Chapter Nine
Kitty found herself with a stomach full of energetic butterflies.
The room she’d been given was beautiful, furnished with exquisite taste, and exactly what she would have expected to find in Mowbray House. There was a lovely pair of double doors leading to the corridor outside, and others leading to a large clothing cupboard, and possibly what might be another suite. She didn’t know.
The fact that she was sitting in the middle of such luxury didn’t mitigate the feel of her silk robe next to bare skin. Max had reminded her—no nightgown. She was to await his summons with no clothes at all.
It was all well and good for the master of the house to issue such dictates, but he clearly had no idea of how many times a maid might pop her head around the door to see if she had everything she needed. He would have to be informed that such a dictate was going to be almost impossible to obey.
But until that moment, all she could do was sit, stare at the fire, and try to quell those butterflies, who had gone from a quadrille, to a cotillion to a fast-paced, triple-time waltz.
Tonight would be her first true experience with sex. Lovemaking. Complete naked intimacy with a man.
The thought was somewhat frightening.
She knew the basics, of course. But in spite of her limited history with sensuality, the magnitude of the sensations Max had elicited in the conservatory had shocked her beyond belief. She’d daringly experimented when alone, and found some degree of pleasure as a result of her own touch. But again, compared to Max? A mere ripple on a quiet pond.
He had taken her to the middle of a raging river and turned her loose to be battered from rock to shore and back again.
And that was when she was fully dressed, in someone else’s conservatory. Here? Alone in his chamber? The butterflies commenced a violent Spanish fandango, which she recognized from a performance she’d seen at the theatre not long ago.
She could leave, of course. Just stand, dress, and write a note to Max. Although she had not known him for long, she believed he would let her go with a nod. He was not holding her hostage, or keeping her in this room under duress. That was not his style.
No, she was here of her own free will. And a stupid wager, but there was no undoing it.
Her mind wound around her situation like a plume of smoke seeking the sky. He’d said “submit” at some point…she recalled it clearly. Submit to him, to his desires. Could she do that?
She didn’t know—didn’t have enough idea of what such a thing meant.
Being a reasonably clear thinker, Kitty then asked herself a question.What do I know?
She admitted she had enjoyed Max’s kisses. When it came to that, he was extraordinarily talented as far as she was concerned.
She also knew, surprising though it was, that she’d liked being held captive with her arms above her head. She hadn’t felt helpless; she’d felt…wanted.
And she admitted to herself that when he’d lifted her skirts the thrill of his touch on her most intimate places had aroused every female nerve in her body to screaming point.
So if that was submitting to his desires? Yes. She would happily do it again and again.
A light tap on the second door to her chamber made her jump, and she crossed the soft carpet to stand in front of it. “Yes?”
“Open the door, Kitty.”
It was Max. She quickly did as he asked. “I didn’t know our rooms connected.”
He walked past her, wearing a deep green wool robe over his nightshirt. She noticed his feet were bare. “This was my mother’s room many years ago. She liked knowing my father was close enough to call if she needed him.”
“She was unwell?”
“In her later years, yes.” He glanced around, then back to her. “Your robe. Did I not say you were to be naked?”
“You did.” She found herself lifting her chin. “However, you forgot that as a woman, I am tended to far more frequently by maids than you, as a gentleman, would know. Therefore, I felt that maintaining some kind of respectability within your house was appropriate.” She took a deep breath, knowing that what she was about to do was outside of anything she’d ever imagined.
“But,” she looked down and found the tie at the waist of her robe. “I compromised.”
She slowly undid the tie, opened the garment and then let it fall from her shoulders to the ground. “I hope this is satisfactory?”
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