Emily sat in her front salon sipping tea as she waited for Arthur to arrive. It had been two months since her wedding, and she had not seen him with the same woman twice. While she was greatly pleased with her marriage and no longer bitter about the union, she was—as always—a woman of principle. Her brother had used his desire to marry as leverage to get her to agree to a wedding. He would make good on his promise to search for a wife.

That said, she allowed her thoughts to stray back to the night a week earlier. When she had strapped Cooper to his—no, their—bed, everything had changed. The way he had trusted her, had made himself vulnerable to her, helped her open up to him. It had allowed her to reveal her true self to him in ways she had not until then. Taking control of their lovemaking empowered her and reinforced that they were equals in their relationship. They had fallen asleep wrapped around each other, only to wake in the night and continue where they had left off. As he had slid deep inside her and filled her, she had finally allowed the love she felt for him to come forth. Though she had not said the words yet, every movement, every touch had been imbued with the surfeit of emotion immersed within her heart.

And then later, as they lay in bed, he had asked her to stay with him. To sleep next to him that night and every other night. His shy request had only reinforced her new and wondrous feelings. And every night since had been glorious, whether they made love, or he growled and dominated her, or they spent it simply snuggling together as they discussed the day’s trials and tribulations.

Soon she would tell him how she felt. She simply needed a bit more time to adjust to the truth of how powerful her feelings were.

The sound of footsteps alerted her to her brother’s arrival.

“I see my beautiful sister is loitering about the house today. Where is your husband? I received his note requesting I come for a visit. It has been a few weeks since I last saw him.” Arthur crossed the room to where she sat and bussed her on the cheek.

“Sit, Arthur. Cooper sent that note at my request.” Emily sat up straight and allowed her commanding tone to reinforce her words.

Her brother’s gaze narrowed as her statement hung in the air. Then, without much resistance, he took the offered seat. Casting his gaze over to the tea service, he said, “A spot of refreshment would be welcome before you browbeat me about whatever transgression I have committed.”

She nodded. “Of course.”

After a few moments of pouring tea, Arthur selecting a few nibbles, and the requisite first sip, she launched her attack. Head-on. “So, tell me how the bridal hunt goes.”

Her brother rolled his eyes and set down his saucer of tea. “As these things often do, it goes slowly. Truly, I fear I shall not have an opportunity to truly engage in a thorough search until next season.”

Emily huffed. “The little season is fast upon us. There is no reason you need wait until next season to hunt a wife. Arthur, you claimed this was important to you, and now I fear you merely did so in order to force me into marriage.”

He paused for a long moment, his gaze searching hers. “Is marriage to Cooper so awful?”

* * *

Cooper had walked into the house and was on his way to his study when he heard the question asked by Arthur. He knew eavesdropping was wrong, yet he could do nothing but tarry outside the door of the salon and listen. As he waited, his heart beat wildly in his chest. What would he do if she said yes? Could he let his hellion go if being married to him was so horrible? It felt like a stab to his heart, but he knew he would release her if that was what she wanted.

“Of course not.” Emily hesitated. “I care for my husband a great deal.”

Her brother replied, “Merely care? If I know nothing else about you, dear sister, it is that you rarely feel such tepid emotions. If you are not wildly in love with him, then I have done you a disservice.”

“Oh bother.” His wife huffed. “This was to be a conversation about you.”

He could picture his little hellion pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance that her plan had gone astray. Again.

“Yes, I adore him. I am utterly in love with the man, and I plan to tell him soon. But that does not absolve you of your promise to me. I agreed to marry Cooper, but you are required to search for a bride in earnest. I do not see the diligent hunt I was guaranteed.”

Cooper couldn’t have wiped the ridiculous grin off his face at having heard his wife’s declaration if doing so might save his life. She loved him!

“I am glad to hear it. I would not have encouraged the match if I thought it would make you miserable. I’ve only ever wanted your happiness, Em. So I promise to take the search for a wife more seriously. But I shall not be rushed, either. I hope to be as in love with my wife as you seem to be with your husband.”

Cooper heard the rustling of clothes and the creak of furniture. Assuming the visit was coming to a close, he resumed his path to his study with a spring in his step. His wife loved him.

He’d tried to say the words, to tell her how he felt the night she’d tied him to the bed. But before he could get the words out, he’d seen the panic in her eyes. As a result, when she’d yawned and claimed tiredness, he’d let the moment pass. Since then, there hadn’t been what seemed an opportune time to make his declaration. Of course, now, he could perhaps admit some trepidation at possibly saying the words and not hearing them returned.

Considering this and his newfound knowledge of his wife’s feelings, he knew he needed to do something to show her how he felt. Merely saying the words would be wonderful, but he wanted to eradicate any doubt in Emily’s mind. Taking a seat behind his desk, he thought about what he knew of his wife. The root of her doubts and fears always lay in the security of her future. As a woman, she generally was reliant on men for that security, and the truth was most had failed her in some way. Even himself.

The question was, how could he secure her future in such a way that she would feel safe no matter what might come? She had fought hard to save her family home, had even been willing to take criminal action in order to do so. For his own peace of mind, he wanted her never to feel that need again. He smiled grandly as he realized the best way to show her his love. And it would make the perfect Christmas gift, to boot.