He stopped, dropped her hands and turned to face her. “Do you really mean that?”

“Yes,” she said with exasperation. “Of course I mean it.” He was much better at speaking about his feelings, which was something she needed to work on if he was honestly asking if she meant what she’d said. “I was thinking earlier today that I had no idea how lonely or bereft my adequate existence was until you came along and showed me.”

“Carolina…”

“I don’t know if I’ve said it often enough or shown you…”

“Shown me what?”

“How much I love you.”

“God, yes, I know, love. I know. How could I not know?”

“Maybe because half the time, including during our wedding, I’m threatening to murder you.”

His loud bark of laughter made her laugh, too.

“Sorry about that today. I wasn’t planning to include that in the vows.”

“I loved that you included it. I drive you to it, love. I know I do. And I do it on purpose because I love the way you look at me when I vex you.”

“You vex me, all right. But now that I know you’re doing it on purpose…”

“You have to still give me that look.” As he spoke, he worked on buttons and snaps and hooks. When he had fully revealed her, he stared at her, his gaze hungry and heated. “You’re so very lovely. I look at you,” he said, with his lips close to her ear, “and I want. I want you, Caro, and I’m so bloody grateful you agreed to marry me.”

“You didn’t give me much choice,” she said, filled with pleasure at knowing he was so happy.

“Aye, I didn’t. Left to your own devices, you’d still be deciding to let me back into your bed after you kicked me out the first time.”

“What you didn’t know then, and I probably shouldn’t tell you now, is all you had to do is talk to me in that insanely sexy Irish accent, and I would’ve given you anything you wanted.”

“Now you tell me! This is grounds for an annulment!”

“Shut up about annulments and make love to your wife, will you please?”

“Gladly, my love.” He removed his clothes as if the hounds of hell were chasing him and dragged her into bed with him.

“Finesse. Where’s the finesse?”

“I ain’t got none tonight. I’m like a randy goat on the prowl.”

Carolina cracked up laughing and couldn’t stop no matter how hard he tried to distract her—and he tried very hard to distract her before dropping his head to her chest in utter defeat.

“All this laughter isn’t good for a man’s fragile ego.”

“You’re not a man. You’re a randy goat, remember?”

“Poor choice of words. Are you done laughing at me now?”