Then she whispered into his chest, “So this is lovemaking. I never knew.”
“Neither did I, sunshine.” His deep voice was laced with triumph… and wonder. “With God as my witness, neither did I.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Andrew, we ought to talk.”
In his experience, these words didn’t bode well coming from a female. But with Primrose tucked against his chest, the carriage swaying in a lulling rhythm, he couldn’t rouse the energy to get his guard up. The aftermath humming through his veins added to his satisfaction with life in general.
Making love to Primrose had been a revelation—and this was saying something given the extent of his carnal knowledge. In all the years of bedding women, not once had he felt anything close to what he’d shared with Primrose. With her, the act of desire had been transformed into something beyond the physical. Something beyond an exchange. Something… rare.
The image of her marked with his seed made his cock stir. God, he wanted to have her again, never mind that she’d made him come harder than he ever had just a half-hour ago. With Primrose, he was as randy as a greenling.
His arm tightened around her. “What do you wish to talk about?”
“There are things we should have discussed… before we made love.” She tipped her head back to look at him. “I don’t wish to mislead you.”
Some of his contentment faded. He knew, of course, what she wanted to say. For a little while, he’d swept reality under the carpet and lost himself in the pleasure of the moment.
Then his sense of irony came to the rescue. The tables had been turned, hadn’t they? He couldn’t count the number of times he’d said those exact same words to women who’d wanted more from him than just a casual tup.
“Tell me what you want,” he said simply.
“I can’t offer you more than what we just did.” Her eyes searched his. “Having a position in Society is important to me. And I won’t give it up. For anyone.”
He hated that he couldn’t give her the life she wanted. It was perhaps the closest he’d ever come to regretting the choices he’d made in life. But he was a realist.
“I understand,” he said.
“You do?” Her brow pleated. “You’re not… disappointed with me?”
“You’ve never lied about your priorities, sunshine. I respect that.” He cupped her cheek, running his thumb along her lower lip. “And I’m willing to accommodate your needs—as long as you’re willing to accommodate mine.”
“What are your, um, needs?” The dimness didn’t hide her blush.
“I plan to have you, Primrose,” he said huskily, “as often and in as many creative ways as possible. We’re going to explore this passion between us, and when we’re together, I expect you to hold nothing back. You’ll give yourself to me, and, in return, I’ll show you pleasure you’ve never even dreamt of. All of this, I’ll do with discretion.”
A breath puffed from her lips, her pupils dilating. Hell, he couldseehow his words aroused her. His cockstand butted against his smalls.
“You’d do that for me?” she said.
“Upon my honor. And I should think I’ve earned your trust.” He waggled his brows. “You’ll recall I took pains to protect you from unwanted consequences tonight.”
She looked confused. “By taking me home, you mean?”
Christ, it was easy to forget just how naïve she was. How much she hid behind that willful, worldly façade of hers. How, underneath her self-proclaimed wickedness, lay an astonishingly innocent heart.
“That’s not what I meant, but I’ll explain later,” he murmured. “In the meantime, you have my promise that I’ll safeguard your well-being and your reputation.”
“Thank you.” Her voice was soft. “So we have an understanding? That it’s, um, just sex between us?”
“I didn’t say it’s just sex for me,” he said evenly. “I will have no expectations, however, when it comes to marriage.”
“Oh.” Emotions flashed across her exquisite features: fear and longing, a welter of others.
He leaned over to kiss her before her thinking confused matters unnecessarily.
Her palms pushed against his shoulders. “There’s one more thing.”
