His Reluctant Lady (25 page)

She gripped the arms of her chair and
released her breath. All she had to do was go to his bedchamber.
Doing so would admit he was right, that she enjoyed being in bed
with him. She kept telling herself it was perfectly acceptable for
her to do it. Her pride wasn’t doing her any favors. All her pride
did was cause her frustration. All right. She’d go to his
bedchamber. In five minutes. She picked up her brush and ran it
through her hair. Who knew pushing aside her pride could be so
difficult?

She glanced at the door again. Maybe
she could go in there and ask him a question. If she made sure to
let her robe slip enough to entice him, he’d probably make love to
her. He made it no secret that he loved seeing her naked. He
certainly couldn’t keep his hands off her. Yes, that’s what she’d
do. She’d go into his room and ask a question and let her robe slip
off her shoulders by mistake. Then he’d start touching her and one
thing would lead to another, and before they’d know it, he’d be in
bed with her. And better yet, she would know she did the right
thing and went to his bedchamber first.

Now what question would be worth going
into a gentleman’s bedchamber for? She twirled the brush in her
hands as she ran through a list of possible questions. Could she
ask him where he’d take her tomorrow when they went out? No. That
seemed more like a conversation to have in the morning. Maybe she
could ask him about Perry’s upcoming wedding. No. Gentlemen
wouldn’t concern themselves with such matters. She groaned and
threw the brush on the vanity. She had to think of
something!

The doorknob turned and she
straightened in her chair. Heart racing with excitement, she
retrieved her brush and ran it through her hair, turning her gaze
to the mirror. She frowned. He better not notice the way her cheeks
were flushed with anticipation. She thought to put some powder on
them, but Christopher peered into her room.

“
I hope you don’t mind if I
come to talk,” he said with one of his charming smiles.

Shrugging, she said, “I don’t mind.
Please come in.” There. That was an open invitation. She’d done her
part to let him know she wanted him in her bed. That wasn’t nearly
as painful as she thought it’d be.

“
Well, at least you’re still
up. I was afraid you were already asleep.”

He stepped into the room and shut the
door behind him, an action which caused her body to tingle. Soon
he’d take off his robe and he wouldn’t have anything under it. Then
she’d get to see all of him, especially his arousal. She wanted
nothing more than to feel him move inside her. She took a deep
breath. What was wrong with her? There was more to being with him
than enjoying his body!

Christopher placed his hands on her
shoulders and massaged them. “You’re tense, my dear.”

“
Oh, yes. I,” she scanned
the room and saw her armoire, “have to plan out my clothes for
tomorrow. It’s important I wear the right dresses.”

He chuckled and kissed the side of her
neck, just an inch below her ear. She closed her eyes and let out a
grateful sigh. His lips felt absolutely wonderful on her skin. Soon
they’d be on her breasts. And his hands were equally divine. The
area between her legs ached for him to the point where it was
bordering on pain.

She rose to her feet and gestured to
the bed. “I suppose we should retire for the night.” There. Another
invitation. She was doing surprisingly well.

“
Actually, I only came here
to talk.”

She stared at him for a moment, not
believing her ears. “Talk?”

“
Yes. Talk. Like you
suggested the other day.”

She watched him, too stunned to respond
as he sat on her bed. He made no move to take off his robe, but she
knew he had to be naked under it. Why would he come in here with
the promise of making wild, passionate love to her if he wanted to
talk? She’d never felt more deceived in her entire life.

He patted the spot next to him. “Come
on over. I promise not to grope you. I didn’t marry you just so I
could have a bed partner. I also want a companion. Someone I can
share life’s ups and downs with. So please, sit. The best thing
about night is that there are no distractions. No one will disturb
us.” He rubbed the space next to him, and for a moment, she envied
the bed that was getting more attention than she was. “I’ll be
good.”

After a moment, she obeyed him, trying
not to notice that she was already wet and ready for him. Oh, why
couldn’t he just take her? Why did he have to choose tonight—of all
nights—to talk? “Is that really why you’re here?” she asked. “To
talk? Nothing else?”

“
Yes.” Just when she thought
he was going to laugh and say he was joking, he added, “We’ll talk
for a while then I’ll give you a chaste kiss and go back to my
bedchamber.”

“
What?”

“
Don’t worry. I know you
won’t thank me for being considerate. Knowing you are relieved is
reward enough.” Before she could say anything, he continued, “I
meant to be here sooner, but I had to go through the financial
records. You wouldn’t believe what a headache it is to add up
numbers and compare them to make sure the money went where it was
supposed to go. Now I understand why you hire someone to do that
for you. But the good news is, the steward is
trustworthy.”

“
Oh, that is good news.” She
placed her hand on his thigh and pressed her breast against his arm
as she leaned closer to him. “Thank you for looking over the
finances.”

His eyebrows rose in surprise. “Are you
feeling all right?”

“
I feel fine.” Actually, she
felt more than fine. Being this close to him was making her feel
downright wonderful. “Why? Do I look sick?” Her gaze lowered to the
opening of his robe.

“
No, you don’t look sick.
You look absolutely beautiful.”

Surprised by his soft tone, her gaze
met his. “Thank you.” She cleared her throat, deciding she would
venture into an area she wasn’t at all comfortable with—discussing
her feelings. “What I appreciate most about you is that you’re not
one of those gentlemen who lords his authority over a lady’s head.
You’re not threatened by a lady with a strong will.”

“
Not only am I not
threatened by it, but I prefer it.” He wrapped his arm around her
shoulders and smiled. “Don’t you know that’s what I love most about
you? You tell me exactly what you think of me. And,” he traced her
lips, “I happen to find a lady who consistently challenges me to be
very sensual. Docile ladies can be so boring.”

He lowered his head and her heart raced
in anticipation as his lips met hers. She didn’t know how he did
it, but he got her blood boiling to the point where she forgot
everything but the marital bed. She parted her lips, ready to
deepen the kiss when he pulled away from her.

“
Agatha,” he began, not
looking the least bit aroused, “I was wondering if you’d let me
read the rest of your story when you’re done?”

“
My story?” She stared at
him, not comprehending what he was saying.

“
Yes, the one you’re working
on now.”

“
You want to talk about my
story?” she dumbly asked, all too aware of how close her fingers
were to his erection. He had an erection. She felt the way the robe
strained against it.

“
I came here to talk. I told
you that when I entered the room.”

“
Well, yes, but…” She
glanced at her hand and the bulge next to it. So she wasn’t
imagining things. He did have an erection, and that being the case,
he was aroused. Why did he have to persist in this silly game?
Couldn’t he just roll on top of her and satisfy them both?
Preferably several times before morning came?

He shifted away from her so that she
was no longer touching him and clasped her hands in his. “I wasn’t
lying when I said I enjoyed your work. I enjoy it immensely. It’s a
shame you have to hide behind a gentleman’s name, but given your
family and society, I can certainly understand why.”

Touched, she smiled. “I do it because I
love it. I tried writing books that weren’t gothic horror, but my
heart wasn’t in it.”

“
You can’t force yourself to
do what you’re not interested in.” He kissed her hands then looked
at her in a way that made her weak in the knees. “I’m glad we had
this talk.” When he stood up, she fully expected him to take off
his robe, but he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “It’s been
a long day. I’ll let you get your rest.”

“
What?” She didn’t mean to
shriek but her voice came out sharper than she intended. He waited
for her to continue, so she rose to her feet and approached him.
With a light chuckle, she said, “This is silly. We might as well go
to my bed since you’re here.” If that wasn’t another clear
invitation, she didn’t know what was!

He shrugged. “The hour is late. Maybe
we’ll do it tomorrow night.”

He turned toward the door, so she
stepped in front of him and pointed to the floor. “Wait! I think I
saw something.” She leaned down to inspect the rug, letting her
robe slip off one of her shoulders. When she stood back up, she
shrugged, an action which caused the robe to fall further down,
exposing almost her entire left breast. “I was mistaken. There’s
nothing on the rug. I thought I saw something shiny, like glass. It
would have been awful if you’d stepped on it.”

He glanced at the floor. “How
thoughtful of you to look out for me.” He gave her a chaste kiss.
“We’ve come a long way since we got married. It’s nice.”

As he reached the door, she called out,
“I can’t allow things to end like this.”

He stopped before opening the door and
looked at her. “Oh?”

“
It’s not right. I am your
wife and you’re my husband. I should give you a child. If not for
your own pleasure, then we ought to do it anyway. I can’t have a
baby any other way.”

For a moment, he seemed to consider it
but shook his head. “Maybe some other night.” He opened the door
and went into his bedchamber.

Alarmed, she followed him. “What do you
mean maybe some other night?”

“
I’m just not up to trying
for a baby tonight.”

“
But what if I’m going
through a woman’s time of month when you’re ready to
try?”

“
I’ll take my chances.” He
pulled back his bed covers and fluffed his pillow. “Look at how
pleasant things were between us in there.” He motioned to her
bedchamber. “I want things to be like that all the
time.”

“
You mean you want to spend
all our time talking?”

“
Yes. I found it refreshing.
Now I see why you suggested I go to your bed and just talk, and
I’ve come to the conclusion we’ll never have to make love
again.”

“
What?”

“
There’s no need to thank
me.”

He let the robe fall to the floor, but
his back was to her so she couldn’t tell if he was still aroused or
not. Her body ached to join him, her flesh screaming for release.
She had no idea it could be so painful if her sexual needs went
unmet. Perhaps if gentlemen went without lovemaking for too long,
they really did lose interest. What a horrible thought!

Clearing her throat, she stepped closer
to the bed as he slipped under the covers. “Perhaps I was a little
hasty by suggesting we just talk.”

“
But you wouldn’t have said
it if you didn’t mean it, would you?”

“
Well...”

After a moment, he sat up in bed, the
covers concealing him from the waist down, something that seemed
surprisingly seductive to her. A sly grin crossed his face. “Why
don’t you just admit you want to make love to me?”

She thought to protest, but he removed
the covers and her body throbbed with the need to take him into
her. He beckoned for her to join him and her feet moved forward,
excitement rushing through her veins. He undid the strap on her
robe and gently pushed the robe off of her. His lips brushed the
skin below her neck and she sighed in pleasure, her eyes closing so
she could focus on how wonderful he felt.

“
I want you to say it,” he
whispered, his hands slowly moving up her body. “You can be
vulnerable with me. I love you, Agatha. I want to give you
pleasure. I want this to be something you can freely
enjoy.”

She lowered her head and kissed him,
and though the kiss was more insistent than she intended, she
couldn’t stop herself from the passion mounting up inside her. Her
tongue traced his lower lip until he accepted her into his mouth.
She tasted him, brushing his tongue, deepening their kiss. She
brought her hands to his shoulders and nudged him onto his back so
that she could climb on top of him.

Shifting, she settled over his arousal
and moaned. Her hips moved against him, her actions more aggressive
than she intended. But everything felt much too good to stop. She
left a trail of kisses from his mouth to his neck. Her mouth
settled on his ear, and she licked the sensitive area just below
it, smiling when he shivered in delight. She traced his ear with
her tongue and was rewarded with a groan. His hands squeezed her
hips and guided her movements. She gasped and quickened the pace,
savoring the way his male hardness felt against her sensitive
nub.