“I wantyouto like them,” he replied. “Since it is to be your salon.”
She dipped her head. “Except for the upholstery on the two chairs, I like it very much.”
“Then we shall have the upholstery changed,” he replied, agreeing with her assessment. It was obvious the room had been decorated in the last century.
“You’re going to be very agreeable, aren’t you?” Rose asked as they entered the study.
David stopped short at the threshold. “Very,” he murmured in awe. His gaze took in the oak-paneled room and then the oak-coffered ceiling. The light gold wood almost appeared gilded when struck by the light of the study’s only window. Beneath his feet, the Aubusson carpet looked as if it was practically new. “Recently redone?” he asked as he finally stepped into the room and regarded the large oak desk with appreciation.
“I don’t think so,” Rose said as she moved to the two chairs that stood near the fireplace.
“I think I can spend my entire day in here,” he said as he examined the books that lined nearly all the shelves of an entire wall.
“You can’t,” Rose replied. “At least, not today.”
David furrowed his brows. Something in her voice had him straightening from the desk. He was about to ask her what she meant, but from the way she looked at him, her blue eyes nearly silver in the light, he swallowed. “You obviously have plans for me to be somewhere else,” he whispered.
She nodded. “Master bedchamber. Second floor, I think.”
David blinked. “Now?” he asked, stepping away from the desk to approach her. Although he’d been able to keep an arousal at bay since the moment her hand had gripped his thigh on the phaeton, his control was ebbing.
“Please? I’m not getting any younger,” she whispered.
He shook his head. “Maybe not, but you’re certainly more growing more beautiful,” he said as he placed a hand on the side of her face. Remembering how the sultan showed his affection for Sultana Charlotte, he kissed Rose’s forehead.
“You have to teach me. What to do. My mother... she told me some of it, but—”
“We’ll... we’ll learn together,” he murmured.
“Will you show me what the concubine did for you?”
David gave a start, stepping back to regard her in shock. “What concubine?” he asked.
For a moment, Rose appeared flustered. “You said the sultan offered you one.”
David sighed. “He did, and although I could not refuse the offer, that does not mean I took her to my bed,” he said.
For a moment, she didn’t appear to believe him. “Did you not find her... lovely?”
“She was gorgeous,” he replied with a shrug. “But I meant what I said the other night. She was not you, Rose.” He moved his hand up the side of her face and then around to the back of her neck to pull her closer. His lips captured hers in a light kiss. For a moment, it seemed as if the entire world stood still. As if the clock on the mantel had stopped its quiet ticking. As if they were entirely alone in the world.
When he finally ended the kiss, he left his forehead pressed against hers. “For the rest of my days, I shall remember this very spot as the one where I first kissed you in this house,” he promised.
Her glazed eyes cleared as she blinked several times. “All right. Where will you kiss me next?”
David’s eyes darkened. “In this house? Or on your body?”
Her mouth dropping open in surprise, Rose inhaled sharply. “David!” she responded in a shocked whisper.
“If you’re thinking to scold me again,” he said as he clasped one of her hands in his, “then I must inform you that you’ll be doing a lot of it,” he warned.
“What are you saying?” she asked, allowing him to lead her from the study and up the stairs.
He didn’t climb them quickly, though. Determined to study the decor in an attempt to keep his arousal at bay, David knew he was losing the struggle when with every step, his cock seemed to understand what was about to happen.
By the time they reached the second floor, he had a plan for what he might do with the wall colors and where a mosaic could be installed. A thought of how some additional plasterwork would look on the ceiling. When he opened the door to the master bedchamber, though, his only interest was the bed.
“Are you sure about this, my lady?” he asked as he closed and locked the door.
