She let out a frustrated huff through her nose. “Fitz?”
His gaze flew to her mouth, and his lips parted, his lids lowered. He liked that. Excitement thrummed through her veins. Progress!
“Unghy.”
The excitement fizzled out.
“If you had a mistress, or so you said…”
His mouth flattened. “I did,” he bit out.
“Then why could you bed her and not me?”
He blinked at her. “Well, I was paying her.”
He said it like she was a simpleton. Maybe she was? Because she didn’t think that made a lick of sense.
“Yes… And you get to bed me for free. You can do what you please with me. Shouldn’t that make you the opposite of nervous?”
His lips quirked in a half-smile, and he let out a little huff-of-a-laugh, assaulting her senses with more of that tempting peppermint scent. “I was nervous at first with her, too.”
Georgiana’s gaze locked on that self-deprecating half-smile. Oh, if only this man could get past his nerves. She’d very much like to try a taste of her freshly tooth-powdered husband.
“But I became comfortable over time. And until I did…”
Silence.
“Until you did…what?” she prodded. These were the most words they had exchanged, probably even if one tallied up all their conversations over the past sennight. And they were very helpful words. Insight into the anxious mind of her husband.
“She was a mistress. She was well-versed in these matters. She took control, so I didn’t have to.”
Oh. An uncomfortable knot formed in her stomach. He wanted her to take control? Even if she had done this before, that wasn’t very appealing to Georgiana. She wanted tobecontrolled. A tightness snaked around her chest. Oh dear. That might be overwhelm cinching around her.
Up until now, she had been doing very well, considering.
Considering she had just married a veritable stranger, been thrust to an altar, and then thrown into a new home with a new family. Not to mention that it was the Christmastide season. Christmas was in a few days. And she wasn’t spending it with her family. She wasn’t spending it with anyone remotely familiar. Granted, Christmas wasn’t all that jolly a time in the Hartley’s household. But she had always celebrated with Bernie. Until this year. Her first Christmas without him.
Her heart lodged itself in her throat, making it impossible to swallow. Christmas always fell flat, filled with material items that meant nothing, all for show. There was no laughter, no joy, no hope—like right now.
Oh dear, that was definitely overwhelm she was feeling, it was spiraling around her, tighter than the threads in a weaver’s loom.
And now… Now she had a husband whosheneeded to take charge with. In all things. Conversation and copulation.
She took a steadying breath. One of them needed to breathe normally. And it was definitely not going to be her husband. She hadn’t let life destroy her yet, she wouldn’t now.
He needed her to take control. She would try.
“Why don’t we start with a kiss?”
10
Fitz
Whydon’twestartwith a kiss?
It seemed the logical place to start. Even Fitz could admit that. And he wanted the press of her lush lips against his. Desperately. There was just one problem.
Him.
