet.
"Go on," he said, squeezing her hand.
She took a deep breath. "When I became convinced—and don't ask me how, I just know—I didn't know how to tell you. I wasn't sure whether you'd be pleased. After all, it's so soon, and…the baby will come early, before we've been married nine months, even," she blurted out in a rush, then bit her lip. "But I wanted to give you a Christmas present, and this was all I had." Her mouth curved in a tiny smile. "Since you won't take my diamonds and gold."
"My Amethyst is the most precious gem of all," Colin teased. "Why would I want any others when they all pale in comparison?" He brushed a gentle kiss across her lips.
"Then you're really, truly pleased about the babe? You're not vexed that he'll come early?" Amy wiggled closer, pressing the length of her body against his. "Because, God forgive me, I cannot find it in me to be sorry we conceived. I want your son more than anything in the world," she finished on a sigh.
What had he done to deserve her? And how—bloody hell, how—could he manage to keep his promise and save Greystone, too?
Her amethyst eyes still radiated worry. "I'm more than pleased," he assured her. "I'm overjoyed…delighted…enchanted…elated…" A kiss punctuated each word, and his voice grew husky. "Ecstatic…intoxicated…"
"That's the buttered ale, I think." She giggled.
"No, it's you," he protested.
She blushed and cleared her throat. "Well, now that you've relieved my fears, we may as well go join in the games." Belying her words, she arched herself nearer, her fingers exploring seductively on his skin.
Colin laughed, the sound bubbling up from deep in his chest. "I think not," he said flatly, one arm coming around to hold her hostage.
"But I've never before had a large family to play games with."
He nuzzled her neck, smiling when he felt her pulse speed up.
"I-I was so looking forward to it," she stammered out, her eyes closed.
His tongue traced a trail to her ear. "I have much more interesting games to teach you," he whispered there. "But first, I would meet my child."
"Your son. But he won't be arriving for many months."
"That doesn't signify." Coming up on his elbows, he set about removing the embroidered stomacher from the front of her gown. "I shall meet him anyway."
He dropped the stomacher to the floor and unlaced her bodice, placing small, damp kisses on each bit of skin as it was exposed. Her body seemed to melt bonelessly beneath him. "Dear God," she breathed. "It's like your mouth sends messages to…"
He smiled against her cleavage. "To where, love?"
"Mmm." Her breath came quicker. "Mmm…never mind."
Chuckling, he spread her bodice wide. Her breasts had always been pleasingly full, but did they now seem especially lush? He couldn't be sure, veiled as they were by the diaphanous fabric of her chemise. Lifting her a bit, he drew the gown over her shoulders and down past her waist. Her stomach was as flat as ever, he marveled, skimming one hand over the thin material.
All at once, his heart soared. Though he hoped to God he'd never be forced to spend her inheritance, now, thanks to this miracle, he'd have something to bind her to his side. Their baby…surely she'd stay with him always for the sake of their child, even if he lost Greystone or depleted her gold in saving it.
Sweet Mary, he was so damned lucky to have her. Suddenly he was overcome with a desire to see her unclothed, to touch the body that harbored his child, to feel her smooth skin against his. With impatient hands, he tugged off her gown and chemise, removed her shoes and stockings.
After making short work of divesting his own clothing, he took a deep breath and leaned over her, running his fingers through her dark tresses and arranging them artistically on the pillows before his mouth met hers in an ardent kiss.
"Ahh," he said with a long, drawn-out sigh. "I haven't been able to touch you properly since morning."
"Improperly, you mean." Amy giggled, feeling light-hearted for the first time since she'd decided she was pregnant.
He smiled, that devilish grin that made her heart flip-flop. "It's deucedly inconvenient having the family around." His stern voice didn't fool her. "I warned you."
She lifted her head for another kiss. He tasted sweet and spicy: buttered ale and plum porridge and Colin, all mixed together. "It has its compensations," she said, watching the firelight play over his perfect features. His body against hers felt impossibly warm and masculine, she thought blissfully.
"Such as?"
"Such as…" Colin's fingers played over her sensitive breasts, making concentration difficult. "They're quite helpful with practical joke arrangements."
"I see." He cupped one breast in his large hand, squeezing experimentally, as though gauging its expanded weight.
"They…make interesting supper conversation," she managed to say.
"Is that so?"
"Mmm-hmm."
His thumb rubbed the peaked nipple in a circular motion that sent Amy's senses spinning to match. Then he lowered his dark head, and his warm mouth closed over where his thumb had been, and their inane discussion came to an abrupt end as her body responded with newly heightened awareness.
Amy's hands moved to the ribbon securing his hair, and she untied it and tossed it aside. When Colin's wet tongue trailed to her other breast, the rosy bud hardened instantly. She held his head captive, her fingers tangling in his midnight locks as he suckled and licked. More gentle than usual, his teeth grazed her ever so lightly, but her baby-swollen breasts surged in response, sending fiery sensations to her core.
When his lips reclaimed hers, her heart swelled with emotion. She touched him wherever she could reach: his muscled chest, his sleek side, the hard, smooth planes of his back. He felt divine against her palms: warm, large and solid, firm, yet silky soft.
His fingers brushed the soft curls between her thighs, then delved deeper, caressing until she became dewy with moisture. He slipped one finger inside, probing with a heavenly skill that made her squirm with excitement and tore a ragged sob from her throat.
"Now," she begged, her voice low and raspy, foreign to her own ears. Her hand moved down to encircle him. "Now, please."
She parted her thighs further, anxious to receive him. But though he moved over her, he glided down, until the roughness on his chin and cheek grazed against the softness of her belly.
"Are you in there, little one?" His voice vibrated into her body. "It's your father." His lips moved against her stomach, his breath moist and warm. She groaned, half with the frustration of delayed gratification, half with delight in his tenderness for their child. Her hands reached down to tug impatiently at his shoulders.
"Your mother wants me now," Colin gloated to his son with a low chuckle of satisfaction. "But first I want to say…we love
you."
"Colin…" His mouth was hot and wet on her skin. She yearned for it on her mouth, ached for his weight on her body, burned for him to bury himself inside her.
"Good-bye for now," Colin murmured just as she decided she couldn't bear this father–son meeting a moment longer. "We'll talk again soon."
He lifted his head. His warm breath wafted over the wet patch he'd left on her belly. She opened her eyes and gazed down at him, questioning his hesitation.
The eyes that blazed into hers were a deep, fathomless green, overflowing with emotion that words could never convey. His breath came in a deep, ragged rhythm as he hovered there, and she could feel his life force sluicing through his veins, to match the insistent throbbing between her legs.
Then he moved down instead of up.
His lips traversed her sensitive inner thighs, one and then the other, leaving a moist, fiery trail of kisses in their wake. Warm and damp, his breath washed over her most secret places. She froze, sure he could hear her heart pounding, until…
With the tip of his tongue, he touched her.
Lightly at first, then more emphatically. Unbelievably soft and intimate, gentle and rhythmic, his caress was all but unbearable. Her knees felt weak, her pulse raced, her hands and feet tingled.
She hadn't known such things happened between a man and a woman, hadn't conceived of it in her wildest dreams, but she wouldn't have stopped him for the world.
His tongue was hot and slick and just the tiniest bit rough, enough so she felt every movement with exquisite sensitivity. Her breath caught as he licked slowly—maddeningly, maddeningly slowly—along the length of her pulsing cleft.
Twisting beneath him, she cried out his name in a manner so wanton that somewhere deep inside she was shocked at her unabashed reaction. And what he was doing to her, for God's sake, this…this unthinkable thing.
It must be wicked.
But everything between Colin and herself seemed incredibly perfect, as though they belonged together, each and every minute particle of their bodies and souls. Her heart had always known they were meant to be, even if her head told her otherwise.
