He stood there staring at the beautiful woman before him. Sophie’s father would have been amused to see his future son-in-law now. Every vestige of the modish buck about town was gone. Patrick’s eyes had gone black as midnight, and he was breathing quickly, the only thought in his head a fierce desire to pull Sophie down onto the hearth rug and make love to her then and there.

“Bloody hell,” he finally said through clenched teeth, running his hand through his tousled hair.

Then he met Sophie’s bewildered eyes. Involuntarily his eyes dropped to her swollen crimson mouth and he reached out again, pulling her soft body against the rock-hard mound in his breeches.

“We have to be married immediately, Sophie,” he muttered into her neck. “I think I’ll die if I don’t get you into my bed soon.”

Sophie smiled a bit, into the curve of his shoulder. Then she raised her head, winding one slender white arm around his neck.

“I don’t see why we shouldn’t wait a few months before getting married,” she said saucily. With her free hand she touched his lips with her fingertips, giving a little gasp when her index finger was suddenly engulfed by moistly demanding lips.

“You’ve forgotten one thing, love,” Patrick said in a voice as smooth as French velvet. “We have to be married immediately.”

A smile trembled at the corners of Sophie’s mouth. “Because of this?” With a heady sense of daring she leaned forward, just slightly, so that her body suddenly came into full contact with Patrick’s breeches.

Patrick groaned. “No!”

But he took the invitation, and suddenly Sophie was the one unable to think clearly as Patrick’s large hands meandered around her bottom, fitting her body to his as if they were a pair of nestling spoons.

Yet she managed to gasp, “If not because … then why?”

Patrick pulled away from her. “Get thee to a safe distance, wench! Because of last night, of course.” He turned back to catch Sophie’s mystified look. “You might be carrying a babe, Sophie.”

“Carrying a babe!” She colored. Of course she knew that. She certainly had heard enough tirades from her mother about her father’s absence from the marital bed and her resulting lack of children. Not to mention the more pungent comments of maids who seemed endlessly to discuss various ways to prevent conception.

“Actually, we should be more careful in the future.” Patrick frowned. “You aren’t truly one of those women like Braddon’s sister who are obsessed with having children, are you?”

Sophie hesitated. She wasn’t obsessed, but … what did he mean? Of course she wanted children. And didn’t every man want a son? Even Braddon had said flat out that he needed an heir.

“Are you uninterested in children, sir?”

“For God’s sake, Sophie, call me Patrick. After last night—”