“What are you doing here, Georgiana?”
Her smile faltered. That hadn’t come out even remotely friendly. And it wasn’t the good kind of cross. It was theyou are a bothercross. Fitz headed to his dressing chamber, and Georgiana pushed off the door and followed him.
She needed to talk to her husband because he had disappeared after the game of snapdragon, saying he was retiring for the evening. And once again, Georgiana had the sense that her husband was isolating himself, that something was wrong. It was past ten o’clock, and he hadn’t visited her. She thought, after what had occurred in his study, he’d be more inclined to visit her now.
But he hadn’t.
Which only fueled her fear that she had been right in thinking her husband wanted nothing to do with her. So, here she was, taking charge, bursting into her husband’s chamber—albeit accidentally—and doing what her husband had said he wanted in his study. They were going to converse.And I really want to converse with you.
She supposed she would find out how true that statement was soon enough.
“I wanted to speak with you, Fitz.” She stopped and leaned against the door frame, unabashedly watching him as he pulled on a pair of smallclothes—his foot got stuck, and he nearly tumbled to the ground. He recovered with a curse and a deeper blush. He was so bloody adorable. And lovely to look at, even slightly covered as he was now. The smalls were loose-fitting, falling to about his knee, and hung low on his hips, dangerously low.
“Do you not have a valet to assist you?” She thought, for safety’s sake, her husband could probably benefit from a valet.
He looked at her, his brows coming together and inching up his forehead in an incredulous climb. “Me? Have a valet? Do you really think someone as nervous and awkward as me would be able to have another person do something as personal as dress me?” He glanced away, but she still heard the softly muttered words. “It would be painful.”
Her heart went soft. There had been so much self-disgust in those words. She thought she might know a way to help with that. When Georgiana needed distraction, fooling around, dalliances, had always worked to push away the melancholy. So, perhaps that was something she could do for him, something they could do for each other.
She tentatively approached Fitz, not because shewas nervous, but because she didn’t want him to flee. She stopped before him, her neck craning up to hold his gaze. The scent of soap and pure, unadulterated Fitzwilliam Jennings swirled around her. He was so tall, a few errant, tight curls falling over his brow as he looked down at her. He watched her. Wary. Uneasy. Breathing soft bursts of warm minty breath down to her. She rested her palms on his chest, and heat seared her skin. He flinched but didn’t pull back.
She lifted on her toes and pressed a soft kiss to his lips before sinking back down. He did nothing more than stare at her, study her, jaw set and nostrils flaring. She was determined to ease him into bedding her tonight. Things had been so good between them after their encounter earlier. Maybe that was the secret to a happy marriage. There really should be pamphlets on these types of things—for those who didn’t have any real-life examples to guide them.
His chest quivered beneath her palms, his heart softly beating into her skin. What was going on in that mind of his? What anxious storm was he brewing up in there? She opened her mouth to ask—
“Would you let me watch you fuck yourself?” Fitz blurted.
She blinked. So much for discussion.
23
Fitz
Fitz’seyesshotsowide he couldfeelhis lids expanding. His wife’s eyes did much the same.Oh, bloody lawks.Had he really just said that? He had. He had just asked his wife to let him watch her…Watch her.One would think he’d be able to say it in his head since he had just blurted it out loud. But apparently, he had hit his quota for vulgar speech for the day.
“Yes.” She nodded vigorously, a few loose blonde tendrils flying wildly around her face.
A sigh of relief flew from him. Wait. She said yes? She was saying yes? Oh, God. She was saying yes. He hadn’t thought about what would happen if she said yes. Which was dim-witted. She was going to fuck herself. Obviously. Box the Jesuit. Mount a Corporal and four. Fetch mettle. He frowned. Did that same terminology work with a woman?
He shook his head, focusing back on her. She tilted her head, and her brows pinched. She probably thought he’d gone mad. Which he had. He must have. Because he had asked, and she had said yes, and she was going to, and he was going to, and… Dear Lord. Where did all the air go?
His lungs heaved as they finally remembered to work. It didn’t last long though, because the soft pads of her fingertips were trailing down his chest, down his abdomen, settling at the waistline of his smalls. His cock gave a jolly jump, and Fitz made a strangled sound in his throat.
“I will be but a moment,” Georgiana said. “I just have to run back to my chamber to get—”
“No, no. I’ll get it,” he said hastily. “You-you-you.” He paused and sucked in a breath, trying to regain control of himself. “Why don’t you get comfortable on my bed?” The least he could do was retrieve her, er, implement. She was already going to be doing all the work. “Where might I find your…ahh…your…”
She smiled softly up at him, her green eyes dancing. “My dildo? It is in a box in my nightstand.”
He jerked his chin in a nod and took a bracing breath. All right. He would retrieve the dildo. He could do this. He bounced slightly on his feet, working up his resolve. Before he lost the small amount he’d just built up, he grabbed his wife’s hand and dragged her into his chamber with purpose. He swung around to face her and pointed to his bed.
“You get on that bed. I want you naked when I return.”
He almost smiled and gave a cheer at how clear and authoritative that had come out.Well done, chap!
His almost-smile died, though, because Georgiana’s eyes went dark, and her sharp exhalation sliced through the room. She glanced to the floor and licked her tempting, parted, pink lips. “Yes, sir.”
His cock pulsed, and he groaned. He really hoped he could get more comfortable with this. Because Georgiana’s reaction to being told what to do? He glanced down. Shite. He couldn’t run through the hall in nothing but his smalls and a raging cockstand to boot.
