LEONORA STOOD BY HER bedchamber window looking out at the frozen landscape. Perhaps she’d misread Philip’s meaning when he’d asked her to take a nap. They’d parted ways fifteen minutes ago at least, so perhaps he’d really intended for her to sleep?

A soft rap drew her out of her reverie. Her pulse quickened and she crossed the floor, opened her door, and found him there, handsome as ever.

His eyes, dark like the richest chocolate, latched onto hers. “May I come in?”

It was a daring question, filled with the promise of impropriety. She stepped aside, granting him entry, and swiftly closed the door behind him. Her heart hammered wildly against her breast, and her skin pricked with increased awareness. It was as if a gust of wind was blowing straight through her, gathering force as it swirled up inside her, causing a frenzy of tingling nerves and charged vibrations.

She turned to face him, and every sensation he’d managed to stir in her since their first encounter pulsed through her. Desire, so raw and direct, burned in his eyes. The intensity of it caused her to gasp, which brought his attention straight to her mouth. And then she was in his arms, his mouth on hers, gently at first but then with added pressure.

His lips were soft, pliable, and so very different from the rest of him which was hard and angular, firm and secure. Her arms wound around his neck and she swayed against him, letting him drag her closer, his hand at her back, pressing her to him. Yes, this was nice, lovely, intimate...closer than she’d ever been to another person in her entire life. They were joined now, in a manner of speaking, exploring each other in a new sort of way that confirmed their courtship better than words ever could.

A sound something like a low moan filled the air, and Leonora realized it had come from her. Philip answered by nipping her lip, provoking a gasp that allowed him to deepen the kiss most provocatively. She could not only feel him now but taste him as well and, oh! His hand molded against the curve of her bottom, erasing all distance between them and...and she could scarcely think her mind was so drugged by what he was doing and what she was feeling. For now, without any sliver of air between them, her body was able to do nothing else. He was all hard muscle, pressing against her softer curves, surrounding her with his virile masculinity and drawing her focus to the proof of his undeniable need.

“Perfect,” he murmured as he kissed his way along her jaw. “Better than I ever imagined.” His teeth grazed her earlobe, causing her breath to shudder in response to the hot little shivers. “And I have imagined,” he continued, punctuating each word with a kiss. “The most scandalous things where you are concerned.”

Dear god, she was seconds away from catching on fire.

To her surprise, his words had the opposite effect of what she would have imagined her response would be to a gentleman saying such things. It did not fill her with indignation or cause her to want to end their embrace. Quite the contrary. Which was probably why she arched against him, needing more closeness in spite of the fact that all space between them had long since vanished.

But she felt irrational, restless, in desperate need of more.

His mouth nuzzled the spot where her neck met her shoulder. “I want you with a desperation I cannot describe.” To her astonishment, his words shook with emotion – with a sense of vulnerability she would not have expected – and that undid her completely.

“I feel the same about you,” she said, determined to be just as honest and courageous as he was.

His mouth met hers once more, with added roughness and zeal. “Marry me, Leonora. Be my wife and let us...let us simply surrender.”

It sounded like a wonderful idea. No rules to stop them from carrying on as they pleased behind closed doors. Nothing to prevent them from discovering where their kisses might lead. To heaven, she expected, smiling as he kissed her again.

Her fingers raked through his hair and then down his back. “Yes,” she managed on a gasp before digging her fingers into his muscles and pressing her mouth to his jaw. The stubble there scraped at her tongue in an interesting way.

More interesting was the low growl he produced in response. “Leonora...” His hands squeezed her bottom, and she suddenly wished they were already married, with fewer clothes and endless days ahead for all manner of wicked explorations.

“I suspect our courtship will be the shortest in existence,” Leonora told him wryly.

“Do you mind?” He’d leaned back enough to meet her gaze, the hint of concern in his eyes reminding her that in spite of what had just happened between them, he was a gentleman who worried about ensuring her comfort and pleasure.

She shook her head and watched relief wash over his face. “Not at all. Indeed, I look forward to being your wife more than you can possibly imagine.”

He grinned. “Oh, I can imagine. You may rest assured that I feel quite the same.”

No words of love. It was too soon for that. But they knew they would get along. The attraction was there along with respect, understanding, and friendship. It was what Leonora had always hoped for, because it was what she had witnessed growing up, between her own parents. Few people were as lucky as they had been, so she was pleased to count herself one of them, and as she rose up onto her toes to kiss Philip back, she knew that love would come, with time.

#

PHILIP WAS THRILLED. In fact, he could not recall a time in his life when he’d been so happy. Leonora would be his. The wedding was already set to take place in less than a week. On Christmas morning, thanks to the special license he’d managed to procure through a courier. His whole body tingled with anticipation and the knowledge that he and Leonora would soon be able to continue what they’d started in her bedchamber five days earlier. Since then, they’d both been under constant observance by the Lockwoods and a small army of servants who somehow managed to appear from the woodwork each time he thought he’d managed to get Leonora alone. Which was frustrating and annoying and irritating and a whole lot of other synonyms for bothersome. But he supposed it wasn’t as bad as it would have been if Leonora had decided she wanted a London wedding or that she must wait for her parents to return from wherever they happened to be at this exact moment.

That would have been completely intolerable.

So in truth, five days wasn’t terrible, even though it did feel like an eternity.

“Have you considered what to give her?” Lockwood asked Philip when he happened upon him in the library one afternoon. He’d gone to ask Leonora if she was up for a game of cards, but when she’d answered his knock at her bedchamber door, she’d been wearing her robe and her hair had been down over her shoulders and then he’d spotted the bathtub behind her and well... He’d promptly turned on his heels and walked away, because the alternative had been to ravish her right then and there and damn whoever happened to pass by and see them.

“Of course,” Philip told his friend in answer to his question. “I’ve a couple of things in mind, both as a wedding gift and a Christmas present.”

Lockwood smiled. “You’ve found your match, Dalton. I couldn’t be happier for you.”

The way he said it...

Philip frowned. He tilted his head, considered his friend’s smug expression. “When did you start playing matchmaker?”

Lockwood grinned. “Since Leonora announced her intention to come spend the holidays here. Her sister has been hoping she’d find someone wonderful to marry for quite some time.”

“So then, when you wrote to suggest I take the eight o’clock carriage on the tenth because that meant the arrival time would suit your schedule—”

“I hoped, that is, we both did, that you would have Leonora as your travel companion.” He paused for a moment and his brow creased ever so slightly. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all. Are you mad? Your ploy has led to the best damn thing I could ever have hoped for. Thank you, Lockwood, and do thank your wife as well, for indeed you have done me a wonderful favor.”

“I’m thrilled to hear it,” Lockwood replied. “Shall we drink a toast to your future wife and both your happiness?”

Philip stood and went to the sideboard where he poured them each a measure of whiskey. He handed one to Lockwood. “To Leonora, our future happiness together, and the best meddling friends a man could wish for.”

#

SNOW BLANKETED THE ground when Leonora rose on her wedding day. Her stomach was one big knot from the moment she woke up until she had finished speaking her vows at a nearby church. It eased right after, as soon as Philip kissed her. From that moment on, everything felt just right, as if taking his name and pledging herself to him for the rest of her life was the one thing she’d always been missing.

“Happy?” he asked as they drove back to Lockwood Manor after the service. She sat by his side in one of the Lockwood carriages and with her fingers tightly twined with his.

“Ecstatic,” she assure him. “Indeed, I never thought such happiness could exist.”

He reached up under her chin with his free hand, tilting her head back just so, until her eyes met his. Her heart leapt in response to the tenderness filling his gaze. It stirred a warmth to life inside her and curled around her body in the most comforting way imaginable.

“I thought it would take much longer,” he said, baffling her slightly with his soft pronouncement. “But it has struck me today, more suddenly and forcibly than anything else ever has, that I love you, Leonora. I love you so much it hurts. Right here.” He placed their hands against his beating heart. “In just two weeks, you’ve become the focus of my every thought, the one singular person I need by my side, the only person I cannot imagine living without. You are my world, Leonora, and I will endeavor to make you the happiest woman there is. You won’t have cause for regrets. I promise you that.”

“Regrets?” The notion that he’d considered she might one day wish she had not gone through with the wedding pained her in ways that only confirmed how she already knew she felt about him. “I love you too, Philip. Indeed, I believe I have for several days, though it didn’t quite—”

His kiss was immediate, demanding, and possessive. It made her forget all else, the movement of the carriage, the chill still lingering in the air in spite of the blanket covering her lap and the hot brick at her feet. All that existed was him, her, them. They were one now, joined in the eyes of the Lord, and nothing they did with each other from this moment forward would be considered improper.

It was a liberating feeling, to toss away all restraint and simply enjoy the luxury of kissing her husband. His hand crept over her knee, pressed into her thigh, and caused her to gasp. “Are we almost there?”

He grinned with what could only be described as devilish delight. “You do realize that when we arrive, there’s the wedding breakfast, followed by the handing out of gifts, and then the Christmas dinner, perhaps a game of charades, and—”

“We ought to turn this carriage around,” she grumbled, “and find a room at a local inn.”

“That would certainly speed the consummation along,” he said with a chuckle, “but I daresay your sister would be slightly miffed since we were initially invited here to celebrate Christmas.”

Leonora flattened her mouth. “You’re right.” She glanced at him. “How can you possibly be so calm and collected when I feel as though I am strung like a bow?”

The edge of his mouth lifted, and then he bowed his head to whisper in her ear, “Because we are married now. Our wedding night is inevitable, even if we do have to wait a few hours in order to get started on it.”

They were the longest few hours of Leonora’s life, but at least now she and Philip were able to show some affection publically. So when he presented her with a book about rose propagation that he’d purchased in Sheffield, she conveyed her thanks with a kiss. A gesture which he reciprocated when she gave him a bottle of brandy.

“There’s one more thing,” he said once the rest of the Christmas presents had been exchanged. He pulled a rolled up piece of paper tied with a red silk ribbon from inside his jacket.

He handed it to Leonora who untied the ribbon and unrolled the paper with mounting curiosity. She sucked in a breath when she saw what it was: an offer from him to invest in her business, which would grant her five hundred pounds in ready funds if she accepted. “Are you serious?” She could scarcely believe it. This would help her pay the rent for the next year at least as well as cover the cost of new products.

“What is it?” Caroline asked and Leonora handed her the paper. Her sister frowned. “Are you saying your business was struggling?”

“The man who owns the building raised the rent. I wasn’t sure if the shop would survive,” Leonora explained.

“You should have said something,” Caroline told her. “We would have been happy to give you a loan. Would we not, George?”

Lockwood nodded. “Of course. That goes without saying.”

“I know,” Leonora told them, “and I appreciate that, but it felt as though I would be admitting defeat if I did so.”

“You wanted to succeed on your own,” Philip murmured. “I can understand that, but there’s nothing wrong with accepting help when you need it.”

“You’re right.” She took his hand and squeezed it to show her true appreciation. Never in a million years would she have asked this of him, but he was offering, as her husband and partner. “Thank you, Philip. I’m extremely grateful.”

He smiled, leaned in, and kissed her cheek. “And you, my love, are so very welcome.”

“There’s nothing to stop Mr. Becker from raising the rent even more,” Leonora told Philip later when the two of them were finally alone in the bedchamber where they’d be staying until they returned to London together.

“I know, which is why I intend to make him a lucrative offer.”

She spun toward him. “But you’re already giving me five hundred pounds. I couldn’t possibly—”

“You’re my wife, Leonora. Helping you when you need me to, supporting you and encouraging you in your goals will be my top priorities from this day forward.” He walked toward her slowly, giving her heart a chance to speed up. “Of course, Mr. Becker may refuse to sell, in which case we’ll find another location, even if it means turning one branch of The Gentlemen’s Emporium into Paradise Fruits and Flowers.”

A smile tugged at her lips, her skin heating as the distance between them grew narrower. “I rather like the ring of Dalton’s Oasis.”

He stopped before her and placed his palm against her cheek, stroking her gently with his thumb. Sparks ignited and a shiver rolled through her. “Whatever you wish,” he murmured and then dipped his head to kiss her.

He tasted of cake and champagne, a flavor Leonora could not get enough of. So she wrapped her arms tightly around him, letting her fingers rake through his hair. Dragging him closer until he was pressed up against her, sandwiching her between him and the wall, she nipped at his lip like he’d done before and deepened the kiss immediately after.

Mmm...Delicious.

A growl was his first response to her fervor. And then his hands were everywhere all at once, tugging on fabric and unhooking buttons as if he were in some sort of race against time. She followed suit, fumbling slightly with his cravat until it came loose. Her fingers trembled, but that didn’t stop her. She pushed his jacket from his shoulders while he kissed his way down her neck, branding her with each searing caress.

His waistcoat came off as her gown dropped from her shoulders. She pulled his shirt free with hasty movements and was pleased when she managed to get it over his head and send it flying before he was done relieving her of her stays. Her palm settled gently against his chest, and he sucked in a breath. Leonora quietly cheered. The way she affected him, the way they affected each other, was incredible. A fact of which she was soon reminded when he drew her chemise up over her waist, skimming her body with his fingers as he did so.

She sighed in response to the tingles that followed, then again when the garment vanished completely and his hands clasped her firmly against him, reminding her of a new way in which they would soon be joined. Although for that to happen, he would have to take off his trousers. Gasping as he bent to kiss his way down the length of her body, she hooked her fingers in his waistband and managed to free one button before he caught her by the wrist.

“I like how eager you are,” he told her gruffly. The low timbre of his voice slid across her nerves, heightening her awareness. And then he moved her hand, placing it just there, on the part of him that intrigued her the most. “I’m eager too, Leonora.”

There was something in the way he spoke and the gesture itself that ignited her even more. “I need something I cannot define.”

He chuckled, low and wicked, and with every assurance that she was about to be thoroughly ravished. “You need me.” His mouth met hers again, hard and demanding, and then she was swept up into his arms and carried toward the bed.

He laid her down gently and then went to work on the rest of the buttons, opening the placket, heightening her anticipation, until he removed both trousers and smalls in one swift, elegant movement. Leonora sucked in her breath. She’d never imagined such blatant masculinity, such strength and such beauty.

“It’s too late for regrets now,” he told her wryly, “so I hope you like what you see.”

She smiled, appreciating his effort to ease her potential concerns for what was to come, to make her feel comfortable and perhaps less unsure. But she wasn’t unsure. Not about him or about what happened next.

“No regrets,” she promised as she held out her hand, inviting him to join her. “You are the most magnificent man I’ve ever seen.”

“You’ve seen a lot then, have you?” He raised one eyebrow, which caused her to laugh.

“Not naked like this of course. Oh, you know what I mean.”

He chuckled and climbed onto the mattress. It dipped beneath his weight, causing her to shift. His knee settled firmly between her thighs, and he hovered above her as if considering where to begin. Leonora’s entire body hummed with expectation, and the tips of her fingers tingled with a desperate desire to touch him. So she did, eliciting a rumble from deep within his throat.

His eyes darkened. “I think it’s time for me to show you just how magnificent I can be.” And then he did, causing her world to converge to one fine point in which only they existed, before expanding and exploding in colors she hadn’t even known existed until then. It was fantastic, the best experience of her life, and all because of a man and his knowing touch. But it was more than just that. When he reached his own peak and tumbled over, following her into the calm, she felt more complete and satisfied than ever before in her life.

“I love you,” she told him sincerely, hoping he’d know how deeply she meant it.

He kissed her shoulder, then her cheek, and finally the edge of her mouth. “I love you too. With all my heart.” His arms wound around her, strong and sure, and then his mouth met hers, conveying not only his passion for her but the truth in what he’d just said. And as she kissed him back, imparting her own truth with each caress, she looked forward to the days and years that followed and to building a new life with Philip by her side.