But she was still heartily glad she had written it. And even more grateful he had found it.
“I think so too, my love.” He removed his magical hands from her shoulders and straightened then. “I have a gift for you, Josie. It is…I had intended to give it to you some time ago, but then so much happened. And then, I knew there was something I needed to add to it before it could truly be yours.”
“A gift?” She rose to her feet and faced him at last. “But I have none for you.”
He smiled. “You are my gift, bijou. I think it every day.”
And then, he reached into a pocket concealed in his flowing banyan and extracted a velvet box. Decker extended it toward her, his expression suddenly earnest and expectant. Young, too. Almost boyish.
With trembling hands, she accepted the box from him. She flipped it open. Nestled inside was a gold bangle accented with channels of rich, glittering diamonds. At its center was a pearl surrounded by a cluster of diamonds. Golden roses flanked either side of the centerpiece. It must have cost him a staggering sum.
“Oh, Decker.” She ran a finger over the filigree and the fine work of the roses. “It is beautiful.”
“Do you like it, my love?” He sounded hesitant.
Did the man not realize he could gift her a rock and it would still be her most prized possession?
“It is astoundingly beautiful,” she assured him, “and far too dear, I am sure. You ought not to have gone to such an expense.”
That was when she turned the sleek gold band over in her hand and discovered the inscription, written neatly on the underside of the bangle.
My heart has always known yours.
It was what she had said to him that night, when they had come together and confessed their love for each other. It was the same words she felt with every beat of her heart. And she knew without having to ask he felt them too.
“You remembered,” she whispered.
“I remember everything you say to me,” he told her, his gaze bright on hers, shimmering with—unless she was mistaken—the sheen of tears.
She blinked at the sting in her own eyes, making itself known. “I love you so much.”
“Allow me?” He took the bangle from her without waiting for her response, then settled it neatly upon her wrist.
The fit was unsurprisingly perfect.
She moved her hand in the light, watching as the diamonds sparkled. “I love this gift, too. I love the thought you put into it, the words etched upon it. How did I ever become so fortunate?”
Her husband gave her a wicked grin. “You gave me a list.”
Epilogue
Ways to be Wicked
1. Kiss a man until you are breathless.
2. Arrange for an assignation. Perhaps with Lord Q? your husband? Strike that, bijou. Definitely with your husband.
3. Get caught in the rain with a gentleman. (This will necessitate the removal of wet garments. Choose said gentleman wisely.)
4. Sneak into a gentleman’s bedchamber in the midst of the night.
5. Go to a gentleman’s private apartments.
6. Spend a night in a gentleman’s bed.
7. Make love in the outdoors.
8. Ask your husband to help you disrobe.
There was something about a country house party.
And a list of ways to be wicked, one of which had yet to be completed.
And a picnic hamper.
And a most accommodating counterpane spread over the grass beneath the shade of a tremendous old oak.
And the very best wife a man could ever hope to call his own, seated at his side, looking as if she needed to be thoroughly ravished.
Yes indeed, there was something about all those things that made Decker settle upon the perfect way of spending his afternoon with Jo.
“There is one more item on your list, my love,” he told her as they finished the last of their luncheon. They had stolen away from the group at the Duke and Duchess of Westmorland’s country house weekend at last, and they were blessedly alone.
The time had never been more perfect.
She cast a minx’s smile in his direction. “Is there one more item? I must admit, I had quite forgotten all about the list.”
“Liar,” he accused without heat, dipping his head to kiss her luscious lips in a quick, thorough peck. “I am afraid you cannot graduate to true wickedness until you complete them all. As your husband, it is my solemn duty to make certain you excel at your studies.”
She kissed him again, her mouth opening for his questing tongue before she tipped her head back