Tempted by a Scarred Duke – Extended Epilogue

---

OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 2 FREEBIES FOR YOU!

Grab my new series, "Scandalous Regency Affairs", and get 2 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!

---

6 months later

After months of careful planning, Timothy and Lizzie’s wedding had gone off without a hitch. Although Rarity had enjoyed herself, laughing and singing and dancing after not doing so since her son’s arrival more than five months previous, Rarity was more than a little pleased to feel her feet hit the threshold of their home the night of her brother’s wedding. Having left the couple still enthralled in the festivities, Rarity could think of nothing but seeing the face of her son, who she had not been parted from since his birth. 

“I am sure that he is well,” James insisted even as he followed her through the manor, up the stairs and to the nursery, where they could hear the gentle sound of a lullaby being sung. 

“I merely wish to kiss him good night,” Rarity insisted, edging the door open from where it had been left ajar. She silently entered the room, offering the nanny a gesture to continue singing even as she wandered up to where the young woman was sitting in the rocking chair with the babe cradled in her arms. 

Little Timothy, named after both her father and her brother, was peacefully dozing in the woman’s arms and Rarity barely dared to whisper, “How has he been, Gwen?” 

“He has barely made a peep all day apart from mealtimes,” Gwen assured her, and Rarity leaned down to press an affectionate kiss to her son’s head, enjoying the smell of warm milk and baby that clung to the small amount of jet black hair on top of his head. 

“See, he is well,” James insisted in a hushed tone, placing his hand upon her hip to urge her away. “Let Gwen finish her work and put him to bed.” 

Rarity would have liked to have done that herself, but she knew her husband was right. She knew that if she disturbed him now, removing him from his governess’ arms, they would all likely be kept awake all night by his cooing and crying. 

Taking one last deep breath of his scent, Rarity kissed her son once more, remembering fondly the stormy night he had joined them with the aid of her grandmother, who had guided her through the most difficult time in her life. “You are loved, little one,” she whispered softly to him. “Your father and I love you with all our hearts.” 

“We do,” James agreed, leaning down to kiss his son too. Rarity’s heart swelled at the sight before her husband urged her once more from the room. 

“I have missed him terribly,” she told James the moment he had kicked the nursery door closed. Offering her a sympathetic expression, James pulled her into his arms and cradled her there for several moments before responding. 

“He is still here, and he is safe and well,” he pointed out, stroking the hair at the back of her head. “I am sure he will be as pleased to see you in the morning as you are to see him.”

Rarity smiled at the thought of that and smiled even more when James pulled back slightly to urge her gaze up with his fingers beneath her chin as he announced, “But before then, there is another man who is in need of your attention.” 

“And who might that be?” Rarity chuckled, allowing her gaze to show her mischief as she stared up at him, her palms flat upon his chest, feeling the smooth texture of his finest suit. 

“Your husband,” he growled, his voice filled with desire as he began to urge her away from the nursery in the direction of their bedroom. Rarity had to bite back laughter as he tickled and caressed her sides. Even through the thick material of her gown, worn due to the cooler weather, she could feel the warmth of his touch, and her heart began to pound in anticipation of what was to come. 

Though her grandmother had warned her before her wedding of what would happen afterwards, of the appetites of men, Rarity could never have been prepared for James’ appetite or even her own. Though other married couples had warned them not to be hasty on having children, to enjoy their happiness as two and take all the pleasure they could while they were young, Rarity found that what they had said so far had been wrong. Her love and affection for her husband had only heightened since the birth of their son, and upon the go-ahead from their family physician, Rarity had been all too happy to fall back into bed with the duke. 

She was all too happy to do so now. Though she was exhausted after the long day and her anxieties over leaving their son for the first time, Rarity relished the way that her husband took gentle care to help her remove her gown. She loved the way his fingers brushed her flesh enticingly without actually groping her. She loved the way he pulled her back against him the moment she was stripped naked and gripped between her thighs, the way his fingers stroked her most sensitive area and how he dipped just the tip of his middle finger inside her to tease her. 

“You are a tease, Husband,” Rarity announced, twisting in his arms so that she could begin to undress him also. Though they had made love only the night before, Rarity found that she was ravenous for him, and the moment he pushed down his breeches, she dropped down onto her knees to take his rock hard member into her mouth. She had done so multiple times during their marriage, more so after the birth of their son when she had been off-limits to him, wishing to keep him happy. And she found that she loved to do so, enjoying the groans that escaped his lips as she stroked her tongue ever so lightly and gently down the end of him before coming back up to gently lap the salty-sweet essence that gathered at the very tip.

“Now, who is the tease, wife?” James insisted, gripping hold of her upper arms to drag her back to her feet. Kissing her forcefully, James offered not a moment’s warning as he suddenly spun her round and braced her against the end of the bed, urging her down onto the mattress with her legs spread wide. 

The sheer surprise and pleasure at his entering her from behind caused Rarity to scream out loud, and she quickly had to turn her head to bury her face in the sheets. James’ lovemaking had become more sensuous, more passionate, these last few months, and Rarity knew that she would be left aching sweetly after this latest time, and yet, she loved every moment. 

His hands pinned her by her buttocks to the bed, and she scrunched her hands in the bedsheets as he ploughed into her deeply. “I wish to sow another seed and watch it grow inside you,” he announced through gritted teeth and Rarity’s insides twisted with delight, knowing that she would have liked nothing more than to give him another baby. 

Lifting her head from the bed just enough to speak, she ordered, “Do it, my love.” 

James thrust onward, his grip on her buttocks growing stronger and stronger until Rarity had to grit her teeth, anticipating pain. Just when she began to think she might be able to take no more, she felt the tell-tale signs of her husband’s climax drawing close. His entire body tensed, and she heard the change in his breathing. His hands, though they still held on tightly to her, were trembling. And when she glanced over her shoulder at him, she saw that his face was twisted as if in pain. The moment his release came, Rarity felt her own sending her over the edge of a pleasure-filled abyss, and she screamed aloud this time, her head thrown back and her eyes rolling back in her head. 

Afterward, they remained there, and James leaned down to cup her chin, forcing her head back further so that all she could do was accept his kiss. She could feel him throbbing inside her still, feel his warm and silky seed spilling from between her legs to roll deliciously slowly down her inner thighs, tickling her skin as it went. 

“I think, perhaps, another infant might be joining the nursery sooner than we thought,” James chuckled into her ear even as he finally slipped himself from her and urged her back to her feet, cupping her breasts even as he nuzzled into the side of her neck. His kisses upon her flesh caused her to quiver, and she was almost certain that he would wish to go again before too long. 

“I suppose you are in need of another son,” she whispered, meaning for her tone to be playful though she felt her husband tense against her. He nuzzled her more passionately and placed his hands upon her stomach, stroking her with the balls of his thumbs. 

“I would prefer a daughter. A beautiful little girl just like her mother,” he announced into her ear, and the images his words conjured filled Rarity with excitement. Feeling a fresh wave of passion overwhelm her, Rarity twisted in his arms to reach up and cup his face, initiating another fiery kiss. The way James’ arms wrapped possessively around her caused to feel wanted and desired, and she pressed herself against his muscular torso, feeling her nipples harden against him. 

“I thought I was the one most up for round two,” James chuckled during a moment of trying to catch his breath before he began to kiss her all over again. 

“Do you wish for me to stop?” Rarity asked sternly between kisses. In response, James urged her down onto the bed and guided himself deep inside her. Lost in a fog of pleasure and happiness, Rarity laid back on the bed and enjoyed the feel of her husband making love to her, knowing that if they kept things up the way they had been then he was right. They would be, without a doubt adding another infant to their nursery. 

Their second lovemaking session ended with them sated and left truly exhausted, with neither of them having any energy left for a third round. Rarity nuzzled into her husband’s chest even as he pulled the bedsheets over her, showing her yet more affectionate as he pressed his lips to her forehead. 

“Thank you, Rarity,” James whispered after several moments of catching his breath. Startled by his words, Rarity lifted her head from his chest and twisted in order to be able to see him. 

“What could you possibly have to thank me for?” she asked, raising an eyebrow even as she coiled her index finger in his dark chest hair. It had grown thicker since their wedding, and Rarity often enjoyed playing with it after their lovemaking. James smiled down at her as though he enjoyed it too and lifted his hand to cup her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb. 

“I wish to thank you for everything,” he announced, gazing affectionately into her eyes. “My life has been turned upside down since you walked into it.” 

“That doesn’t sound entirely pleasant,” Rarity smirked up at him, knowing that they were both truly pleased with the changes that had come to their lives. She remembered the struggling, exhausted, and grief-stricken young woman she had been when she met the duke and the broken man he had also been. It was no secret that they had both entirely turned things around. Even the villagers appeared pleased with all the changes that had been made. 

“It is far more pleasant than my life had ever been before you,” James insisted, and Rarity couldn’t help but chuckle as she thought of a comment one of the villagers had made. 

“Mr Fiddle is certainly pleased as he has far more business than he ever dreamed possible when he arrived in our quiet little village,” she smirked at her husband, and he gripped hold of her ribs, tickling her playfully. 

“I wasn’t thinking of Mr Fiddle,” he grumbled at her, and the two tossed about the bed, Rarity trying in vain to get away from his tickling fingers before finally falling beneath another of his kisses. It was at that moment that Rarity realised she had never dreamt of ever being so happy. 

Readers who read this book also liked

---

OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 2 FREEBIES FOR YOU!

Grab my new series, "Scandalous Regency Affairs", and get 2 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!

---