Page 35 of Surrender Your Grace
“You’re incredibly well read. Often, I feel like a ninny around you.”
He pulled her close in an affectionate hug.“Nonsense, you’ve undoubtedly spent your time reading gothic thrillers and penny dreadfuls, while I was immersed in philosophy, literature, and law books, which are full of history.”
He was lumping her in with all the other debutantes, and she instantly took offense.
“Our tutor introduced us to the classics, I’ll have you know, and I availed myself of Papa’s library often. I just lack the skill to spout quotes as rapidly as you can.”
Leaning back, he regarded her with a dubious look.“Your sister read the classics?”
“Hardly,”she said, emitting a sound that was half laugh, half snort, and decidedly unladylike.“Elizabeth lacked the patience. I eagerly devoured them then gave her the truncated version with enough plot points for her to fool our teacher. I may not be worldly or well-traveled, and I am certainly not as old as you are, but I’m interested in things other than fashion, balls, and gossip. Recently, I had the chance to readOne Thousand and One Nights, which was most, um… enlightening.”
“I’d call the tales of Scheherazade a damn sight more than enlightening. It’s erotic and considered scandalous. They’re considering banning it, in fact. Where in London would a young lady get her hands on a copy of that?”
“Ah, so you’ve read it too?”
“Never mind that. Answer the question.”
“I hate to condemn your sister, dearest husband, but I believe she got it from your library.”
He stared at her, appalled, then shook his head.“I shouldn’t be surprised. Leave it to Maggie to corrupt my wife before I even had the chance to meet her.”He closed his eyes, shuddering slightly.
“Andrew! Have you taken a chill?”
“No. I’m imagining the trouble the two of you could get into together.”
If he but knew, it would curl his hair.
Cici’s eyes rose to his thick, only slightly wavy hair, and she gave him a saucy grin.“Best not think about it.”
Unable to keep from smiling in return, he wondered aloud,“How did we get on this unsuitable topic? Ah, yes, we were discussing ballrooms and bedrooms, and ladies and harlots.”
“I said nothing about harlots and bedrooms,”she replied.“That was you.”
“Yours was implied, my dear. But having both would give me the best of both worlds and make me the luckiest of husbands.”He waggled his brows suggestively and pulled her onto his lap.
As he cuddled her close, his hands wandered, caressing and teasing her until one found its way under her skirts. His kisses were so distracting, before she realized their destination, his fingers found the seam of her drawers, which in the current style of hoops and cage crinolines was open out of necessity. Slipping his hand inside, he barely got to touch the warm wetness all the saucy talk and his kisses had created before she started to wiggle and protest.
Cici gasped against his lips.“You can’t mean for us to—”She lowered her voice and uttered,“Fornicateright here by the path.Anyone could happen by!”
“We are in a secluded area on private property. No one is going to happen by,”he assured her.
The thought of her disgrace if word got around that he had her stripped bare on a bench out in the open dampened the spark he was trying to kindle.“You don’t know that,”she argued.“You’re going to ruin me!”
“Going to?”he asked, kissing down the slope of her neck.“Sweet pea, you were ruined in deed weeks ago.”
“Andrew!”she exclaimed, pushing at his hands.
“I have no intention of embarrassing you or sparking rumors.My goal is for us to avoid being featured in the scandal rags. Would it ease your mind if I told you we could find our pleasure without removing our clothing?”
His suggestion piqued her interest enough to ask,“How?”
Without removing his hand, he eased her to a sitting position on the bench and knelt before her. Before she could utter another word, he had two fingers fully embedded within her, and his thumb found that most interesting spot at the front of her sex. Quickly losing her will to protest, she parted her thighs a little more and arched against his magical fingers, silently answering his question.
“That’s it. Relax and let me send you soaring.”
“What you do to me, Andrew, and where you do it, is beyond scandalous. We really ought not to.”
Her objection was a feeble whisper, escaping with a sultry sigh as she writhed beneath his touch.
