Improperly Wed (Aristocratic Grooms #3)(39)
Author: Anna DePalo

“The Mayfair town house is rented out.”

“Oh, yes, how can I forget? Your act of noblesse oblige. Uncle Hugh sends his regards.”

Colin bit off a helpless laugh. “I suppose I deserve that.”

“Surely your mother and sister would offer you a sofa to sleep on in London.”

“Perhaps Sawyer thought my home was here with you.”

Belinda felt suddenly flush with emotion.

“With so many properties at your disposal?” she forced herself to scoff.

Colin looked at her steadily. “As a matter of fact, those properties are the reason I’m here.”

She tensed. “I thought you would have let your attorney do the talking.”

He grimaced. “Do we have to have this discussion on the doorstep?”

Reluctantly, she moved out of the way.

He stepped inside and removed his overcoat. It was an overcast day, typical of London but not rainy—yet. Under his coat, he wore a white open-collar shirt over dark trousers.

Belinda was glad she was presentable herself, though she’d had to use cucumber patches for her puffy eyes this morning. She had, however, showered and dressed. She’d donned a blue belted shirtdress, tights and flats shortly before Colin’s arrival.

After Colin folded his coat and placed it on a nearby chair, she turned and walked farther into the flat, leaving him to follow her.

She stopped in the parlor and turned back to face him.

Despite appearing a bit careworn, he was still imposing—tall, broad and ruthless. And yet she remembered his achingly soft caresses and his whispered words of promise.

Like a bad angel, she thought with a twist of the heart.

“The Elmer Street property is not being sold,” he announced.

She blinked.

It had not been the announcement that she’d expected from him. She had thought he was here to negotiate with her about their future.

“I thought it was a done deal,” she finally said.

“The sale was in contract, but the parties had yet to sign.”

“Oh.” She paused. “What made you change your mind?”

He searched her eyes. “I decided it would be better to sell the property to you—”

She frowned.

“—for one pound sterling. Have you got it in your purse?”

Her heart skittered. “Is this some attempt to modify our postnuptial agreement?”

“Yes, for forever.”

Her eyes went wide.

Colin stepped toward her, and she caught her breath.

He acted like his usual commanding self, but his face told a different story. It spoke of stark need and na**d emotion.

“What are the terms?” she asked with a catch in her voice.

“Name them.” He searched her face. “In fact, my plan is to sign over all the Wentworth property to you today for a nominal amount…and for accepting me back, if you’ll have me.”

Belinda felt emotion clog her throat. Still, she managed to say, “Of course, you would never be caught without a plan.”

Colin lifted his mouth in an uneven grin. “A gambler always has a strategy, and I believe this is one of my better ones.”

“Oh?” she asked, matching his tone. “Then far be it for me to stand in the way of its execution.”

“Excellent.” He went down on bended knee and took hold of her hand. “Belinda, would you do me the great honor of remaining my wife?”

She blinked back tears. “Even better.”

“I love you passionately.”

“Best. Definitely the best plan you’ve ever had.” She smoothed away an errant tear. “I love you, too, so I suppose there’s nothing for it but to remain married to you.”

It was hard to say who moved first, but in the next moment, they were in each others’ arms and kissing passionately.

It was a long moment before they came up for air.

“You know we’ll scandalize both our families by staying married to each other,” she remarked.

“Who cares? We withstood their attempts to pull us apart.”

She nodded. “It’s the awful interfamily feud.”

Colin smiled, his eyes twinkling. “We’re putting it to rest. In fact, I suggest we make love not war right now.”

“We’re in Sawyer’s flat.”

Colin looked around them. “Looks good to me. Can you think of something better to do on a wet and overcast day?”

“Colin…”

Belinda laughed as he tugged her down with him to the deep rug before the fireplace, pulling a blanket off the sofa as he did so.

It wasn’t long before the weather was forgotten for more interesting pursuits…?.

Later, Belinda snuggled with Colin on the sofa, watching the rain beat against the windows of Sawyer’s London flat.

Colin cleared his throat. “I let revenge take over for three years. It was convenient not to look beyond that overruling motivation.”

“Because I walked away.” She said the words without rancor, as merely a statement of fact.

Colin lifted the corner of his mouth. “You didn’t just walk. You ran.”

“What?” she joked. “In three-inch platform heels and a red sequin minidress?”

“The minute I saw you, I wanted to strip you out of them.”

She gazed at him through her lashes. “And you did.”

“You couldn’t have chosen a better seduction ensemble if you had tried,” Colin teased. “What were you thinking?”

Belinda heated. “I was thinking that I was in Vegas and I was going to have a good time.”

“Ah,” he said, nodding with understanding. “You were already starting to do things your way without knowing it.”

“And maybe, just maybe, when I saw you, I made sure to stay put until you spotted me in the hotel.”

“Ah.” Colin nodded with satisfaction. “Finally, a confession. Here’s mine—I knew you were staying at the Bellagio.”

Belinda’s eyes widened. “No doubt your ego was in full bloom.”

He placed her hand on his chest. “But my heart shriveled on the vine for the next three years.”

She turned her head to look up at him. “Did you ever discover how our annulment was never finalized in Nevada?”

“The biggest confession of all,” Colin admitted. “I did not authorize my attorney to file the annulment papers.”

Belinda gasped and then laughed in disbelief. “I always suspected as much!”

“I tried to find every which way to get you back. I even pursued the end of the Wentworth-Granville feud in order to get you back. Why do you think I became a collector of impressionist art?”