The silence that followed Gryff’s exit was so heavy Carys was sure she could hear her heart pounding against her ribs. She glanced up at Tristan and found him gazing down at her with a look that made her hot and cold at once.
“You’re only asking me because I might be pregnant,” she said.
“No, I’m not.”
He reached up and cupped her face, sliding his thumb over her chin and across her cheek in a devastating caress. Her skin tingled.
“Would it be so bad?” he asked softly. “Being married to me?”
She could hardly breathe. “Yes. I mean, no. But you don’t want me. You want some perfect society hostess, like Lavinia Purser.”
He let out a low chuckle. “I thought I did, but this week has made me realize I need the exact opposite of that.” His expression sobered and his eyes darkened with emotion. “I need you, Carys. I was so scared when that bear was chasing us. I thought I’d lose you. Or that I’d die without ever telling you how I feel.”
He brought his other hand up to cup her face, cradling her as if she was the most precious thing in the world—and not a scandalous, mud-spattered hoyden.
“I love you. I’ve loved you for years, even when I couldn’t admit it to myself. Why do you think the walls in my bedroom are green?”
A glow of happiness was welling up inside her, spreading to every limb, but she was still afraid to hope. “Why?”
“Because I imagined you there. Always.”
Her throat felt hot and painfully tight. “Truly?”
“Truly. I want you by my side, to dazzle and charm everyone who comes into your orbit. I’ve seen you do it a thousand times.”
“Only to make you jealous,” she admitted.
He let out a strangled laugh. “Well, it worked. I’ve hated every man who laughed at your jokes, every idiot who’s sighed over your figure. The day you wore that bloody handkerchief dress was the worst day of my life.”
She managed a coy smile. “You didn’t like it?”
“I loved it and hated it in equal measure.”
“Why?”
He gave a wry, self-mocking smile. “I wanted to show you off to everyone, and hide you away at the same time—to keep you from prying eyes like a dragon hoarding treasure. I know that makes no sense. I wanted all your kisses. All your smiles. I still do.”
She gave him one of those smiles. “The day we made our pact was one of the best days of my life,” she said. “I got everything I’d ever wanted. You.”
She stepped forward and slid her hands up over his chest until she could feel his heart beating beneath her palms. “I tried to tell myself it was just an exercise—that I could give you my body but not my heart—but I have never been impartial to you.”
The tension in his body eased a fraction. “Then marry me. Live with me. Let me be your favorite enemy.”
She bit back a smile. “You haven’t technically proposed, you know.”
He sank to his knees and caught her hands. “Carys Davies. Will you marry me?”
“You’re a Montgomery. What will people say?” she teased.
“They’d say Maddie already married your brother and the sky didn’t fall in. And since when do you care about what people say? You’re the queen of scandal and setting new trends. This will be your crowning achievement.”
She opened her mouth to answer, but he sent her a mock-warning glare. “If you don’t marry me, you’ll become an eccentric old maid, like my aunts.”
“I like your aunts.”
“The feeling is mutual. In fact, they like you far better than they like me. They’ll be delighted if you join the family.” He squeezed her fingers. “I promise you free rein in the gardens. You can make them as wild and as romantic as you like.” He stood and tugged her closer. “I need your wildness. Please say yes.”
Carys slid her hands up his chest and grasped his lapels.
“Yes. I love you. Yes.”
Tristan’s arms tightened around her and his mouth swooped down on hers. With a laugh she threw her arms around his neck and returned his kiss with all the glowing ardor in her heart. Their tongues tangled in a glorious battle for supremacy and she closed her eyes, abandoning herself to sensation.
In one swift move, never taking his lips from hers, he bent and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his hips and he groaned as his hands slid down to cup her bottom. He crushed her to him and she tangled her fingers in his hair, loving the intensity of his need.
“God, I love you in breeches!” he growled.
He turned and pressed her back against the bookcase, trapping her there with the glorious weight of his body. She ground against him, her blood turning to molten fire as she felt the bold evidence of his desire. She kissed him again, deeper, urging him on, hooking her ankles behind his back to anchor herself in place.
He dragged his lips from hers and pressed kisses along her jaw. “We can’t. Not here. Your brother will be waiting for us.”
Carys gently bit his lower lip. “He can wait. Make love to me.”
Tristan nodded, his gaze slightly unfocused. “Yes.” He shifted his weight and she slid down his body to stand on the floor. Her legs felt a little wobbly.
“Stay right there.” He strode to the door, turned the key in the lock, and hastened back to her. “Now—”
He’d just picked her up in his arms again when an insistent fist pounded on the door. Gryff’s voice echoed through the wood.
“Montgomery! I heard that! If you’re not out of this room in three minutes, you’d bloody well be sending an engagement announcement to The Times, or I’ll be seeing you at dawn with my pistols.”
Carys bit back a mortified laugh. “Gryff, go away!”
“Are you marrying him?” Gryff demanded.
“Yes!”
There was a pregnant pause, and then Gryff growled, “Bloody hell. That’ll be another Montgomery in the family.”
Carys smiled up at Tristan. “You started it!” she shouted to Gryff. “You married Maddie.”
“Maddie’s nice,” Gryff countered. “And anyway, she’s a Davies now.”
Carys smoothed her hand through Tristan’s hair. “Tristan’s nice,” she defended, her eyes glowing with mirth. “At least, I think so.”
“Spare me,” Gryff groaned. “I’m going to bed. Montgomery, take care of her, or I’ll shoot you. Brother-in-law or no.”
Tristan’s eyes met hers. “You have my word,” he called out.
“Good.”
Gryff’s footsteps stomped away, and Tristan kissed her again. “You have my word,” he repeated, more quietly, a promise and a vow.
Carys laughed and kissed him back. “Well, you have my heart. So we’re equal. Now show me how wicked you can be.”