“I see that.”
“Shall we taste it?” Bridget asked, grinning. “I have never cooked anything before.”
That was quite apparent.
“What possessed you to try cooking now?” he asked. “You are a duchess, and duchesses do not cook.”
“I simply wanted to show you how much I appreciate you,” Bridget said, wide-eyed.
Lewis scoffed in disbelief, which only made Bridget smile more widely. She did not even try to hide that her aim was to irritate him! Lewis crossed his arms, his eyes lingering on the distasteful cake.
“I suppose you expect me to eat it,” he said.
“With dinner,” she said brightly.
“Why wait?” Glancing at the staff, Lewis cleared his throat. “Out! I should like a moment alone with my wife.”
There was a flutter of confused movement, like a gaggle of hens that had been ambushed by a fox, but the servants departed in relative haste. Lewis took a nearby chair and pushed it to the table, aware of Bridget’s eyes fixed firmly on him.
If she wanted to play, that was all well and good. He could play, too.
Lewis seated himself in the chair and gestured for her to come closer. She did, and once his wife was just a few inches away, Lewis seized her waist and pulled her down on him.
“Oh!” Bridget gasped, her hands finding his shoulders.
Lewis waited until she settled on his lap. He stifled a groan as the papery thin material of her daydress brushed against his manhood. As determined as Lewis was to win the game, there was no denying that Bridget made such a task nearly impossible. His body burned for her touch, all his muscles going taut as he imagined driving himself into her womanhood. He rubbed his thumbs over her hips and took hold of her skirts, hitching them up a little.
“Are you angry?” Bridget had no business sounding so delighted at the prospect of his fury.
He clenched his teeth together. Bridget shifted her hips, rubbing against him. The little jade was doing it on purpose, and regrettably, each little movement made his loins stir with heat.
“You are an unkind woman,” he said. “And a poor duchess. This is the second time that you have interfered with my servants, who are only trying to complete their duties.”
“My servants, too.”
“Mine,” he insisted. “I am the lord and master of this household, and I will cede nothing to you until you prove that you are worthy of having some power in this household.”
She groaned exaggeratedly and bucked her hips forward.
Lewis considered her for a moment, desire stirring hot inside himself. It would be so easy for him to lift those fine skirts past her waist and drive himself into her. He imagined Bridget crying breathlessly, her chest heaving with every thrust. His wife would come utterly undone if he gave into his impulses.
He dug his fingers into her skirts, drawing them to her waist. Bridget’s slender thighs quivered, as though his gaze was nearly enough to satisfy her. Lewis drew a finger down and through the gold-brown curls. Bridget’s hips jolted forward, and her nails dug into his shoulders.
“Oh, are you going to punish me?” she asked. “For interfering with your servants?”
He did not miss the note of anticipation in her voice. “I am,” he said. “Some discipline will do you good.”
Lewis slipped his finger between her warm folds and gently stroked between them, up and down. He kept his pace slow, even as Bridget’s breath quickened. His own body grew hot, but he forced his desires down, determined not to linger on them.
Bridget rocked against him, and his pace never wavered. She tipped her head back and he saw that her face was flushed and her eyes gleaming. Her lips slightly parted, letting out a low gasp. “Please,” she whispered.
“Please, what?” he asked. “Tell me what you want.”
Bridget’s face grew impossibly redder. “I want to be satisfied. I—I want you.”
He tilted his head a little and ceased his movements. Bridget let out a despairing cry, but he only smiled. “Perhaps I ought to give you some of that cake instead. Eating that will be punishment enough.”
Bridget’s mouth dropped open. She looked so offended that Lewis nearly laughed, but she shut her jaw with a sharp and sudden click. “I made it for you,” she said.
