Redeeming the Deception of Grace (17 page)

Looking up into his glorious face
,
she couldn
'
t help but reach up and trace the outline of his jaw with her gloved finger.

"
I
'
ve ruined you
,
hmm?
"
S
he continued to caress his face then tug
ged
at his hair as he groaned.

"
Not exactly in the manner one would assume
,
although I
'
ve yet to be compromised by you in
that
sense
.
"
H
is
eyes were smoldering as he took in her hungry gaze
.
"
Y
ou
'
ve
utterly ruined me for anyone else but you
,
Grace
,
"
h
e whispered, kissing her nose
ever
so lightly before rubbing it with his.

"
Plus
,
"
h
e added
,
leaning back and gaining a teasing glint in his eye
,
"
I had to find a way to redeem your sinful soul
,
"
h
e teased
as he leaned down and placed a lingering kiss to her lips.

"
Save my soul? This coming from a
r
ake of the first order
.
"

"
Reformed
r
ake
,
"
h
e corrected.

"
You had better be…
"
s
he
half
-
threatened
.

"
Oh
,
believe me
,
I
'
m reformed
,
but back to the saving of your blackened soul
…
"
He poked
her pert nose with the tip of his finger.

"
Ah yes, how could I forget
?
"

"
After all, you did lie to your father about me over ten years ago…
"
He trailed off as he leaned down to kiss her again.
"
In
effort
to get
rid of me
,
"
h
e mumbled between kisses.

"
It didn
'
t work
,
"
s
he murmured as she leaned forward to meet his kiss once again.

"
Ahh, and now you see the truth of my statement.
I lied as well,
and
by saying you ruined me
,
I get to keep you
…
forever.
And therefore
,
I redeemed your sinful soul by correcting the mistake of your youth
.
"
Ewan leaned back but bound his strong arms around Grace
'
s waist holding her firm in his grasp.

"
My, my
.
A
ren
'
t
you the holy one tonight
?
"
Grace replied dryly as she reached up and wound her arms around his neck.

"
Oh
,
I
'
m holy tonight
,
love, but very, very soon…
"
His eyes were hooded with desire as he leaned forward and nipped her ear before he continued, whispering the next words into her ear
.
"
Soon I
'
ll be exceedingly wicked.
"
He kissed her passionately then, using his teeth to nip at her lower lip and then sucking it before he branded her with his tongue
,
evoking the most delicious sensations within Grace.

A knock sounded on the door
,
and Ewan pulled back.
"
That would be your father
,
"
h
e
said
, his breathing labored as his eyes roamed over her face and his arms continued to hold her tight.

"
I believe we have an announcement to make.
"
Grace smiled up at her husband
-
to
-
be, full of joy.

"
Indeed we do.
"
He reached out and grasped Grace
'
s hand as they walked to the door.

Epilogue

One year later.

Grace snuggled into the warmth her husband provided as she drifted back into the sweet bliss of sleep
.

"
Good morning
,
love
,
"
Evan mumbled as he teased the side of her face with
a
caress before leaning in and placing a warm and inviting kiss on her cheek
.

"
It
'
s not morning yet
.
"
Grace
said
, keeping her eyes closed
.
Once again
,
she thought how she wanted to stay in her husband
'
s arms forever, never leaving them
.
Although if she were honest, during the past year she hadn
'
t left them often, which her delicate condition proved
.

****

"
Seems the sun is mistaken
,
"
Evan teased as he gently moved his arm around his wife pulling her even closer into the curve of his body
.
Her scent and profound softness never ceased to awaken the insatiable desire he couldn
'
t extinguish, even with last night
'
s lovemaking
.
He smiled, thrilled to know that it would always be that way
.
Never could he have enough of her luscious body or fiery spirit
.
As his arm caressed her growing belly he smiled as he felt the slightest of kick to his palm
.

"
Gregory knows
…
"
Evan teased, waiting for
Grace
'
s certain reply.

"
No,
Georgiana
knows.
"
She corrected
,
turning over to face her husband and grinning in response to the mischief in his eyes
.

"
Regardless
…
"
Evan smiled as his eyes roamed over his cherished wife
'
s features
.
"
It
'
s Christmas, and he
—
or she,
"
he added at his wife
'
s raised eyebrow,
"
know
s
that today is special
.
It
'
s
the day of magic
,
is it not
?
"
Evan asked as he took a silken threat of his wife
'
s
honey and cinnamon
hair and tick
l
ed her nose with it, earning a light swat at his hand.

"
It is indeed a day of magic.
"
Grace caress
ed
his face with her hand, once again marveling at the bristly texture of his skin from his dark stubble
.

"
How are you feeling?
"
Ewan asked, concerned as ever over her condition.

"
Sleepy. In fact, I think I
'
ll just lie here and let you take care of the day
'
s festivities
…
"
She roll
ed
over and grinn
ed
as she waited for her husband
'
s reaction.

"
Oh no you don
'
t!
"
He pulled her back against him, holding her captive in the strength of his arms.
"
The last time you tried that
,
I was left with the responsibility of picking parlor games and refreshments
.
One of the more awkward moments of my life, thank you very much.
"

"
Whit thought it was funny.
"
Grace giggled at her husband
'
s expense.

"
He would be sure to fin
d
any situation that caused me discomfort hilarious
.
He wouldn
'
t let me forget it about it for a month.
"

"
Only because you didn
'
t realize that
b
randy wasn
'
t considered a refreshment, at least for ladies.
"

"
That was a mistake! I said that
I
needed
b
randy, not Lady Specter.
"

"
Yes, well her expression was amusing
when
she was handed a glass and told it was requested especially for her.
"

"
In my defense, I haven
'
t seen a lady drink
b
randy that liberally since…
"

"
That
'
s enough
.
I don
'
t want to know any details of your past
,
"
Grace
interrupted, putting her bare fingers over his mouth
.
"
It
'
s doesn
'
t matter, what matters is that you
'
r
e
mine now.
"

****

"
Indeed I am
,
"
Ewan
said
reverently as
Grace
removed her fingers from his lips.

"
And you
'
re mine.
"
H
e pushed
Grace
onto her back and hovered over her
,
careful to not put any pressure on her swollen belly.

"
Mine and mine alone
,
"
h
e whispered against her lips as he kissed them teasingly, knowing his wife would be expecting and wanting more.
With a hungry tenacity
he
took his wife
'
s lips with his own, fiercely demanding her response and fully receiving it
.

"
We
'
ll be late.
"
Grace spoke between kisses.

"
Hang it all
,
"
Ewan mumbled against her soft lips, as he attempted to remove any clothing his wife had foolishly donned.

"
But it is our house party
,
"
Grace
said
but
made no move
to end their passionate exchange.

"
It
'
s only Rachel and Shiply
.
I doubt they
'
ll even be on time
.
T
hey
were only recently married themselves.
"
Ewan growled as he began to do far more than exchange kisses with his wife
.

A few hours later at dinner
,
Ewan glanced at his wife and shared a
n
amused smile
.
For indeed Shiply and Rachel had been quite late.