The Only One (21 page)

“I’ve never stopped.”

Whether or not Alex meant to speak aloud, Giles heard her. Words to sooth his ravaged soul. Head still spinning from the last blow, one eye swollen shut, blood running into the other, he felt no pain. For his adorable nymph loved him. No amount of pain could diminish the glow in his pounding heart. He drew her close.

“God, how I’ve missed you,” he whispered, his lips against her temple. “I’ve waited forever to hear those words again.” Her slightest touch gave him the greatest pleasure. He would never tire of holding her. And now, with her admission of what he’d most wanted to hear, he’d never leave her again.

“My life had been laid out for me. I’ve been trained since childhood, destined to live a certain way, by certain rules. After my mother died, I became a shell. Empty, allowing no emotion. I need your enthusiasm, your energy, your liveliness.” He leaned back and stared deep into her eyes. One finger pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. He gently caressed the fleshy lobe between his thumb and forefinger.

“My love. I love you. Only you. I’ve never loved another.” He pulled her close for a kiss, but her hand lifted to his chest with slight resistance.

“What if you change your mind . . . again?”

“For God’s sake, Alex. I need you like I need my next breath. You are my every wish.” He cupped her face and seared her with the intensity of his longing. “I want to live with you, every day. I want you to be the one I fall asleep with at night and wake up to every morning. Together, I want to watch our children grow. I adore you. Everything about you. Even your damn breeches, which I will allow you to wear only for me.”

Her fingers lovingly traced over the stubble on his cheek. He leaned his forehead against hers.

“I want you for my wife. For always. Whatever we had before, know from this day forward you are the only woman I will ever love. The only one I will ever need. I want you always by my side.” He kissed the end of her nose, then leaned back so she could see his eyes. His gaze pierced hers, letting her know the depth of his devotion. He spoke from his heart.

“I’ll give it up, Alex. I’ll give up my dukedom for you.”

A long moment passed before he sensed she comprehended the impact of his words. She gasped.

“You . . . you can’t. You are a duke!”

“From this moment forward, all I ask is that I may love you. The aristocracy and nobility and the
ton
can go to hell. You are the only one I care about.”

A tear spilled over and slid down one cheek. He caught it with his thumb. She cupped his face, her gaze boring into his. “Will you marry me?”

A smile crossed his puffy lips. “If you will have me.”

With a squeak, she gave him a hard kiss. He flinched. “Oh, my poor love. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t you dare pull away. Come back here.” He tugged her onto his lap and cuddled her against his chest, ignoring the twinge in his ribs.

“Does this mean you will not leave me again?”

While one hand caressed her back, the other massaged her nape. His harsh breathing rumbled and vibrated just below her ear. “Never.”

She purred with contentment. Her fingers slipped along the plane of his face, and into the thick strands of his hair. God, he loved her fingers on his scalp.

“Where will we live?”

“Anywhere you want.” His heart swelled with happiness.

“Will I be a duchess?”

“My love, you may be the wife of a duke, if that is what you want. We will live in England if you but say so. If you wish to stay in America, close to your family, I will grant you your heart’s desire. I’ve already made a mess of things. I want only you. We will make our home wherever you want. The choice is yours.”

“Oh, how I love you.” She spread kisses on every cut and swollen wound, mindful of his injuries. With this kind of attention, he could learn to pout a bit.

“Can we stay part of the year in England and part of it here?”

“Of course.” He wondered if one’s heart could burst with gladness.

Her chest rose and fell in a sigh.

“A duchess. I think I would like that.”

See how it all started with
Book One
of

The One and Only Series
:

THE RIGHT ONE

(One and Only Series - Morgan’s Story)

A Man Without A Heart.

Morgan Bartholomew Langston, Earl of Whetherford, has finally decided to accept his fate. Tired of dangerous assignments and putting his neck on the line, he has returned to his ancestral home to accept the title of his birthright and produce the required heir. But, when he arrives, he finds his home has been invaded and a female has taken off with his mother’s jewels. Morgan decides the traitorous jade will not get away, so he sets into motion a plan to bring her back. When he abducts the wrong woman, his reaction to her brings him dangerously close to breaking his vow of forbidden emotions.
 

A Woman Without A Love.

Katherine Elizabeth Radbourn is a strong, independent woman and at the age of twenty three, is still unwed. In a desperate attempt to find her brother, she is abducted which leads her on a journey to love and mistaken identity. Once she meets her captor, fear and indignation dissipates to an overwhelming awareness. Even though he tells her she is the wrong one, Kat realizes she has finally met a man that—not only she is attracted to—but has awakened her woman’s body. Does he really care for her, or does he secretly yearn for the woman she is supposed to be? Uncertainty makes her risk the very man she has given her soul.

Available now on Amazon:
http://tinyurl.com/qbkgaa9

THE TRUE ONE

(One and Only Series - Jennifer’s story)

His ship in splinters and his men captured, Stephen is a broken man. Yet the torture he received by his enemies is nothing compared to the torment he bears from an angel with lavender eyes.

Jennifer left England full of a young girl’s fantasies of romance and adventure. When she cares for a near-death captain, memories emerge of the family she left behind. Will the passion they share be enough? He must choose—her or revenge.

Available now on Amazon:
http://tinyurl.com/qxuqw4j