Taming A Duke's Reckless Heart: Victorian Historical Romance (28 page)

He turned his full attention to her. “What do you mean?”

“Her Grace, she tried to convince me…” she paused as she searched for the words.

“Say no more. My mother can be very persuasive in a headstrong kind of way.”

“You take after her then?” Piper’s mother raised her eyebrows.

A huff escaped his lips. They were annoyingly alike. “She needs to stop meddling.”

“It’s a mother’s job. Even I would like to push you aside and take your place next to my daughter. But I am going to trust in you that you will see Piper through this.”

He nodded once. “You should get some rest. I will let you know if anything changes.”

She rose. “You’re right. Barrett, take care of her.”

“Always.” He stood and walked her to the door.

Once he had closed the door, he returned to Piper’s side. She moaned in her sleep and he reached for her hand. It was hot. His other hand reached for her forehead. She was burning up.

Without another thought, he stripped off his shirt. Down came Barrett’s pants. He gently climbed into the bed and snuggled her body close. Fear was making his heart beat erratic but lay still as a stone. He did not want to jostle her, he only wanted to keep her warm.

Piper stirred, moaning again. “Don’t leave me,” she mumbled in her sleep.

He stroked her hair and kissed her brow. “I will never leave you.” He was losing her. He knew it. “You’ve got to fight for me, sweetheart. I promise, I will never stop fighting for you if you do. Don’t…” he paused catching his breath. “Don’t leave me.”

He closed his eyes and lay his cheek against her burning hot face. Was it just last night she had lain in his arms? That he had pledged his love. Why had he left? Following the rules was going to cost him Piper. His mother thought he was being reckless. He hadn’t been reckless enough. He should have run away with her and married her.

Barrett fell into an uneasy sleep. Piper thrashed and moaned. The doctor tended her throughout the night. Finally, in the wee hours of the morning, Piper quieted and he fell into a deeper slumber.

TAMING A DUKE’S RECKLESS HEART

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Piper woke slowly
. Three things became immediately apparent. She was sore, for one. She was also terribly thirsty. Despite both of those, she was as cozy as she had ever been in her entire life.

She shifted slightly and her arm twinged painfully. She looked down at the bandaging on her arm. Her breath caught. She had actually been shot. A movement next to her made her turn her head the other way. Barrett lay asleep next to her. His body pressed against hers.

A smile fluttered on her lips. Memories of him soothing her through the night floated back to her. She sighed in contentment. His eyes shot open.

“You’re awake.” He grinned at her. It made his eyes sparkle.

She gave him a weak smile in return. “Yes,” her voice croaked out.

Instead of responding, he scowled and got out of bed. Piper was disappointed he left until she caught the full view of his muscular backside. He was stark naked in the bed.

He grabbed the carafe of water on the nightstand and poured her a glass. Then he held it up to her lips. It tasted amazing and Piper drank several sips.

“Better?” The pad of his thumb stroked her cheek.

She nodded in return and then reached for his hand with her good one. “Come back to bed.”

Without hesitation, he climbed back in the bed and carefully snuggled her close. Piper closed her eyes again. She wanted to stay here for days.

“Piper,” his voice rang with alarm. His entire body tensed.

She snapped her eyes back open. “What?”

“Are you all right?” His hand went to her forehead. His face was anxious and tense.

She closed her eyes but the corners of her mouth turned up. “I’m fine. Someone has been taking excellent care of me.”

His body relaxed against hers. “I’ve been worried.”

“I feel much better. Although, I am going to hurt for a while. Hopefully, I am well before our wedding. When do you think we will get married?”

He didn’t say anything and Piper was suddenly far less comfortable than she had been a moment before. Her eyes opened again and she met his gaze anxiously. But his face was filled with a soft warmth.

“We are getting married aren’t we?” Despite his look, Piper was still worried.

“Of course, but I don’t want to wait until you have made a full recovery. I promised to keep you safe and the sooner we are married, the easier that will be.” He grinned again, and despite the pain, Piper felt a jolt of desire shoot through her body.

“When?”

“Maybe tomorrow.” His smile broadened.

“Tomorrow! How could I be ready by tomorrow?” She would have sat up in indignation but she was too weak.

“You don’t have to be ready. I’ll marry you while you lay in this bed. I’ve got both of our families assembled on the boat. Do you remember you told me you wanted the wedding on
The Destiny
? But I want to keep you safe and I need you by my side to do it and my mother is meddling. This is the easiest solution to all of our—”

“You’re rambling. That’s normally my job.” She used her good hand to touch his neck. “Tomorrow is fine. But don’t you want me to be beautiful on our wedding day?”

“You will be. And you will be mine and I will be yours.” His lips came down on hers in a brief kiss.

The sensation of his lips washed away her worries. “Very well. Tomorrow it is.”

***

A buffet of food was laid in front of Piper throughout the day, though she ate little. In between naps, nearly everyone came to visit though Barrett didn’t let anyone stay for long.

Even Penelope and Lord Percy came to visit. They offered their congratulations for the nuptials the next day and had the decency to not ask about the timeline.

The only person who did not come was Barrett’s mother. Neither of them spoke about it but it weighed on Piper.

Dr. Thompson arrived in the evening to give her laudanum. “It will help you sleep despite the pain. You need your rest.”

Her brow creased. She didn’t like taking the medicine but tomorrow would be a busy day. Barrett stood next to the doctor. “You should take it my love.”

A sigh escaped her lips but she gave a single nod and the doctor gave her the drug.

Dr. Thompson left and Barrett began stripping off his clothes.

“What are you doing?” Alarm rang in her voice.

He quirked an eyebrow at her. “You have seen it all before.”

“I know but the first time we were…” She looked away blushing. “And last night I was feverish. Tomorrow is our wedding and…” She didn’t quite know how to finish.

“I’ll not sleep apart from you again. The last time I did nearly ended in disaster. I don’t sleep with clothes on so you’ll have to get used to it.”

Piper peeked through her lashes as he stripped off his pants to climb into the bed. Even as sore as she was, an aching filled her nether regions at the sight of his nudity. How could she possibly sleep with a nude god next to her?

He began to climb in the bed and Piper’s entire body stiffened. Her arm twinged as she did so. He rolled next to her and wrapped an arm around her waist.

“Why are you so tense?” His voice held its usual growl and it actually soothed her a little.

She looked at him, rolling her eyes. “You’re naked, next to me. I want…” she didn’t know quite how to say the next part but she didn’t have to.

His lips curved into a devilish smile. “I know, love. But we are going to have to wait a while yet. Your arm has to heal. We’ll have plenty of time for that. Right now we need to get you better. More than I want to make love to you right now, I want to spend the rest of my life doing it.”

She huffed a breath. “So much waiting.”

Chuckling, he settled her closer. “I love you so much.”

That statement melted her bones and she relaxed into him. She closed her eyes and fell sound asleep.

***

Barrett was not nearly as lucky. Her body fit into his like a glove. Her soft curves pressed into all the right places with nothing but a thin nightgown separating them. She was right. It felt like they had waited and wanted each other for a long time. But he would stand many more nights like this if it meant she was safe and in his arms.

Her hair tickled his nose. He took a deep breath; it smelled of flowers and another scent that was distinctly Piper’s. He buried is nose in the soft curls and inhaled deeply. She sighed in her sleep and snuggled closer.

The feel of her moving bottom against his pelvis made him rock hard in an instant. He gnashed his teeth together. He lay there for fifteen minutes more as she fell into a deeper sleep and then he decided to get up and take a short walk on the deck. He would never sleep like this.

He stood and glanced back at her. She was so lovely. He had never imagined loving anyone the way he loved her. It almost hurt to feel so deeply. He stroked her good arm. He would spend the rest of his life keeping her safe.

As he stepped out onto the deck, he saw Penelope and Tom strolling in the moonlight. The Earl’s watchful eye was on them but still they had their heads bent together whispering and smiling. Barrett acknowledged them with a jerk of his head and then went in the opposite direction. He didn’t want to disturb them.

Unfortunately, that direction took him directly in his mother’s path. She stood at the rail, watching the water slip by.

“Mother,” his voice grated even his own ears and he grimaced.

Her eyes were still trained on the water. “I was in love once, too. Before your father. Did I ever tell you that?”

“No, you didn’t.” Barrett stood stone still. His mother had never once talked about her relationships with anyone to him.

“I was a good girl. I came to my marriage pure and I never was unfaithful to your father. But the same cannot be said about him. He fell in love with another woman after your brother was born. I saw them together once. He touched her the way you touch Piper.”

“I see. I am sorry for you, Mother. That must have been terribly difficult.”

“It doesn’t matter now. I made my choices. A lot of good came out of them. You and your brother. But when I saw them together I thought, why can’t he touch me like that? I gave him two sons. Why can’t he love me? I made him end it with her but it was never the same and he loved her till the day he died. Never me, always her. I could try and force you to do it my way. It’s not all bad. But you will love her forever, won’t you?”

“Yes, I will.” Barrett stepped closer to his mother.

“Does Tom feel that way about Penelope?”

“I don’t know. But it doesn’t matter. Tom will get the land and title. It is a good match for him.”

“Why couldn’t you make a good match?” She wrapped her arms around herself.

“I have always been my own man. It was either going to be Piper or no one at all. You should know that.”

She smiled then. “You have my will but in a man’s body.”

A muscle in his face twitched. He couldn’t believe his mother was saying this. He took another step closer and wrapped his arms around her. He hadn’t done this for fifteen years. It almost surprised him when she wrapped her arms around his waist. “I know you don’t love the idea but I appreciate you not standing in the way. I beg you to try to be kind to Piper.”