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Anthony tried to contain his laughter. Kate had come to her first ladies' night at Danbury House and, to her husband's delight, had returned slightly intoxicated. Well, completely, to be honest.
He was already tucked up in bed, naked, pulled the covers up to his hips and leaning against the headboard. He had taken the ledger with him to occupy his mind until Kate's return, which he had already pushed aside as soon as she came screeching into his bedroom.
"Anthonyyyyyy..."
Her eyes were glazed over and she looked up at him with a smile that lit up her entire face. She walked over to the bed and threw herself on top of him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Heeeeeeeeelloooo"
"Hi, I have missed you"
"And I you", Kate pouted and lifted her head to seal her mouth with his.
Anthony placed his hand behind the back of her neck and pulled her closer, pushing his tongue into her mouth until she grimaced.
"Mmm, Kate", he coughed, "my God, how much have you had to drink?"
Kate fell back as she gasped theatrically, lost her balance and fell backwards onto her side of the bed. "Lord Bridgerton, how rude!" she scowled, "do I ask you when you come back smelling of distillery after going out with your brothers?", she raised her eyebrows judiciously.
Anthony let out a laugh. "Touché"
He stood silently looking at her, she was engrossed staring at the ceiling, palms on her belly tapping her fingers rhythmically to a tune she was humming.
"Anthony, do you consider yourself a romantic?" she murmured to the ceiling.
"Errr"
"Because listening to the complaints of other ladies, I can tell you are the most romantic man in the whole Ton", she said flatly looking him in the eye.
"Ah"
Kate sat up, awkwardly, until she straddled him.
"And also the most handsome in all of London"
"And why is that?"
"What do you think?", she returned a goofy little grin after running down his body looking at him viciously. She rested her hands on his chest, stroking him up and down. Anthony could not resist and placed his hands on her hips, he closed his eyes enjoying her weight against him and the warmth of her mouth on his body. "Mmmm"
"Kate", he groaned as he held back a laugh.
"Mmmm", she moaned as he pushed her away slightly.
"Am I the most romantic husband in all of London?" he asked with a boyish grin.
"You know you are," she smiled rolling her eyes before burying her head back into his neck.
"But why?", he asked again after a moan.
Anthony moved his hands down to her ass, giving it a squeeze that made Kate moan louder.
"What do you mean why?", she jerked away startling him. "Anthony!", she scolded, her eyebrows raised in surprise to her hairline. "You've told me the most romantic things I've ever heard like "my honor is hanging by a thread that grows more precarious with every moment in your presence", or "you are the bane of my existence and the object of all my desires" or "all I find myself thinking about, all I find myself being able to breathe for is you", or "I have loved you at every dance, on every walk, every time we have been together, and every time we have been apart...", or.... or...," she had begun imitating him, but as she said it her eyes began to cloud with tears.
"Kate..."
Kate's tears began to run down her cheeks. Anthony wiped them away by stroking her face gently with his thumbs. "Do not cry, my love"
"Sorry...", she hiccupped. She clung to his body again, hugging him tighter. "It is... just... that you have made me so happy...", she sniffled, running the back of her hand over her nose.
"And so have you", he wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her tight against his chest.
They lay in each other's arms for a while, wrapped in silence and stillness. When Anthony thought to move, Kate let out a snore in his ear.
"The most romantic marriage in all of London, actually," he laughed, laid Kate gently on her side of the bed with a kiss on her forehead and covered her with a blanket before blowing out the candle.