Midnight Masquerade (22 page)

Groaning, “Uh, society…always jumping to conclusions. Wait, my brothers are fine with you and I in your private box seat, alone?”

Laughing, “Jesus Lia, they are letting you move in with me. They let me sleep beside you while you were in a coma, I think they are perfectly fine with you being within their eyesight at the opera.”

“You know what I mean, if we go, it’ll be a very blatant statement to the Ton. They will assume things.”

Shrugging, “So, I don’t give a damn if they do. For once they’ll be right, in fact I
want
all of London to see you on my arm, in my private box as if you were already my duchess, it’ll happen anyway…eventually.”

Feeling the carriage slowly stop, she looked out the curtain to see they had arrived at the back entrance of Alastair’s huge mansion located only a few miles away from her old home.

Looking back at Alastair, she cocked her head, “But I am not your duchess, we are not engaged and it would be improper to be by your side without an escort, no matter how closely both of my brothers’ private boxes were located.”

Winking at her, he held out his hand, “Lia, I know you are anything but proper, it is one of your most adorable qualities. If
you
are not rebellious enough to tell the ton to piss off like I am, than we can sit with one of your brothers in their boxes instead.”

Narrowing her eyes and grinning, she slipped her hand into his and sighed, “Well played, you might as well dare me at this point…”

Laughing, he opened the carriage door and exited with grace while holding her hand, pulling her along with him. The sun had set hours ago, hidden safely behind his large home, not a soul could see them as they stepped into the night air. Looking up at the
intimidating house, she swallowed as she took in that this was her new home.

Clearly being able to read her thoughts, Alastair put his hand around her waist and pulled her close as he kissed her temple, “You’ll get used to the size of the home, learning to call it yours I would imagine will be hard for you.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Because my darling Amelia, you are stubborn. You do not want me because of this,” flourishing his hand towards the four story mansion that sat in the heart of London, “even if I tell you, which I have, that everything is yours….you w
ill hesitate actually assuming
ownership and call it mine still.”

“It
is
yours Alastair.”

Tugging her into the large double black doors, “All I want is you Amelia, and I want you to feel at home here. I want this to be
ours
, not mine. I’ve lived in this damn house for ten years by myself with only my staff. I cannot wait to hear your laughter filling the
halls, your moans of pleasure filling our bedroom and to listen to your footsteps in this empty house.”

Walking with him into the back foyer, she saw the house was lit by various candelabras throughout, “I will try, for you Alastair. I can’t promise that I won’t say
yours
when you want to hear
ours
, but I shall try. This is very new for me, it still feels unreal, like a dream.”

Shutting the door softly behind them, she heard him shoot the numerous bolts and then entwine his fingers with hers, lifting them to his lips he kissed her hand and stepped deeper into the house.

“It is very new for me too Lia, I haven’t lived with anyone since my parents died,
togeth
er we shall manage. Now come on
, I want to show you the parts of house you’ve never seen before. I know you’ve seen the main entrance as that is where all the guests arrive for the annual masque ball, and of course the ballroom and adjoining gardens.”

“You left my trunks in the carriage.”

“Indeed I did, you won’t need them tonight. Now, stop changing the subject you little minx, I’m trying to show you my
house. I
want you to love it as much as I do.”

Laughing, “Alastair, I’d love living with you in a
gypsy wagon
, surely I’ll love this grand mansion as well. It is well known to be the largest private residence in all of England, and one of the most his
toric homes to boot, but please
show me
,
I’m excited that you’re excited.”

“I’ll show you my favorite room on the first floor, my library. Like your brothers, I hold all my business dealings in there, but mostly it is my sanctuary away from work, away from my title and society.
It is important for you to know that nothing is off limits in this house to you Lia, to others
yes, but to you, never.

Walking with him towards the front of the house she took in the sights of his home, mahogany wood lined the hallways, rich Egyptian rugs. Priceless art hung upon the wall,
along with the family coat of arms. Looking up at him, she squeezed his hand, “Do you have a fine liquor assortment in your library like my brothers do?”

“I have a
better
selection, come little dove, let’s get you a drink and you can judge for yourself…but it is
our
library my dear.”

Shaking her head, “Absolutely not, even if I
do
marry you Alastair, your library is yours. However, a drink from
your
library sounds most fantastic.”

“God you are stubborn, fine, I’ll give this one. The library can remain mine but to be fair, I shall have to give you your own room.”

Furrowing her brow, she saw the tall double doors of the library that were shut ahead of them as they approached. Pondering what he meant by her own room, she had assumed they’d share a bedroom.

Leaning down into her ear, “Not a bedroom brat, you will have only one bed in this house and that is upstairs in our ducal suite. I refuse to have separate bedrooms like so
many of our peers, you will sleep beside me forever. The room I have in mind for you is much more…serene.”

Looking up at the golden hair god her jaw dropped, “Can you read my mind?”

Letting go of her hand, he shook his head and smiled as he threw open the library doors, “
For me, you are easy to read sweetheart, others wouldn’t have a clue what is going on in that beautiful head of yours.
” Walking into the room, he left her standing in the doorway of the massive library.

On the right the large fireplace crackled with a
well-tended
fire, the library was two stories high, book cases filled the wall to her left from ground to ceiling, in the most amazing display of a book collection she had ever seen in her life. Stepping into the room, she saw his desk anchored before the grand
stained-glass
window directly ahead of her. Like Gideon’s library, there were comfortable chairs situated before his
mahogany desk for guests.

“Oh my…” she whispered as she took in the impressive room, words escaped her. The room felt like the embodiment of her lover, stepping in farther she saw him turn and grin as he watched her.

“Do you like it?” He asked, walking towards her with a glass of amber colored liquid in each hand.

Nodding, she slowly turned and took the space in, it even smelt like him.
She had never seen a library such as this, it made her want to curl up in the couch before the fireplace and read her new book he had given her, “
It is breathtaking Alastair
I’ve
never seen a library so vast, yet to comfortable. It suits you perfectly.”

Rolling his neck he handed her the drink, “Thank you, I told you it is my favorite room in this giant place for a reason, having this entire household to myself with my staff gets lonely, why do you think I spend so much time with your brothers?”

Sipping the drink, she recognized the oaky taste of whiskey right away, “I liked to imagine it was because you secretly wanted to see me on a daily basis.”

Stepping closer to her he looked down at her and tipped up her chin with his index finger, “
What if I told you were correct?
”

Blinking up at him, “God I wish you would have kissed me years ago, how much time have we wasted trying to contain our feelings for each other?”

“Years Lia, we wasted years and I’ll be damned if I let any more time go by. I shouldn’t have tried to be so damn proper all those seasons ago, I can still remember my jealousy flaring up anytime you’d dance with a suitor. I should have known then, I should have acted.”

Wrapping her free hand around his hip, she placed it on his ass and winked, “We are both to blame for being too scared to make a move Alastair, not just you. Do you think you’re the only one who felt jealousy? You are Luke’s best friend, I think I adored you
the moment I first met you, and over the years my infatuation with you only grew, yet I couldn’t bring myself to flirt with you the way I wanted to.”

“Infatuated eh? I think I like the idea of my wife being infatuated with me.”

“Yes well, I’m not your wife…yet.”

Tipping his drink back until it was gone, he sat it down and slipped his arm around her waist, “
Yet
being the key world Lia.”

Setting down her drink, she wrapped her arms around his ribs and leaned her head against his muscular chest and shut her eyes, “Do you think you’ll like having me here?”

Encircling her in his embrace, she felt him squeeze her while he rested his chin on her head. In his arms she felt at home, the entire world faded away when he held her like this.

“Amelia Elizabeth, I think there is nothing else in this world that would give me greater joy than having you by my side, I too feel like this is but a dream. I finally have the woman I love more than life itself living with me, what could I ever want?”

Jerking her head up at the words, “You love me?” The words came out before she knew what she was saying.

“Did you think I wouldn’t
say
it
?” He asked, cocking his head with a grin.

Throwing her arms around his neck she damn near jumped into his arms and kissed her golden blonde
lover with everything she had. In seconds he had her legs wrapped around his waist as he backed her into the two-story bookcase while the moonlight beamed down on them through the elaborate stained glass window.

Burying her hands into his hair, the moment he grabbed her breast, she moaned with desire. She wanted him so badly, last night he had held out on her, but she’d be damned if she let her sex god deny her tonight. There was nothing more she wanted than to feel him inside her.

“Say it Alastair,” She demanded,
as he had demanded of her. B
iting his lip playfully as his hand inched up her bare thigh, her dress pushed up around her hips.

Pinning her
against
the wall with his hips, he sunk his hands
around
her jaw and touched foreheads with her as the fire raged behind them in the fireplace, “Amelia Elisabeth Somerset, I love you. I love the way you smile and laugh at silly jokes, the way you tease and adore your family. I love the look in your eyes when you are holding your nephews and niece, I love how kind and intelligent you are,” softly kissing her lips twice he pulled back and continued, “I love the way you walk to the beat of your own drum, your spirit and your mouth. I love that you know who you are
,
and exactly what you want out of life. I love the way I catch you looking at me, it makes me feel loved and wanted.
I love the way you cling to me while you sleep, like I’m all that you need in this world.”

Biting her lip while she clung to his arms, she felt the tears roll down her face as he said the most beautiful words to her she had ever heard. Closing her eyes, she touched
foreheads with him as she let the words soak into her soul before whispering, “You
are
all I need in this life Alastair, just you. I’ll love you to my dying day.”

“Fuck the tour of the house, I need you right now.” He growled, kissing her hard before tossing her over his shoulder.

Ignoring the slight discomfort in her ribs at being handled rougher than she should be, she smacked him on the ass and giggled as he walked her out of his enchanting library and kicked the door closed as they left. Her heart was light with happiness, Alastair had finally verbalized his feelings for her on his own free will,
he
loved her as she loved him.

Beaming with excitement as her lover went upstairs, she bit her lip as they entered the second floor of his home. No guests were ever allowed upstairs during his annual masque balls he held over the years, only a select few areas were opened up during those events to guests, the upstairs was off limits.

His house was elaborate and rich with history and art, decorated and immaculate she fell in love with it. It needed no updating, no woman’s touch, it was simply perfect the way it was. So many of her friends went on refurbishing sprees once they married and took over their husband’s house, there was no need here.

Feeling his hand run up the back of her thigh, she felt him stop in the dimly lit hallway and lower her back down upon her own two feet.