Page 100 of The Viscount's Silent Pugilist

“Obviously!” It didn’t take a scholar to deduce that. He rolled to face her. “Well, I massage your muscles after your hard training sessions.” He waggled his brow.

“Yes, you do, and you are quite good at it.” She placed her nose just inches from his. “I wroteI love you, Jonathan.”

He swallowed the lump of sentiment in his throat.

“Perhaps we can make this a new game,” she said.

Sounded perfect to him. “My skull is quite thick, so I need a lot of reading practice.”

“Your skull is perfectly perfect, as is the rest of you. Still, it shall be fun. We shall trade yourmassafor my writing messages.”

Everything about this woman made him smile.

He was so damn tired, but he had so many things he needed to say to her. “I love you too, Genevieve.” He kissed her forehead. “Thank you for never making me feel stupid.”

“Because you are quite intelligent. About people, about life, about the things that truly matter.”

Although he continued with his self-deprecating humor, he was starting to believe her. She was much too wonderful to be untruthful. “Thank you for never making me feel like a scoundrel for my indiscriminate past relationships.”

“You were just looking for someone to shower with love,” she said. “You know you are quite full of it. Love that is.”

He was full of a lot of things, but for now he’d accept her compliment. He kissed her cheek. “Thank you for marrying me. And for sharing my bed every night.”

“You have made me the happiest woman in the world. And your bed is quite cozy.”

Grinning, he nuzzled her nose. “And thank you for sucking my cock.”

“You do taste quite delicious.”

He kissed her lips, lingering a moment before pulling back to stare into those blue eyes that had stolen his heart. “Thank you for believing in me and making me a better man.”

“Oh, Jonathan.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. “How do you not see it? You have always been the best of men. Kind. Generous. Chivalrous. Standing up for those who need a champion. Not being a stellar student, and having some rakish tendencies in your past, do not negate any of that.”

“So let me get this straight,” he said. “You are the bravest woman in the world, and I am the best of men, and neither of us had any idea until fate threw us into each other’s paths?”

Her brow furrowed as she seemed to consider this. “I believe so,” she finally said. “Shall we get some sleep?”

“Of course. ’Tis exhausting to be this damn perfect.”

“Precisely,” she said with a giggle.

Smiling, he snuggled against his wife and closed his eyes.

Epilogue

The weeks ofrunning, getting hit in the stomach, and sparring until she thought she might cast up her accounts on the gymnasium floor had not prepared Genevieve for the pain of razor-sharp teeth slicing into her shoulder.

“For fuck’s sake, Bear,” Franny yelled.

“Stop the fight, ye useless blighters,” Josie hollered. “Disqualify ’er!”

Genevieve would appreciate it if her coaches ceased insulting the umpires and referees since she was up against the ropes with a cannibal attached to her person.

“Let go, Meg,” Bear said.

The woman snarled. Actually snarled, and with Geneveive’s flesh clenched between her teeth.

“I’m not telling you again, Meg,” Bear said. “You agreed to the rules. Irish fighting style. No kicking, weapons, hair pulling, direct hits to the mouth, or biting.” He grabbed Meg’s jaw and squeezed until she let go of Genevieve’s skin.