Mistletoe and Mayhem - Cheryl Bolen Page 0,21

when he tasted her lips, or listened to her quiver when he touched her, he’d lost himself to the sensuous pleasure she was giving him.

In his entire eight-and-twenty years he’d never been possessed by such longing for a woman—and not just this moment when he felt as if he could explode from throbbing need.

From that first moment he’d drawn the injured woman into his arms alongside the road, the connection between them was impossible to deny—even though at the time he had strongly wanted to deny it.

Never before had any woman had such power over him. It wasn’t just the physical connection that drew him to Mary, either. It was so much more. He had come to love everything about her. Of course she was lovely, but old Mr. Knight had succinctly described her when he’d said she was as pretty on the inside as she was on the outside. That was Mary, his Mary, in a nutshell.

He thought, too, of what she’d said about what brought her to Darnley in the first place. Divine intervention. He had the strongest feeling that same Divine intervention had brought Mary to him.

For throughout the three kingdoms no finer woman than Mary could ever be found. If he couldn’t have Mary for his wife, he would never have a wife.

He put hands on each of her shoulders and studied her beloved face in the firelight. “Mary Milne, I fancy addressing you as Lady Paxton. It would make me the happiest man in all of England if you would oblige.”

Her pale blue eyes widened. Then she gave him a coy smile as if they shared a private jest. “I should be inclined to oblige if words of love had accompanied your proposal, my lord.”

Now he smiled. “Very well. Allow me to start over. Mary Milne, I am quite certain I have loved you from the moment we met. I shall never love another, and I shall go mad if you don’t do me the honor of agreeing to become my countess.”

She buried herself in his embrace. “Oh, my lord, the answer is yes! And I didn’t think it was possible to fall so completely in love in so short a time, but I, too, plead guilty.” She looked up into his face. “I love you most ardently, my lord.”

“David,” he murmured. “You’re to call me David henceforth.”

“Allow me to repeat that. I love you most ardently, David.”

He settled gentle kisses on the lips of his intended wife.

A moment later, she laughed to herself.

“And what do you find so amusing?”

“That was the second proposal of marriage I received today.”

David rolled his eyes. “Blatherwick?”

She nodded.

“You obviously turned him down.”

She did not respond for a moment. “Actually…”

“Mary?” he growled.

“I didn’t accept him. It’s just that I…I hated to disappoint him. He was so sure of himself, so sure that any woman would be happy to marry so fine a matrimonial catch such as he that I didn’t have the heart to destroy his hopes.”

David glared at this woman he adored. “So what did you tell him?”

“I told him it wasn’t a good time, that I had much Christmas planning to do and couldn’t think about it.”

“Surely you weren’t going to consider accepting him?”

“I wasn’t considering it favorably or unfavorably. Frankly, I never expected a proposal from you, so I didn’t wish to completely eliminate my sole suitor.”

Was she so modest she hadn’t been able to see how much David had come to worship her? “It would have been much easier, actually much more humane, to have let him down today than to give him false hope. David was not entirely successful at suppressing the anger from his voice.

“I’m sure you’re right. I’m a terrible coward.”

He stroked her cheek. “You’re possessed of too tender a heart.”

“A condition I credit you and your father with. I found out about the girl you sent to help care for Mr. Knight.”

He shrugged. “It was a very minor thing to do. Look at all you’ve done for him.”

“He’s very appreciative. He thinks almost as highly of you as I do.”

“Back to Blatherwick…You do realize that as egotistical as BlatherBoast is, it’s likely he may perceive that you’ve accepted him?”

“He couldn’t be that much of a dunderhead.”

“Oh, but he could. You forget I’ve known him all my life. Which explains why I do everything I can to avoid the fellow. But that’s enough talk about him. Now, about us…I want you to be my bride on Christmas.”

“That soon?”

“That or I compromise your virtue,