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Rhys dipped his head and kissed her slowly. She moaned into his mouth and pressed her body against his.

Rhys’s cock stood at attention, and he wanted nothing more than toss up her skirts and have her right there against the window.

He broke the kiss instead.

“What are your plans for the day?” he asked, hoping they could spend some time together.

“I am going riding with Millie and the duchess. And then I have a lot of work around the house. The entertainment is arriving today, too.”

Rhys swallowed his disappointment. He wouldn’t see her the entire day. He restrained himself from offering an interlude to his wife right then and there.

Don’t be too eager.

“What did Gage tell you yesterday?” Isabel asked, running her hands up and down his chest.

Rhys put his hands over hers to stall their movement. His nerves were overexcited, as it were. “What do you mean?”

“I forgot to ask you yesterday, but after he arrived, you two hid away in a study for a while.”

Rhys smiled. “Oh, the usual. He threatened to kill me if I mistreated you. Which, I admit, is fair. But he crossed the line when he threatened my dog.”

“He threatened Button?” Her eyes widened comically.

“Yes, something about sending him to Scotland to herd sheep if he didn’t behave.”

Isabel let out a chuckle. “What did you say?”

“I said that if he tried that, he would have to answer to Millie. And after that, our conversation turned amicable.”

Isabel chuckled again. “I should remember that tactic for the next time Richard turns exasperating.”

“I am certain you won’t have to wait long.” Rhys grinned.

“I agree.”

She looked at him as though she wanted to say something. But she rose on her toes and kissed him on his chin instead. Rhys dipped his head and caught her lips, savoring the taste of her mouth.

“Will you come to me tonight?” she asked against his lips.

Rhys’s body tensed. Did she want him to? Or was she dreading it? “If you want,” he answered.

Isabel kissed him again, and Rhys crushed her body to his, rubbing her soft curves against his hardened length.

Isabel drew away, breathing heavily. “Until tonight then.”

* * *

Rhys stalked to his study and resolved not to think about his wife for the rest of the day. If only his mind was so accommodating.

Instead, he sat behind his desk, looking at his ledgers with an empty gaze, thinking about his wife.

What was it about Isabel that was so alluring?

During the day, Rhys could not get the woman out of his head. During the night, he’d lasted an embarrassingly short amount of time before losing control.

But he could not deny that it was beyond just physical attraction. He couldn’t keep his thoughts away from her. He always thought about her when he was away, but he’d chalked it up to missing his home, his daughter, and everything else that he associated with them.

Now that he had spent the previous day at home, he couldn’t keep fooling himself like this. All day, he had kept hoping he’d catch a glimpse of her. And the night without her was pure torture.