Page 90 of Her Twisted Duke
It felt so good, how it almost hurt, how insistent his strokes were, how one of his hands would around her hair for a time to use as leverage, pulling her back to meet each rough roll of his hips.
Nora could feel her thoughts vanish, replaced by an animalistic need to simply indulge in the gratification of the flesh. She knewhe was also reaching his wits end, reading the signs in how ragged his breathing had become. In the way his hands gripped her more firmly, the way his movements became more urgent, the raw sounds of pleasure he made as he chased his release.
They found it together, the spark between them exploding brightly, connecting them deeper than they’d ever been.
When it was over, he collapsed beside her, pulling her into his arms and pressing kisses to her temple, her cheeks, anywhere he could reach.
“I love you,” he said again, his voice hoarse. “God, Nora, I love you so much.”
“I know,” she said contentedly, snuggling closer. “I love you too.”
They lay in comfortable silence for a while, both thoroughly exhausted and utterly content. But as more time passed in silence, Nora's mind began to turn toward the future.
“Godric?” she said quietly.
“Yes, princess?”
“There is something I would like to discuss with you. A... favor I would like to ask.”
He shifted to look at her properly, his expression curious. “Anything. You can ask anything of me — you know that.”
Nora took a deep breath, gathering her courage. “I want to have a big family. Children of our own, like my sisters have. But I also...” She paused, organizing her thoughts. “You know of the orphanage I have been visiting. The children there are wonderful, but they have so little. And I cannot stop thinking about how different my life might have been if I had not had the security and privilege of my family, even if my father was not the most attentive parent.”
Godric was listening intently, his hand gently stroking her hair.
“I want to help them,” Nora continued. “Not just with donations or occasional visits. I want to be a real guardian to them. To give them opportunities and care and... and love. I know I cannot truly be a mother to all of them, but I want to try. To do what I can.”
She looked up at him anxiously, worried that he might think her request foolish or impractical. But Godric's expression was tender, his eyes shining with something that looked remarkably like pride.
“Of course,” he said simply.
Nora blinked. “Just like that? You do not need time to think about it, or –”
“I do not need time,” Godric interrupted gently. “You are asking if we can use our wealth and position to help children who have been dealt an unfortunate hand in life. How could I possibly say no to that?”
“But it would be a significant commitment,” Nora pressed, wanting him to understand the full scope of what she was asking. “Time and money and –”
“Nora,” Godric said, cupping her face and making her look at him. “I still owe you. For the lies, for the pain I caused, for all the ways I mishandled our relationship. If this is what you want, then I will move heaven and earth to make it happen.”
Tears pricked at Nora's eyes. “You do not owe me anything,” she said. “You have more than made up for –”
“Nevertheless,” Godric interrupted. “This is important to you, which makes it important to me. We could build a new orphanage, somewhere close by with better facilities than wherever you have been visiting. That way you can visit them easily easily and oversee their care personally.”
Nora's breath caught. “Truly? You would do that?”
“I would do anything for you,” Godric said simply. “Anything at all. If you want to care for orphans, then we shall care for orphans. If you want to build a dozen orphanages across England, we shall do that too. Whatever makes you happy, my love.”
Unable to contain her joy, Nora threw her arms around his neck and kissed him with all the love and gratitude in her heart. “Thank you,” she whispered against his lips. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“No,” Godric said softly, pulling back just enough to meet her eyes. “Thank you. For being the kind of person who thinks of others even in the midst of your own happiness. For having a heart large enough to embrace not just me, but children who have no one else. For being... you. Exactly as you are.”
They kissed again, slow and sweet, and Nora felt her heart overflow with happiness. This was what she had always wanted, she realized. Not just love, but partnership. Someone who supported her dreams and shared her values. Someone who saw her compassion not as weakness but as strength.
“We should probably make an appearance at the wedding breakfast,” Godric murmured eventually, though he made no move to actually get up. “Your sisters will send out a search party if we are gone too much longer.”
“Probably,” Nora agreed, equally reluctant to leave the warm cocoon of their bed. “But we have a few more minutes, surely.”
“A few more minutes,” Godric agreed, pulling her closer. “And then we shall face the world together. As husband and wife.”
“Husband and wife,” Nora repeated, testing the words. “I rather like the sound of that.”
“As do I,” Godric said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “As do I, my love.”
They stayed there a while longer, wrapped in each other's arms, already planning the life they would build together. A life filled with love and children – both their own and those they would care for. A life of partnership and trust and unwavering devotion.
It was everything Nora had ever dreamed of and so much more.
This, she thought,was only the beginning. The best was yet to come.
The End?
