Her Counterfeit Husband (23 page)

“Why
did you call
me to your bedchamber if you had no intention of using me for your pleasure?”
He turned from the desk and watched as she brushed her hair in front of her vanity mirror.  “I won’t be able to conce
ntrate on reading while we’re in your bedchamber
.  You would have done better to take me to the library like you usually do.” He crossed his arms.  “A gentleman can’t focus when there’s a bed in the room.”

She finally glanced his way and gave him
an amused
smile.  “I thought you’d be more comfortable reading in here than in that stuffy library.  The chairs in this room are more comfortable.”

“
Well, I’m not going to be comfortable in here if all I’m going to do is sit in a c
hair and read.
”

“I assure you that
I won’t leave you unsatisfied, Your G
race, but we already delayed your progress by
spending too much time in intimate pursuits
.  You still have things to learn about being a duke.”

He groaned and plopped down in the chair
by the desk
.  “I fail to see what the urgency is.  I lost my memory.  People will understand if I don’t do everything perfectly.”

“Regardless of whether you lost your memory or not, there are certain expectations you
must
fulfill in polite society.  You don’t want to do anything that causes a scandal.”

He glanced
at the book.  “And a book this
gigantic is going to prevent me from causing a scandal?”

“Those are etiquette guidelines, and yes, it’s important you read them.”

With a grimace, h
e brough
t the book into his lap and flipped through it, picking out random passages to read.
“If a gentleman passes a lady he is briefly acquainted with, he must not tip his hat or greet her unless she first acknowledges him.  When walking up the stairs, gentlemen
must go first.  When walking down the stairs, ladies must go first.” He placed the book back on the table.  “I don’t see how those things matter.”

“They matter a great deal, Jason.  You must take everything in that book seriously.  You’d be surprised at how little it takes for gos
sip to circulate through London, and the Ton can be unforgiving if you upset the wrong person.
”

“Have you been the victim of gossip?”

“No, I haven’t, but I’ve seen others who have
been
, and it’s not pleasant.  Candace had to settle for marrying Ian because no other
gentleman would have her.  Candace made the mistake of making a morning call without the proper allowanc
e from her superior
.  The
superior
in question happened to be Lady Cadwalader, and she has a lot of influence with the Ton.  Had it not been for that social blunder, Candace could have married someone far better than Ian
.  Ian’s one of the few gentleme
n who won’t
let the Ton dictat
e what he can or can’t do.  H
e needed a lady to give him an heir so he offe
red his suit, and her brother
arranged the marriage
on her behalf.” Her voice drifted off as she inspected the brush in her hands.

Curious, Jason leaned forward.  “You don’t like Ian?”

“He’s Lord
Mason’s friend, and people are often known by the company they keep
.” She turned her attention to the mirror and resumed brushing her hair.  “So you see why i
t’s important that you read the
book.  If we’re going to London, you need to be acquainted with the proper etiquette.” She glanced his way and
smiled.  “Besides, the book isn’t gigantic like you claim.  Y
ou can read it in one sitting if
you wish.”

“I’m sorry, Anna, but I have no intention of staying up all night reading.  I’ll humor you and read some of it tonight, but I have something far more interesting to study than
what
the Ton wants me to do or not do.”

Her face grew pink at his me
aning, and she averted her gaze from his.
  Finding her reaction to intimate talk adorable, he stood up
and approached her
.
  He took the brush from her and gently brushed her s
ilky blonde hair, which fell
to the middle of her back.

“What are you doing?” she asked, turning her head in his direction.

He
turned her head back to the mirror and continued to brush her hair.  “Brushing your hair.”

“All right.  Perhaps I should have worded the question differently.  Why are you brushing my hair?”

He shrugged.  “I thought it’d be a good way to start studying you.”

She chuckled.  “I think you already know everything about me.”

“There’s always something new to learn.” He lifted her hair and kissed the back of her neck, noting that she shivered in delight.  “Ah, I see I found a sensitive
spot right there
.”

He kissed her again
and grinned when a soft moan escaped her lips.
  Letting go of her hair, he brushed it a
few more times before placing the brush
on the table in front of her.
  He brought his hands to her shoulders and, notin
g how tense her muscles were,
massaged them.

“You needn’t worry about London. 
I’ll behave myself as required,” he promised.  “And if I’m not sure about something, I’ll ask you.”

“You will read the
book, won’t you?”

“Yes.” He laughed and worked his way down her back.  “I’ll read and memorize every painful word.”

“Painful?”

“You have to admit that reading an etiquette book isn’t exactly the most stimulating way to spend one’s time.”

“No, but it’s necessary.”

He knelt beside her and
kissed her cheek.  “I know it’s necessary.  I won’t do anything to embarrass you.”

She turned toward him and clasped his hands.  “Jason, it’s not about being embarrassed.  I just don’t want people to think you’re different from the way you were before.  You used to know all the etiquette rules and obeye
d them.”

“And I’ll obey them this time. 
But can you explain why gentleme
n walk in front of ladies when going up the stairs and why they walk behind ladies when going down the stairs?”

“That is simple.  It all has to do with the ankles.  The gentleman must never see a lady’s ankles.  When a lady goes up or down the stairs, she might need to lift the bottom of her dress ever so slightly to avoid tripping on the hem.  It’s possible that a gentleman might see her ankle in such a situation, but if he walks in front of her while going up the stairs and behind her while going down, he can’t see the front of her dress.”

With a wicked grin, he slid his hand under her robe and touched
her ankle.  “So seeing your ankle would be
scandalous?”

“Not in the privacy of a bedchamber, but I
wouldn’t recommend you take a peek at my ankle while we’re in public.”

“Then it’s a good thing we’re in your bedchamber.” He traced the curve of her calf and brought his hand up her thigh.  She parted her legs, and he accepted her silent invitation and lightly brushed the inside of her thighs.  “I promise I won’t
lift
your dress to see your ankle when we’re in
public.”

As he hoped, she laughed at his joke, but her laughter died down when he leaned forward and kissed her neck.  She shifted in the chair and spread her legs so he could touch her more intimately. 
He brushe
d his tongue up to her earlobe
and left a trail of kisses f
rom where his tongue had been.
 
His fingers teased the folds
of her flesh before he inserted a finger into her, noting her soft warmth.
She moaned and gripped the arms of her chair.

Now this was more like it.  He’d rather be d
oing this than reading a book. 
He slid another finger inside her and stroked her core in the way he knew she
liked.  She rewarded him with another
moan
and rocked her hips
.  His thumb found her sensitive nub and he
caressed it using
circular motions
he knew she liked best
.

Up to that point, they’d always been undressed when enjoying each other’s bodies, but he couldn’t deny the thrill of doing this while they were still clothed.  He continu
ed kissing the side of her neck
, mindful to
brush his tongue over
the sensitive area that made her squirm in pleasure.  She gasped and moved faster, an action
which
motivated
him to use more pressure on the
bundle of nerves
in
her core.

She
was
getting wetter with each stroke,
and h
is erecti
on throbbed in anticipation as
he continued to caress her tender flesh.  Her moans grew louder, something that aroused him further since he knew she was almost at the peak.  He loved giving her that exp
erience, knowing it was him who
was giving her the height of sexual pleasure.  And when she cried out and her flesh clenched around his fingers, he groaned, pleased he had succeeded.

After she relaxed, s
he took his face in her hands and kissed him, her tongue b
rushing his lips, prompting him
to open
his mouth
for her.  He obeyed and her tongue interlaced with his.  She deepened the kiss, and his fingers
continued to lightly tease
her flesh.  Moaning, she shuddered
and ended the kiss.

“You feel good,” she murmured, leaving a trail of kisses from his jawline to his ear.

“You do, too,” he whispered in a raspy voice, thinking there was nothing more wonderful than a lady’s body.

She nudged his fingers out of her and motioned for him to lie down
on the rug
.  He did as instructed and smiled as she pulled his robe open, exposing his erection.  She turned so she was facing away from him and straddled him.  Intrigued, he lifted her robe, pleased by the view of her backside as she
guided him
into her body.

He loved the initial contact as he entered her, loved how her flesh surrounded him with its moist warmth and drew him deeper into her.
 
He murmured
his appreciation and held onto her hips as she rocked them back and forth.
The position required her to do everything, something that left her in complete control, something he certainly didn’t
mind.  H
is body tightened as he felt the familiar tension building up inside him.  When he finally reached the
peak, he
cried out
and released his seed.  She waited until he relaxed before she got off of him and turned to face him.  With a smile, she gave him a lingering kiss.

He sighed
in contentment and pulled her into his arms.  “Now that’s worth coming to your bedchamber for.”

She giggled and
nudged him in the side.  “Don’t forget to read the book.”

“I won’t.
I’ll start it in a few minutes.”

“All right.”

“You
should stop worrying, Anna.  You’re much too nervous about London.  Everything will be fine.”

After a few minutes, he kissed the top of her
head
and helped her to her feet. 
He adjusted his robe
and led her over to the desk. 
“I’ll start reading the book
, and you can sit on my lap and keep me company.”

Without waiting for her response, he set her on his lap, wrap
ped his arm around her waist
, and picked up the book.  She settled against him, and he started reading.