Page 100 of The Earl's Bluestocking Bride
A flicker of hurt passed over her face, but then she scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. I can offer you more excitement than your boring, mousey wife ever could.” She swayed closer and grabbed his tie before he could avoid her. “You don’t have to put on an act when we’re in private, darling. I know you want me.”
He grabbed her wrist and gently but firmly tugged it away from his cravat. “I never set out to hurt you, Florence. I’m sorry if that’s what I’ve done. But you must end this campaign to win me over. You won’t succeed. I’m faithful to my wife.”
Quick as a fox, she grabbed his cock through his breeches.
He choked on air, shocked stiff. When he regainedcontrol of himself, he swatted her hand away and partially closed the door, putting it between them.
“Don’t ever touch me like that again,” he growled. “It’s completely unacceptable.”
“Andrew, I—”
He cut her off. “No. I’ve been patient with you because of our history, but let me make this perfectly clear. The only woman I want touching me is my wife. You may be accustomed to using your beauty to get what you want, but you won’t have me. Never again. My heart, my body, and my soul belong to her.”
“But she’s so… so…,” she sputtered, apparently unable to find the words she was searching for.
“She’s clever,” he said, “passionate, and ambitious, and she has the biggest heart. I refuse to have anything to do with bruising it.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You just think I won’t go through with it.”
He shook his head. “Do what you think is best. It won’t change my mind.”
She shut the door in his face.
His shoulders slumped, and he left, unable to help the feeling that he’d failed. He’d made the right decision—he had no doubt of that—but if Florence spread rumors about his marriage, it would hurt Amelia, and it would be his fault. There was no escaping that.
He pushed the door open, strode through, and headed around the corner to where the carriage waited. He got inside without a word and buried his face in his hands as the carriage jolted forward.
How concerned should he be? Was Florence’s desire for petty revenge really strong enough that she’d risk angering an aristocrat?
He sighed. He knew damn well that she wouldn’t fear anyrepercussions from him. She was the type of person to carry through on her threats.
Should he warn Amelia?
If he did, he’d have to tell her why this was happening, and the idea of that was sickening—especially after she’d already shown that she was insecure about Florence.
Damn. Why did it have to be so hard to know the right thing to do?
He arrived home, intending to retire quietly to his bedroom for a soak in the bath so he could consider his options in private, but as soon as he was through the door, Amelia rushed down the stairs toward him, grinning broadly.
“What is it?” he asked, uncertain what could have excited her so greatly when he’d only been gone for a short period of time.
She skipped over to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and stretched onto her tiptoes to kiss him. “I have another story ready to send to the publisher.”
“Congratulations!” He hugged her tightly, breathing in woman and mint. The smell of home. He kissed her. “I’m so proud of you.”
She started to smile, but then she sniffed, and a groove formed between her eyebrows. “Are you using a new cologne?”
His heart skipped and his blood turned cold. Fuck. Florence must have left a trace of her floral perfume on him when she grabbed his cravat—or his crotch.
“Yes,” he said so quickly, his tongue almost tripped over the word. “I’m trying it out. What do you think?”
She sniffed again and frowned. “It’s rather feminine, but it’s nice, so if you like it, then I like it too.”
He grimaced. Now he felt like an utter cad. His wife was prepared to like the scent of another woman’s perfume onhim just because she thought it was something he’d worn to please himself.
“Have you prepared a copy of the story for submission?” he asked, desperate to change the subject.
“Yes.” She let him go and gestured up the stairs. “It’s in my bedchamber. I’ve been preparing extra copies of each section as I write them so it would be ready as soon as I was finished.”
