Page 59 of Seducing the Marquess (Lords and Ladies in Love 1)

Her eyebrows rose. “Truly?”

Swirling the liquid, he stared at the brandy. “I fear I desire to be a country mouse.” He studied her over the rim of his glass. Golden curls had started to slip from her coiffure, and her cheeks grew more flushed with each sip of brandy. He watched in fascination as she toed off her slippers and tucked her elegant feet under her bottom.

Attempting to distract himself from the thought of that lovely derriere, he asked, “Would you miss London terribly if we spent more time in Devonshire?”

“Not at all,” she hastened to answer. “After three Seasons, I admit the entire routine has become tiresome.”

He grinned. “Perhaps we are reaching our dotage.” Surprised to see his glass empty once again, he placed it on the floor at his feet and turned to her. He was not in need of more brandy; what he needed sat directly in front of him. Her lips were moist; the positon of her body on the chair pulled her muslin gown so it outlined her lovely body. He’d always thought her attractive but never realized how truly beautiful Eugenia was.

Before giving his action full thought, he stood and extended his hand to her. Rising, she gazed up at him and took his hand. He removed her now empty brandy glass from her grip and placed it on her chair. “You take my breath away, Eugenia.” The back of his fingers slid down her soft skin, his palm cupping the back of her head, bringing her lips to his.

The very air around them electrified as he crushed her soft body to him. His mouth covered hers hungrily, his tongue gliding along the seam of her lips until she opened and he swept in. Heat, brandy, and another hint of something Eugenia. His hold tightened, and a soft groan escaped from within his chest.

Her delicate hands inched up his arms, and he longed to be free of their clothing so he could feel her silky skin against his. She encircled his neck, stepping even closer so he could feel her heart pounding against him, in rhythm with his own. “Let me love you, Eugenia.”

“I am much too dressed, my lord,” she breathed softly.

He moved back, the passion in her half-lidded eyes forcing all his blood to his cock, rendering him unable to do any more than stare at her. Her cinnabar lips, plump from his kisses, her flushed cheeks, and the tip of her pink tongue licking her lips almost brought him to his knees.

“Yes. I agree. You are much too dressed.” He spun her around and quickly undid the numerous fastenings on her gown, shoving the garment off her shoulders and to the floor. Unlacing stays had never gone as quickly, as he loosened them barely enough to push the annoying item to the floor on top of her gown, rapidly followed by her chemise and stockings.

He should slow down and not overwhelm her sensibilities, but Lord help him, she certainly didn’t seem in any way overset. She tugged on his belt, released it, and shoved the banyan off his shoulders. He pulled her to him, his large hands spanning her slender back as he scattered kisses along her jaw, her neck, and the soft shell of her ear.

He scooped her up and took the few steps to the bed. He laid her gently on the counterpane and followed her down, resting part of his body on hers. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. Eugenia consumed him. Her scent, her touch, her taste, the soft moans she made as he breathed softly into her ear, mumbling words of her beauty, her tempting body, and how much he desired her.

Things he had never said to her before.

Eugenia shivered as he stroked her breast, fingering her nipple, bringing it to a hard point. His mouth followed, and he suckled, smiling with satisfaction as she wrapped her hands around his head and drew him closer, gasping his name. With his mouth busy, his hands caressed her curves, dipping into her waist, rising over her hip, kneading the muscles of her lush bottom.

When her hand made its way between them and she gripped his cock, rubbing her thumb over the moist tip, he thought he would disgrace himself and come in her hand. How was it that his gently bred wife had the ability to turn him into an uncontrollable reprobate? It had been years since he’d felt such a craving for a woman.

Clutching his cock, she began to slide her fist up and down, until he could no longer stand not being inside of her. He nudged her legs apart with his knee and settled between her glorious thighs. Eyes closed, and with no effort, he slipped into her moist warmth, gritting his teeth to keep from exploding.

As he thrust, then pulled out to thrust again, Eugenia began to thrash on the bed, her legs restless, tossing her head back and forth. Was it possible she was nearing a climax so quickly? Eugenia’s movements were certainly telling.

Devon kept up the rhythm, and soon Eugenia had joined him, and they worked in tandem until she screamed out, and in shock, he poured himself into her, his entire body shaking as his wife dug her nails into his flesh and let out with another cry and a final thrust against him.

Chapter Eighteen

“It is a wise woman who does not believe everything she hears.”

Secrets of the Bedchamber, p. 114

Devon rested his forearm against his eyes in an attempt to block out the sunlight streaming through the window alongside his bed. Jake had just pulled back the drapes, reminding him it was morning, time to leave the party, and time to face what he’d been pushing from his mind for weeks.

Eugenia’s sudden change in behavior could be attributed to only one thing.

A lover.

There was no other explanation for her complete change in dress, demeanor, and the marriage bed. Her brother’s idea could be stretched only so far. And that theory would never cover her behavior last night. As wonderful and fulfilling as the previous night’s sexual activity had been, he’d lain awake for quite a while afterward, with Eugenia curled into his body, her soft warm bottom pressed against his side. Unable to sleep and after hours of his mind torturing him with images of Eugenia in the arms of another man, flushed with passion as she’d been with him, he gently woke her and carried her to her own bed.

I should just ask her.

He immediately dismissed that idea. Lovers and mistresses were never discussed between husbands and wives. It was simply not done. Those arrangements were discreet and never bandied about.

Another ton rule.

If he were wrong—and there was always that slight chance—she would most likely faint from embarrassment and take to her bed for days.