A Bride for the Prizefighter - Alice Coldbreath Page 0,152

up and scratched the side of his jaw. “It really threw me off.”

“You had to put your mouth by my ear to make me hear,” she recalled. “Because Effie was making so much noise.” She cleared her throat.

He smiled. “And you shivered and dropped that ugly bag of yours as if I’d touched you. And I thought, why the hell does he want to be rid of someone as sweetly responsive as that?”

“Is that really what you thought?” Mina marveled. “I thought you despised me at that point.”

He snorted. “No. If I had, I never would have sent you up to my bed.”

“Your bed you didn’t sleep in!” she pointed out.

“Till now.”

“Nye?” she whispered. He turned his head to look at her. “Did you really want me then? That first night, I mean?” He nodded. “Oh.” She smiled at him.

“Nothing like as much as I do now, though,” he admitted, reaching down and dragging her leg over his hip. He twisted his body, so he lay on his back, bringing her over him. “When I think about how I left you to walk back to The Harlot like that in the dark and on your own—” He broke off angrily. “I hate that I did that. Can you forgive me, sweetheart?”

Mina relaxed her body into his with a sigh. “Yes.”

“Really?” She nodded and the expression in his eyes grew warm. “You’re so good to me, sweet Mina.”

Mina hid her hot face against his shoulder. Sweet Mina? “You wouldn’t say that, if you knew what I fantasized about doing to you all the way up that hill,” she mumbled.

He let out a laugh, then dropped his voice. “I hope it was filthy.”

She swatted his shoulder. “Of course, it wasn’t! I was a virgin bride at that point and hopelessly clueless.”

“What was it?” She squirmed and he grabbed her backside and ran his thumbs under the lace covering her buttocks. “Tell me.”

“Pulling off my shoe and flinging it at your stupid, handsome head,” she admitted.

He chuckled, then looked instantly contrite. “And instead you dripped candle-wax all down your poor little wrist,” he sounded so regretful, Mina looked up in surprise.

“I didn’t realize you’d noticed me do that.”

“Of course, I noticed it. I wanted to pull up your sleeve and check your skin, but I thought you’d likely piss yourself with fright if I touched you at that point.”

She made a rude noise. “I probably would have snapped and boxed your ears,” she said.

He laughed. “It’s just as well you didn’t do that.”

“Why?”

“Because then I would have snapped,” he said. “I don’t think my little virgin bride was ready for me at that point.” He grew suddenly serious. “When I said that about Effie tonight, I only meant that none of those women have your sweetness, Mina.”

“You’re the only person who ever found me sweet,” she answered honestly. “Even my father said I had a sadly sharp tongue at times.”

He laughed. “I like your tongue. But I still don’t know why you think tonight reminds you of that first night at The Harlot,” he admitted.

Oh.” Mina’s frown cleared. “I meant those people out in the corridor looking at us with such disapproval and shock. That was like me on that first night. My face must have worn the same expression.” She giggled, then covered her mouth. “I’m definitely tipsy,” she said. “I never giggle.”

“I think, you are a little tipsy,” he agreed with a slow smile. “You may have a sore head in the morning.”

“Really?”

“I won’t mind,” he said agreeably.

“Because you won’t mind missing our planned trip to the botanical gardens?” she asked archly.

“We can just go later in the day,” he said with a shrug.

“I’m sorry I caused a scene,” she whispered, lowering her face to touch her brow to his. “I don’t know why our wedding day keeps springing so forcibly into my mind today. It makes me over-emotional. “

“I do,” he said. “It’s because this is what it should have been like. A celebration. An occasion. I wish it had been,” he said regretfully. “I regret so much—”

“But not marrying me,” she interrupted anxiously.

“God no!” He carried her hand to his lips and kissed her palm before setting it down over his heart. “That’s one thing I will never regret.”

“Then the rest doesn’t matter,” she said softly. “For we have the rest of our lives to do things the right way.” She bit her lip. “Though, I do think we might be one of those couples that fight as much