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"I'm so thankful you were here," she
whispered.

"I was on my way to the Doctor's Common…
needing a special license," he whispered, opening his eyes and
leaning back, grinning at her.

"Yes, you most certainly do need one." Essie
smiled, this time the joy reaching her eyes.

"Perhaps I'm acting a bit prematurely, since
your parents aren't even aware that I intend to marry you at first
opportunity." He chuckled slightly, reaching up to tug on an errant
curl, overwhelmed with the relief that all was now well.

"If my parents respond anything akin to how
your
mother took the news, I think we have precious little
to worry us," she replied, glancing down shyly.

Cross leaned forward, pressing a fervent kiss
to her forehead, closing his eyes he thanked God for delivering her
safely into his arms. "Let's get you home," Cross murmured against
her skin.

"Yes, please," Essie agreed softly as she
wound her arm around his and he led them down the street.
Thankfully it wasn't too far of a walk, but it would be a welcome
distraction, allowing him time to relax from the fear and anger
than had rocked his world.

That had threatened to shatter it.

He reached over and squeezed Essie's hand as
it rested on his arm. As she offered him a warm smile full of trust
and love, he returned the smile, thankful. Because even though fear
tried to conquer the day, and steal the joy of the moment, it
didn't win.

Love held that honor.

And always would.

Essie took deep
breaths
as she walked down the stone aisle of St. George's
towards Cross as he waited for her. His gaze was almost too intense
to hold, the joy, the raw masculinity of his presence was
overwhelming, yet she couldn't glance away. His deep blue eyes
spoke to her with every step, pulling her in, reminding her how
much she was loved.

How much she was wanted.

As she shared a warm smile with Cross as they
faced the rector, she tried to memorize every nuance of the
ceremony, cherishing it in her heart.

She wanted to remember the strong tone, the
solid confidence of Cross's words when he repeated this vows. The
smoldering gaze he sent her as he spoke the words and the swirling
heat in her belly it caused. Every glance he sent her, every breath
of air that was scented with a hint of cinnamon and clove that
clung to the air around him; all this she tucked into her
memory.

Soon, the ceremony was over… except the
kiss.

Essie bit her lip as she glanced up to her
new husband, shy yet feeling a powerful boldness well within her, a
courage born of desperate desire for the one you loved.

Her husband's eyes twinkled as they smoldered
like blue fire as he pulled her into the strength of his frame.
Closing her eyes, she willingly gave herself over the spell of
passion he wove over them as his warm lips pressed against
hers.

She expected a quick kiss.

And once again, in true Cross fashion, she
was surprised.

His tongue teased her lips, flirting with
them as he nipped her lower lip and sucked it teasingly.

It only took a moment for her to return his
kiss, tasting, teasing, loving him with all the joy in her
heart.

It was only when the priest cleared his
throat that Cross gentled the kiss and slowly withdrew, a knowing
grin on his face.

Essie smiled in return, knowing that if
kissing was as… delightful, everything else must be beyond
imagining.

And for the first time, she wondered why in
heaven's name there was the social protocol of a Wedding
Breakfast.

The only thing she was hungering for was her
husband.

And if the burning gaze her husband continued
to give her were any indication, he felt the same way about
her.

Cross cursed food of
every sort, every glass of champagne, and every bloody person who
congratulated them.

It might be ungrateful, but to have to smile,
converse and pretend that he wasn't dreaming of the moment he could
leave and finally thoroughly love his wife, was the most acute form
of torture he could imagine.

And Essie wasn't helping! No, she'd send him
the most flirtatious grins, sly little winks and at the table, she
had run her slippered foot up his leg.

He'd choked on his champagne.

The minx had laughed.

He'd turn the tables later, that much he
vowed. He'd make her wait in sweet anticipation, close to
completion till she—

Saint's above! He needed to leave before he
made a scene!

Essie was speaking with his mother, so he
skirted the edge of the room till he came up behind his wife,
sliding his hands around her waist he tickled her softly till she
jumped. It was poor manners, he knew, but it was only his
mother.

Of course, his mother narrowed her eyes and
was about to scold when he interrupted her. "We're leaving, just
wanted to say good-bye." Cross spoke in a carefree manner as he
began pulling Essie backwards, towards the door.

His mother grinned, shaking her head. "I told
you he wouldn't last very long!" She called to Essie.

Cross chuckled. "I find that there are
certain things I have not patience for. It's truly one of my worst
faults."

Essie turned to him, cocking an eyebrow.
"Impatient?"

"In every way possible, yet as impatient as I
am currently, I do believe that you'll find that I have quite the
attention span for other… endeavors." He allowed himself the
pleasure of raking her body with his gaze.

Merciful heavens. She was a goddess, perfect
in every way meant to entice a man, tempt him beyond his ability to
withstand.

Thank the Lord he had no need for
self-control any longer.

As they entered the carriage, Essie's face
began to glow in a becoming blush as she didn't sit on the opposing
side as usual, but promptly sat on his lap.

"I do believe this is one of your more
brilliant schemes," Cross whispered as he hungrily took her lips,
nipping and tasting them.

"I do believe leaving early was one of
your
more brilliant schemes!" she teased. She continued to
kiss him, and Cross growled as her velvet tongue danced with
his.

As soon as the carriage arrived at his newly
leased townhome in Mayfair, Cross wasted no time in pulling his
wife into his arms and heading directly to the master bedroom. Her
perfectly curved frame was a welcome weight as he shifted her
slightly so that he could open the door to their wedding bower. The
warming crackle of the fire in the hearth welcomed them as he
kicked the door closed with his boot. Essie giggled as he nuzzled
her neck with his nose, encouraging her to tilt her head just
enough to so that he could taste the sensitive flesh at her throat.
She willingly obliged, offering him full access.

It was heaven.

And it was only the beginning.

He kissed her once more, savoring the moment,
allowing the anticipation to build up into the moment. Gently, he
lowered her to the ground till her dainty feet touched the floor.
She turned to face him, lifting her gaze to meet his; her dark
lashes framed her eyes, a thick haze of desire swirling in them. He
lifted his hand to cradle her face and gently leaning forward, he
pressed his lips to hers, sweetly.

The passion he felt for her was threatening
to burn him to ashes from within, but he wouldn't allow his own
impatience, his primal desire to brand her as his own, overtake the
need to ease her into their intimacy.

Essie's hands traced up his chest and slowly
reached up under his coat, coaxing him to relax his shoulders so
that she could remove it. Her hands trailed fire where ever they
touched, setting him further aflame. Once his coat was discarded,
Cross took her lips with the passion of a man drinking in the one
he loves, while his hands reached up and began to tug at her pins.
Essie broke away as she giggled slightly.

"Allow me." She bit her lip as she slowly
pushed him backwards till he was sitting on the bed. He tugged on
her hand, trying to pull her to the bed as well, but she teasingly
ducked out of reach, winking.

Cross watched, transfixed, as Essie blushed
but began to remove her pins slowly.

Seductively.

With each pin that dropped to the floor,
Cross held tighter to the bed till his knuckles were white with
restraint. Then at last, her hair, the golden flaxen colored
temptation, flowed free and she ran her fingers through it,
loosening it. It hung the length of her back, surrounding her in a
halo of light.

Cross started to stand, and she crooked her
finger, beckoning him to come to her. Closed the distance between
them, only to have her turn and present her back.

"Please?" She asked.

Cross's gaze dropped to her dress, seeing the
sash that secured the Grecian style dress she wore. He tugged it
loose and trailed his fingers across her shoulders, removing the
dress from her shoulders. Kissing the exposed flesh, he grinned as
he heard Essie's sharp intake of breath. Deftly, he removed the
dress till it pooled at her feet in a whisper of silk. He reached
his hand around her waist and grasped her hand, pulled her back
into the frame of his body, he tugged her gloves, removing them and
tossing them aside. He trailed warm, possessive kisses down the
side of her neck and down her back to where her corset strings
awaited his attention.

Tugging them free, he helped her to free
herself from the final restraint, from the final barrier between
them. Her arms instinctively covered herself.

"I do believe it's your turn," Essie
whispered as she turned in the circle of his arms, reaching up to
kiss him, lingeringly.

"As you wish." Cross wasted no time in
removing his shirt and breeches, feeling a swell of pride as her
eyes raked his body, her breathing growing rapid. Her eyes roamed
him as he stood before her in all his glory.

As she stood before him in all of hers.

But the time of exploration had only begun,
and Cross strode towards her, capturing her lips in an explosion of
passion as he ran his fingers over the bare flesh of her back,
savoring the sensation of no barriers between them. Essie followed
his lead towards the bed till his knees encountered the edge of the
mattress. Swiftly and with lethal grace, he swept her into his arms
and lowered her onto the bed, savoring her warm and welcoming flesh
as she welcomed his weight.

And he made sure Essie was marked forever
his.

Essie awoke in a
cocoon of warmth as her husband's arms banded around her, holding
her possessively as she awoke from their night of love. His warm
breath tickled her shoulder, causing her to smile with utter joy.
Surely there was no more beautiful expression of love than they'd
shared last night. Yet, she knew instinctively, it was the
security, the knowledge of Cross's love and devotion to her that
made it as… powerful as it still was. There was no fear, no
trepidation, only unbridled desire and the precious lack of
restraint that was only found in the security of bearing her
husband's name.

"Awake, my love?" Cross' gravelly voice
called her from her musings.

"No," she teased as she wiggled
enticingly.

"Liar," he mumbled as his lips nipped at her
ear.

"Never," she replied, reached behind her to
grasp his dark hair, tugging on it slightly.

"Don't stop," Cross murmured against her
neck. Trailing kisses to her shoulder, he reached around and traced
circles on her stomach.

"Never," Essie replied tenderly, then turned
to face her husband. "Thank you," she added softly against his
lips.

"For?"

"Loving me. For relentlessly pursuing me… for
risking your heart." Leaning back, she lost herself in his piercing
eyes.