Free The Earl's Design of Love: The Stenwick Siblings by Kirsten Osbourne, Morganna Mayfair Page B

wondered how she was going to react when he came to breakfast in his work clothes the following morning.  It was one thing for her to know he was a stone mason.  Another for her to see him in his work clothes on a regular basis.  He shrugged.  She’d get used to it. 
    He was certain she’d dress in her dressing room, so he went into his room and undressed himself, pulling on a dressing gown to hide his nudity from her.  He expected her to be more than a little skittish, but new brides were supposed to be, right?  He was just glad there were strong feelings between them to make it easier on them both.   He worried about hurting her, because he’d never been with a virgin before, but he would be careful.
    He waited what felt like forever, sitting on the edge of the bed, before finally knocking on the door that connected the master chamber to her room.  She opened it, looking embarrassed, in an emerald green dressing gown.  Her blond hair was flowing down her back and around her shoulders.  He took her hand and pulled her into his room, closing the door between the two chambers.
    Cupping her face in his hands, Percy whispered, “You look beautiful.”  He’d never realized just how long her hair was.  It cascaded like a waterfall down her back and to her waist, making him want to run his fingers through it.
    Diana looked up at him with nervous eyes.  No one but Anna and a few dressmakers had seen her in such a state of undress before.  “Thank you,” she whispered.  She looked around his bedroom, which she had paid little attention to earlier in the day.  She’d been too busy being angry with him to think about this being the room she’d sleep in.
    The bed in the middle of the room was huge, bigger than she’d ever seen.  It was decorated in dark, masculine colors, but she liked it.  It seemed to suit him well.  “I like your bedroom,” she said in a whisper.
    “Our bedroom,” he countered, his lips claiming hers in a soft teasing kiss.  “I feel like I’ve waited years to see you standing here.”  If he could paint, he would try to capture this moment on canvas, he realized.  She was perfect as she stood before him, beautiful and willing. 
    She smiled.  “We’ve only known each other for three weeks.”  At her own words, Diana felt a pang of panic.  What was she thinking agreeing to spend the rest of her life with a man she’d only known for three weeks?  What kind of idiot did that?   Her eyes widened in alarm.
    He saw the panic on her face, and his hands stroked up and down her back, trying to ease her mind.  “There’s no reason to be nervous, sweetheart.  I’m not going to hurt you.”
    “I know.  It’s just…I’ve only known you for three weeks.”  She trusted him more than she’d ever trusted another man in her life, but she’d never done this with another man.  She prayed the panic wasn’t as obvious as she thought it was.
    Percy sighed.  “There was a time when our fathers would have arranged our marriage and we wouldn’t have met until we were standing in front of a priest.”   He wished he knew the right words to soothe her, but he could understand her panic to some extent.  She was giving him rights over her body that no one else had ever had.  How could it not frighten her?
    A half smile crossed her lips.  “I would have really panicked then.”   The joking words slipped out before she could stop them.
    He laughed.  “We’re meant to be together, remember?”
    She nodded slowly, trying to force down the panic that she was certain was about to consume her.  How could she allow a man she barely knew the kind of liberties Percy had every right to take with her body?  “I remember.  That doesn’t help a lot, but I remember.”  She sighed, wishing she could just stop worrying and let things happen.
    He slid his arm around her waist and led her to the dresser off to the side of the room.  There was a long mirror covering the wall above