Dalton hissed with pleasure, and he rewarded her by covering her nipple with his warm mouth. He suckled gently, and she felt the wet surge of her own needs. He moved his hand between her legs, finding the nodule of her pleasure. And with his thumb, he gently stroked it, knowing how to draw out the sensation.
Her breathing grew rhythmic, and she fisted his length, loving the way his face strained with need. When she touched the tip of his erection, he groaned and dragged her hips to the edge of the bed.
‘Look at me, Regina,’ he commanded. He parted her legs, lifting her hips. Then in one swift stroke, he took her. The fierce invasion evoked an unexpected spear of desire. She lifted her hips, watching as he entered and withdrew. The vision of his body joining with hers seemed to arouse her even more, and she heard herself breathing more rapidly.
‘Can you feel me, deep inside?’ he murmured.
‘Yes,’ she moaned, urging him faster. ‘Don’t stop.’
And God help her, her words unleashed a frenzy of madness. His shaft was like iron, and she melted against him, revelling as he thrust inside. No longer was he gentle, but he claimed her as if he could never get enough.
The wildness of his need pushed her off the edge, and she broke apart, her body seizing up with the spasms of pleasure. She squeezed him hard, and he continued to drive deeply inside, until her body quaked again, stroking his length. He lost control, uttering words of how much he loved her, how much he needed her.
And with one final stroke, he flooded her with his release, his body shuddering as he collapsed upon her. She welcomed the weight, knowing that the years ahead would bring only happiness and joy. Perhaps even children.
‘Do you know, I never dreamed I could have this,’ he murmured against her skin. ‘I wanted you, but I thought I would never be enough.’
‘You are everything to me,’ she answered. ‘Always.’ She touched his hair, still loving the feel of his body buried inside hers.
He kissed her again and drew his hand over her face. ‘I will spend the rest of my life trying to be worthy of you, Regina.’
‘No,’ she answered gently. ‘You already are the man of my dreams. And I will spend the rest of my days loving you.’
Epilogue
Dalton walked through the cemetery with Regina, her hand clasped in his. She carried a small posy of roses, which she laid upon her father’s grave. Their daughter, Penelope, broke free of his grasp and went after the flowers.
‘No, those are for Grandpapa,’ Regina said gently.
Dalton recognised the determined look on the little girl’s face, and it looked as if she would voice a protest. Instead, he plucked a single blossom from the posy and tucked it behind her ear. ‘Grandpapa wouldn’t mind giving you this one, sweetheart.’
Regina braved a smile through her tears. ‘I’m so glad he got to see her before he died. I know he loved her.’
‘He did,’ Dalton agreed. ‘And she is loved by so many.’ Penelope had wrapped his own father around her little finger, crawling into John’s lap whenever she wanted a cuddle. ‘My father would wage war for her sake.’
Fortunately, it had never come to that. The Mallencourt family recognised that their livelihood depended upon keeping the peace, and thus far, there had been not a trace of scandal. Even Lady Anne had disappeared, remaining quiet about what had happened.
Dalton picked up their daughter and tossed her up, hearing her delighted laugh. She had transformed his existence, and he could not be happier than to have a wife he adored and a daughter of their own.
‘Dog,’ Penelope demanded, pointing at Arthur, who was sniffing at the ground.
‘Yes, that’s your dog, too,’ Regina said. She tucked her arm in Dalton’s and said, ‘I do miss Papa. But I am grateful for the time we had and for his blessing. I will always believe that the best day of my life was the day you switched places with Lachlan and married me.’
He kissed her lips softly with Penelope nestled between them. ‘I won’t be arguing about that, lass.’ His smile turned wicked. ‘But I think you may need to be carried off by a Highlander, a time or two.’
‘I think you may be right.’ She answered his smile. ‘How about now?’
If you enjoyed this book, be sure to read the first book in the Untamed Highlanders miniseries
The Highlander and the Governess
And why not check out Michelle Willingham’s
Warriors of the Night miniseries
Forbidden Night with the Warrior
Forbidden Night with the Highlander
Forbidden Night with the Prince
Keep reading for an excerpt from Vows to Save Her Reputation by Christine Merrill.
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Vows to Save Her Reputation
by Christine Merrill
Chapter One
Emma Harris looked longingly out the morning room window at the sun shining on the park of her father’s country estate. It was a perfect day for a stroll. It would be nice just to sit beneath a tree and finish her book. Or she could take her sketchbook instead and draw mediocre charcoals of the little animals scurrying across the lawn. There were many ways she might occupy the space between now and luncheon that were either pleasurable or edifying.
But she would have happily stood in a downpour and done nothing at all rather than to be trapped here with her mother, undergoing the same quizzing that she got each day, as Mrs Harris tried unsuccessfully to turn her into the daughter the family wanted her to be.
‘Lord Weatherly,’ her mother intoned, staring at the piece of paper in her hand.
‘Baron,’ Emma replied, automatically.
‘Marital status?’
‘Never
