Page 65

"Since I have finally won, I suppose I should return to my quarters," Helena spoke softly, her voice delicate. She rose gracefully from the table, her fingers lingering briefly on the board where George's fallen king lay beside her victorious queen.

"No," George's strict voice floated over, stopping Helena.

"No? Your Grace, is something amiss?" she asked.

George stood up slowly from his seat, walking forward slowly. If I let her leave tonight, I will be the greatest fool in all of His Majesty's realm.

He stood before her, reaching out with his right hand, gently cupping her cheek as his thumb brushed over her smooth skin. Helena closed her eyes at his touch, surrendering completely to the warmth of his hand. When her eyes fluttered open moments later, she stared directly into his.

"No. I want you beside me," George declared, his voice laced with sincerity and longing.

He leaned even closer until his entire world was narrowed down to the woman before him. "Every day. Every night."

George moved closer still, his chest almost brushing against the delicate silver embroidery. "Not just as Oliver's nanny."

He paused, taking a deep breath as he voiced the desire he had guarded for months. "But as my wife. As the Duchess of Cavendish."

His head dipped lower, his lips hovering mere hairsbreadths from Helena's soft mouth. "As the mother of every child who will ever be called ours."

Helena laughed through tears that George wiped with his thumb, whispering words that couldn't hide her feelings. "You have changed your rules, Your Grace."

"You have changed me, Helena." he answered simply, his deep voice thick with truth.

Suddenly, Helena threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. The embrace caught George unaware, and together they fell backward into the chair beside the hearth. Helena landed comfortably across his lap, her skirts pooling around his breeches as her hands cupped his jaw.

Their lips met in a ravenous kiss that shattered every remaining barrier between them. The culmination of months of suppressed desire, lustful and jealous glances, and emotions that secretly screamed for an outlet.

George's arms locked around her waist, pulling her closer as he drank in the sweet, intoxicating taste of her lips. He kissed her with passion, fingers tangling in her hair as she pressed herself against him.

When Helena finally broke the kiss to catch her breath, her cheeks glowed red. "Pray tell, what will happen to your rules now?"

George smiled warmly, his eyes filled with affection as he pulled her closer, burying his face in her neck before looking up into her eyes. "They will simply be abolished. There shall only be one rule between us."

Helena laughed, her fingers playing with his collar. "Still another rule?"

"Yes. The one rule we must forever abide by is to never stop loving each other till the day the sun turns to dust," George replied with a sacred vow that bound their destinies forever.

Helena rested her forehead gently against his, her right hand resting over his heart to feel his heartbeat beneath his waistcoat.

"George, I love you. I will never stop loving you. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not even if you decide to run away to Paris again," Helena declared softly.

George's eyes shone with warmth as he gazed up at his wife, making a promise to Helena. "Helena, my dear, I will never run away from you again. If I take a step, Helena, it shall be toward you. If I make a decision, I shall make it with you. Loving you feeds my soul and fills my heart in a way that I fathomed to be impossible. And for every day, today and every day after, you will always be the duchess that rules my heart."

George stared into Helena's eyes, catching glimpses of desire that equally matched his. She wants me just as much as I want her.

"But what if I don't want comfort?" Helena asked, cupping George's cheek.

George blinked, eyes widening as he looked at her flushed cheeks. "What do you mean?"

"What if I want you to ravage me with the fiery desire that has burned in you for weeks? To consummate our wedding tonight after months of carefulness and dignity?" Helena countered boldly, the green in her eyes locking onto his blue with an intoxicating challenge.

Without another word, George lifted Helena in his arms, a breathless gasp escaping her lips and her arms wrapping around his neck. He carried her out of the drawing room and straight into the master bedchamber, shutting the door behind them.

He set her down beside the mattress, gazing at her with desire that made her shudder with delight. His fingers glided over her cheeks, finding their way to her back and untying the ribbons that confined her to her dress, shielding her skin from his touch. "You are my entire world, Helena,"

As her dress slid off her shoulders, Helena's fingers unbuttoned his waistcoat and his shirt in a hurry, exposing the glaze of his chest. She pressed her palms against his warm skin, gasping as his large hands slid down her waist to pull her tightly against his body. Their mouths joined again in a consuming kiss, tasting of sweet wine and longing, as he lifted her onto the soft feather mattress.

George hovered over her, hands tracing the length of her waist, her soft skin, and the delicate swell of her hips. Every touch bore the fire of wanting, every breathless sigh from her lips an invitation that drove him beyond the edge of reason.