Lady Nicola Howerty has never backed down from a challenge, and she's not about to start now.
Being blackmailed into marriage by an old friend. Hiring a private investigator. Kissing said investigator... Okay, it might be a bit much, but she can han...
Gabriel leaned back in his chair and stretched. Glancing out the window, he realised daylight was waning and he should return home. It was his birthday, and he rather looked forward to spending the evening with his wife. He'd taken a step back from the agency, leaving one of their more capable men in charge of the day-to-day business, since he and Nick lived mainly at Holdenhurst these days. However, they were back in London for the Season, and he had been catching up on some of the paperwork and case reports he'd not seen. Apparently, it had taken longer than he realised.
Getting up to leave, he was about to put his tailcoat on when someone knocked on the door. He walked over and opened it, wondering if there was another case one of his agents wanted him to look at. A grin spread over his face as he found his wife standing outside. Much like she had done a year ago. The office, which had been filled with agents not long ago, was now suspiciously empty.
"Good afternoon, Lord Winter." Nick looked up at him through her lashes, the dimples in her cheeks deepening as she couldn't quite hide a mischievous smile.
"Good afternoon, Lady Nicola." He stepped out of the way so she could enter his office, then closed the door behind her.
She moved into the middle of the room before turning around to look at him. He raised an eyebrow at her choice of clothes. A simple white dress with a scarlet bow tied under her bosom and a red cloak with a hood.
"Do you like it?" she asked as she fingered the silk of the hood. "I saw it and simply had to have it."
Taking the steps separating them, he took her in his arms, sliding his hands down along her back to cup her bottom and pull her towards him. Showing her exactly how much he liked it. She responded by sliding her arms around his neck and pulling his face down for a kiss. Pushing her hood down, he nipped at her neck, eliciting a soft moan.
"Have you not been warned about walking into a wolf's den?" he whispered against her skin.
She giggled, the sound reverberating through them. "I happen to enjoy this particular wolf."
He enjoyed her, too. Very much so. She yelped as he lifted her up and placed her on the desk, his kisses growing more insistent. If he was a wolf, then he was ravenous, and the only thing to sate his appetites was his wife. She responded in kind, her hands unbuttoning his waistcoat as he pulled the skirt of her dress up enough that he could fit between her knees. His hand slid along her thigh, her skin soft and smooth against his fingertips.
Halting her progress undressing him, Nick leaned back slightly and looked up at him, her brown eyes glittering. "Oh, I nearly forgot. I have a birthday gift for you."
"You're the only gift I need." He bent forward to capture her lips again, but her hand on his chest stopped his advancement.
"While I appreciate the sentiment..." She grinned. "I think you will want to hear this."
Making a big show out of dramatically moving his hand away from her thigh, he enjoyed watching her amused face as he pretended to wait impatiently for her to continue.
"There will be another Winter soon."
He blinked, not understanding her at first. It was still May. Winter wasn't coming for quite some time. Then the penny dropped and his eyes widened. "Are you saying...?"
"Yes." She smiled. "We will have a child in a few months. Maybe in winter, who knows." She giggled again.
Taking her in his arms, he whirled her around the room, making her laugh. "That is brilliant news, love!"
"I hope you won't mind if I want to have a Shakespeare name?" she asked as he set her back down on the desk.
He chuckled. "I expected it to be a prerequisite to marrying one of you Howertys."
"It definitely is." She grinned mischievously. "Now... Where were we?"
"I believe this wolf was about ready to gobble you up." With a pretend growl, he pounced on her, pulling her close to kiss her with all the love in his heart.
The last year of his life had been amazing. Better than he ever could have imagined. And it sounded like it would only get better from here. Nick might not possess the perfect skill set for the typical wife of a future earl. Might not be the perfect wife, according to society. But she was perfect for him.
THE END
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