by Joanna Shupe
Night had fallen, but neither of them had noticed. Sophie was now giving him her impish half-smile, her lips red and swollen from the previous moment’s activity. “Good. I plan to keep you happy.”
“Indeed, I am a very fortunate man.” He reached for her and took her mouth in a blazing, thorough kiss. “How do you feel?”
“Frustrated,” she said, rubbing against him. “Like I want my new husband to pleasure me again.”
“I’ll need a few moments, then.” Though likely not as long as usual. In addition to finally having Sophie back in his bed after nearly a month, she’d insisted on foregoing the condoms. He’d tried to argue, but she had been persuasive, reminding him that his father’s condition had most likely been the result of an accident. It was the first time he’d ever slid into a woman without one, and the overwhelming, blissful sensation meant he hadn’t lasted long. Twice.
She leaned in to nip his earlobe. “Tell me about my ring again,” she whispered against the shell of his ear, causing him to shiver.
Satisfaction flooded him, pulling his chest tight. She had loved the ring, as evidenced by the tears in her eyes when he’d presented her with the gold band of multicolored stones. He’d worried that she wouldn’t care for it, that it was too much for a practical woman like Sophie. Happily, he’d been proven wrong.
He lifted her hand, the one that now wore proof of their marriage. “It’s an acrostic ring. Each stone is the first letter of the word.” He pointed, starting at the far left. “Vermeil. Iris. Topaz. Amethyst. Then malachite. Emerald. Aquamarine.” He kissed her hand. “Vita mea.”
My life, properly translated into Latin, but Romans had used it to mean my everything. Which was precisely how he felt about the woman lying next to him.
Sophie stared at it and bit her lip. “I do not think I shall ever tire of looking at it. Or hearing you explain it.”
“I’m glad.” He settled her into his side. “Before I forget, Julia brought a wedding gift for you and said I needed to give it to you tonight.”
Sophie’s head turned sharply. Quint knew Sophie’s relationship with her closest friend had been strained after all the recent revelations. His wife had tried not to let it show, but Quint knew her better than anyone. Not being on level ground with the duchess had upset her. “What is it?”
“I haven’t the faintest idea. It’s in the drawer.”
Sophie scrambled to the small table by the bed and withdrew a box from the drawer. Sitting up, she untied the silk ribbon and lifted the lid. Quint peeked over to see a stack of letters inside. On top was a piece of paper, which Sophie picked up to read.
After a moment, she began laughing.
“Well?” he asked.
Sophie wiped the corners of her eyes. “It’s the advice Pearl Kelly gave Julia about men, from when she was trying to woo Colton as a courtesan. Ages ago, she promised to let me read Pearl’s notes when I finally set my sights on a man.”
“So why give them now, when you’ve already caught him?”
“She said just because I’ve married you doesn’t mean I cannot teach you a thing or two. Julia claims there are tricks in here even Colton had not heard about.”
“Good God,” Quint exclaimed. “Now I am curious.”
Sophie set the letters aside. “Not tonight, my dear husband. I plan to read those alone and surprise you whenever I can.”
He clasped her wrist and tugged. She landed on top of him. “With you, my darling wife, I would expect nothing less.”
Don’t miss the other books in Joanna Shupe’s
Wicked Deceptions series, now available!
The Courtesan Duchess
Can a bold-faced lie lead to everlasting love? One by one,
the impetuous heroines in the Wicked Deceptions series
intend to find out, each in her unique way . . .
How to seduce an estranged husband—and banish debt!—in four wickedly improper, shockingly pleasurable steps . . .
1. Learn the most intimate secrets of London’s leading courtesan.
2. Pretend to be a courtesan yourself, using the name Juliet Leighton.
3. Travel to Venice and locate said husband.
4. Seduce husband, conceive an heir, and voila, your future is secure!
For Julia, the Duchess of Colton, such a ruse promises to be foolproof. After all, her husband has not bothered to lay eyes on her in eight years, since their hasty wedding day when she was only sixteen. But what begins as a tempestuous flirtation escalates into full-blown passion—and the feeling is mutual. Could the man the Courtesan Duchess married actually turn out to be the love of her life?
“The powerful passion in this riveting tale of
betrayal and forgiveness will knock your socks off!”
—SABRINA JEFFRIES
The Harlot Countess
Lady Maggie Hawkins’s debut was something
she’d rather forget—along with her first marriage.
Today, the political cartoonist is a new woman.
A thoroughly modern woman.
So much so that her clamoring public
believes she’s a man . . .
FACT: Drawing under a male pseudonym, Maggie is known as Lemarc. Her (his!) favorite object of ridicule: Simon Barrett, Earl of Winchester. He’s a rising star in Parliament—and a former confidant and love interest of Maggie’s who believed a rumor that vexes her to this day.
FICTION: Maggie is the Half-Irish Harlot who seduced her best friend’s husband on the eve of their wedding. She is to be feared and loathed as she will lift her skirts for anything in breeches.
Still crushed by Simon’s betrayal, Maggie has no intention of letting the ton crush her as well. In fact, Lemarc’s cartoons have made Simon a laughingstock . . . but now it appears that Maggie may have been wrong about what happened years ago, and that Simon has been secretly yearning for her since . . . forever. Could it be that the heart is mightier than the pen and the sword after all?
ZEBRA BOOKS are published by
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Copyright © 2015 by Joanna Shupe
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ISBN: 978-1-4201-3556-5
eISBN-13: 978-1-4201-3557-2
eISBN-10: 1-4201-3557-0
