“Neither is deliberately maligning my character and offering me no right to reply,” he growled. “If we were truly alone now, I’d turn you over my knee and spank you.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” she breathed.
“Is there a lock on that door? Because if there is, you sorely tempt me to let you find out I am a man of my word.” He kissed her until she stopped trying to bite him.
She responded with equal gusto. “And I can’t believe you have reduced me to fighting with you over the breakfast table!”
He eased back, his breath as harsh as his inconvenient need for her. “This is what I’m talking about—this lack of discretion in both of us. Anyone could come through that door and we’d be scuppered. Wecannotallow our passions to overrule our good sense.”
She stared at him and slowly nodded. “You might have a point.”
“Thank you for at least acknowledging that!”
“Perhaps we need to extinguish this fire between us in a different way,” Carenza said.
“How so?”
“Feed it for a few days and let it die down naturally.” She looked down at her hands. “I’ve been invited to a house party this week. I’ve been wondering whether I should go.”
He regarded her closely. “I have a better idea.”
She might have rolled her eyes. “Of course you do.”
“I will arrange a party at my hunting lodge in Epping. I’ll invite only those who either know about our affair or who would be willing to turn a blind eye to it,” Julian said. “Would that suffice?”
“I suppose so.”
He rose to his feet, aware that his body was aroused and that another trip to the boxing salon to work off his passions would be necessary. He almost groaned when Carenza leaned forward and kissed the prominent bulge in his buckskin breeches. He gave her a severe look.
“I do hope you are similarly inconvenienced.”
“I might be, but I hide it far better.” Her smile was wicked. “Perhaps you’d better put on your cloak before you advertise your condition to the entire world.”
“Perhaps I should avail myself of your facilities and take a hand to myself.” He glanced ruefully down at his groin. “It wouldn’t take more than a few strokes to bring me off.”
“Or I could—”
He stepped back to avoid Carenza’s seeking hand and bowed. She pouted, and the urge to unbutton his breeches and slide his cock between her lips almost overwhelmed him.
This would never do. He needed to regain control of himself.
“I’ll be in touch.”
She nodded. “As you wish.”
“Goodbye, Lady Carenza.”
“Have alovelyday.”
He left, careful to carry his cloak over the front of his breeches like some callow lad. On the way back to his house, he wanted to kick himself. He’d failed to convince Carenza there might still be repercussions from the advertisement and, even worse, he’d botched reducing their affair to a more conventional level and probably made things worse. Good Lord, no wonder his mother looked at him with disdain.
He reached home, intending to leave for the boxing salon immediately, only to be accosted by Simon in the hall.
“I have the list from Mr. Cox, sir.”
“Thank you. You may leave it on my desk.” Julian was already moving toward the stairs when Simon cleared his throat.
“You might want to read it now, sir.” He handed Julian the note to peruse.
