“No,” she said.
“Please?”
His lopsided smile, paired with the wicked gleam in his eyes, was irresistible. And the rogue knew it. The moment she hesitated, he pounced.
“Is the equipment in your wardrobe?” he guessed.
Hewouldhave a spymaster’s knack for finding hidden things.
He flashed a devilish grin. “I shall fetch it for you.”
Before she could protest, he was off. She sat up, her heart thumping, wondering if she could go through with this. Her nervousness heightened when he returned carrying the familiar wooden case in one hand…and a stack of books in the other.
Botheration.Her face flamed.
“Interesting reading material you have here.” Smirking, he read the spines. “The Amorous Tales of an Abducted Lady?Or, better yet,Submitting to My Lord and Master: A Diary of Marital Lust?”
“Those aren’t mine.” To her chagrin, she sounded like a criminal caught in the act. “That is, I bought them whilst I was in disguise tracking down Miss Loveday. I didn’t choose them for myself…oh, never mind.”
“We can consult the books later if we are in need of inspiration.”
He set the books aside and joined her on the bed, placing the rosewood case between them.
“Open it.” His eyes dared her.
On principle alone, she couldn’t back down. A woman had a right to pleasure as much as a man, and she refused to be embarrassed about it. To do so would undermine the philosophy of female independence upon which she’d built her society. Even so, she fumbled with the brass clasp before she got the lid open. Nestled in blue silk was a set of five ivory phalluses, ranging in size from small to large…although not quite as large as Jack.
From his smug expression, he’d obviously made the comparison.
“You have quite the collection of dildos,” he said.
“Godemiche,”she corrected. “They are French.”
“Bien sûr, madam.”His eyes gleamed. “Why don’t you show me which one is your favorite?”
Jack didn’t know whether he found Lottie’s loftiness more amusing or arousing. Only his wife could act like a queen when confronted by her collection of dildos—orgodemiches, rather. He wanted to laugh, and even more he wanted to see the brazen minx pleasure herself with one of the fake pricks before he gave her the real thing.
Part of his lightheartedness stemmed from the fact that Lottie had only shared herself with one other lover. One who hadn’t made much of an impression, apparently. Whilst it undoubtedly proved that he was the cave dweller she accused him of being, he reveled in the fact that he’d ruined her for others. As silly as it seemed, he knew such a thing was possible because she’d done the same to him.
Me for Lottie, her for me.
The way it was meant to be and would be, from here on in.
Seeing his spouse bite her plump bottom lip, he felt his temperature rise another notch. He adored her contradictions, especially the way her principles were battling with her natural modesty. As enjoyable as her rare moment of indecision was, he decided to nudge her along.
Taking her hand, he placed it on a medium-sizeddiletto(yes, he knew what the Italians called it, too). “Why don’t you start with this one?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. Then she snatched her hand away, grabbing hold of the biggest rod. It was a good seven inches and hefty too. It didn’t rival him, however…not that he was comparing.
“This one will do,” she said boldly.
“Let us get you ready then, hmm?”
He tumbled her onto the mattress. He took his time winnowing pleasure from her until she writhed, gasping his name. Beneath her robe, he discovered a scrap of a negligee that made his cock harder than the dildo she’d released in favor of clenching her hands in his hair.
“How much do you like this negligee?” he asked.
“Don’t you dare.”
