A few suggestive words from him and her thighs turned to what felt like liquid jelly and her breasts ached with a need she’d never realized she had.
Debt paid in full.
For the first time, she wondered if she might be an imposter—his wife under false pretenses.
And yet her legs carried her to where he stood, and she daringly reached out to cover his manhood. The hardness she discovered there, almost without fail, had her tilting her head back for his kiss. “Did you lock the door?” she mumbled against his lips.
“Always,” he answered back.
He walked her backward to the long settee where they’d already created a myriad of wicked memories and went to push her down to sit.
“No.” She spun them around instead and pressed upon his shoulders.
He did not resist, and in the next instant sat sprawled in the middle of the settee, legs spread as he watched her with patient curiosity.
Lila had heard of such an act, and after he’d pleasured her so many times with his own mouth, wanted to see if she could achieve similar results.
She also wanted to knowitmore intimately— that piece of him that connected them together and had seemingly touched the deepest part of her.
She dropped her gaze to the fasteners on his breeches and at the same time, lowered herself to her knees. Before she could even reach for the buttons, his hands were already assisting her with the task.
“You don’t have to.” Married barely just over a fortnight and it seemed he could already read her mind.
“I know.”
He tugged at his shirt and lowered the flap of his falls.
She’d caught glimpses of it before. She’d even held it in her hand a time or two. But this…
With silken skin, it was almost hot to the touch. He groaned when she placed her hand at the base, her fingers not quite capable of wrapping all the way around it.
It jumped. Almost of its own accord.
It was the most fascinating thing she’d ever laid eyes upon.
She leaned forward and—
“Your Grace!” There was a loud knocking on the door. “Are you in there? You have visitors!”
At this, Pemberth groaned, drawing a laugh from Lila. This was the first time since her arrival that anyone other than the steward or one of the local tradesmen had deigned to come visiting. Impeccable timing!
With a grimace, she rose and smoothed her skirts.
“One moment!” She moved slowly to the door in order to allow Pemberth a chance to… rearrange himself. It wouldn’t do for his breeches to be standing at attention to receive their guest. Lila stifled a grin at the image. Poor man.
After a glance over her shoulder to ascertain he was presentable, Lila opened the door with what she hoped appeared to be a cool smile.
“Thought you were alone, Your Grace.” Mrs. Smith peeked around her with a sly smile. “I’ve put Mr. and Mrs. Kemp as well as Miss Kemp in the front drawing-room. They’re expecting you shortly.”
Lila wished she’d been able to do something to improve the room, but it had not been high on her list of priorities.
Besides, she’d far preferred the coziness of Pemberth’s study. She reached a hand out for her husband, who approached from across the room.
“In that case, we mustn’t keep them waiting, must we? Pemberth?”
Three minutes later, Lila and Pemberth sat across from two of the nearby village’s most elite citizens—and their daughter.
“Well, we never thought to send invitations up here before, it’s been so long since Glenn Abby has had a duchess in residence. But I told Mr. Kemp I’d wager that a dignified young woman such as yourself, Your Grace, might be finding herself in need of some socializing.” Mrs. Kemp was apparently in charge of the local charity and was heading up an assembly dance in two days’ time. “I know it’s late notice, but we aren’t overly formal all the way up here, now are we, Lavinia?”
