Andrew escorted Gina inside. When the door closed, they were engulfed in darkness save for a single pinprick of light. The rule for this room was that it was for private viewing so he knew they wouldn’t be disturbed.
“We must be very quiet,” he told her, his voice merely a whisper of sound. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness so he was able to see her silhouette nod. He guided her toward the peephole. “Look through there.”
Leaning in, she peered into the next room. With a gasp, she jumped back, her elbow jabbing him in the ribs. He bit back his grunt.
“There is a man and woman in there,” she whispered harshly, quickly, the words running together. “Nude.”
She sounded absolutely horrified. “What were they doing?”
“Sitting on a bed.”
“You said you wanted to be educated.”
“You’re not implying I watch them.”
“I am.”
“That’s unconscionable. To spy on people—”
“They want you to.” He shrugged. “Well, at least he does. That’s what he’s paying for. The gent to whom I gave a coin is going to knock on their door and let them know they have an audience. That’s what they’ve been waiting for.”
“Why would they want that?”
“He enjoys being watched, is thrilled by the notion of performing. They don’t mind if you look.”
“Have you watched couples?”
“When I was much, much younger, curious, and determined not to make a fool of myself during my first encounter.”
He heard her swallow. “You’re certain they don’t mind?”
“Absolutely certain.”
She eased back to the wall, leaned in. He moved nearer, lowered himself until his mouth was near her ear, near that pulse that so intrigued him.
“What are they doing?” he asked.
“Do you want to look?”
“No, I want you to tell me.”
She swallowed again. “They’re standing there, kissing. Not their mouths but each other’s throat and shoulders.”
He was tempted to do the same, to press his lips to the nape of her neck but if he did, he’d be lost. So he tormented himself by merely inhaling her fragrance, allowing the scent of violets to inhabit his nostrils and lungs, intoxicating him in ways he’d never before experienced.
“Do you look like that?” she asked.
“Like what precisely?”
“Do you have that belly?”
“I’ll have to take a peek.”
She moved only her head aside. He peered through the hole. The room was shadowy but the low flame in the lamp cast a golden glow over the couple. The gent was an older man, not someone he knew. He carried something of a paunch about with him. He backed away, allowing her access to the viewing room, returning his lips to the vicinity of her ear. “No.” He drew the word out, long and low.
“His … member.”
“Surely Venus taught you a better word than that for it,” he teased.
“I can’t quite bring myself to say it. Are they all like that?”
He almost insisted she repeat what she’d been taught, but he didn’t want to force anything on her. He wanted her to say it of her own accord. It would be so much sexier then—although the last thing he needed was her sexier. In the darkness with her scent, her warmth, her raspy voice, he was struggling to rein in his desires. “Some are longer, thicker.”
“Do you speak from experience?”
“Perhaps. What is she doing now?”
“Going down to her knees.” She spun around, her chin slamming against his nose. Christ, that hurt. “I don’t think I want to see the actual act.”
“Why ever not?”
“It’s such a private thing. It’s seems wrong to watch, even if it’s what they want. I’ll trust my husband to show me how to do it properly.”
“There is no properly. It’s like porridge. As I was recently reminded, it can be served in many different ways.”
“Are you a connoisseur, then?”
“I know a few things.” If she were the sort with whom he could use actions rather than words, he might have shared his knowledge. Instead he decided it was time to put an end to this adventure before he succumbed to the temptation of her and did something that would irrevocably change the course of their lives. “It’s late. I should return you to the residence.”
As the carriage traveled through London, Gina stared out the window into the darkness. She should be tired. Instead she was more invigorated. Unable to stop thinking about the woman going to her knees, she wondered what she might have been planning to do from that position. Perhaps she should have watched. She was rather disappointed in herself for not being as daring as she’d always believed herself to be. “Do you think me a coward?”
“Why would I think that?” He sat across from her, his legs stretched out, his booted feet resting on either side of hers.
“Because you presented me with an opportunity to learn something I stated I wanted to learn, and then when confronted with it, I wavered … and retreated.”
“I think it took more courage to turn away knowing I was likely never to let you forget you had.”
“You do realize it took a measure of trust in you for me to stay. I hope I don’t come to discover it was misplaced.”
“It wasn’t. It’ll always be our secret.” They weren’t traveling with a lantern burning so it was difficult to see him but she could make out his silhouette as he leaned forward, and she imagined his elbows pressing into his thighs. “Gina, you should never worry about being perceived as a coward if you’re not comfortable with something, especially when it comes to intimate moments with a man. Whether it is a gent who is courting you or one who has wed you—if he is asking or demanding something of you that you’d rather not do, tell him in no uncertain terms to bugger off.”
His phrasing made her smile, his advice warmed her. “Women are expected to obey their husbands.”
“Ah, but you have an advantage. You have the ability to shoot him, in a spot where he’d rather not be shot.”
Laughing at the absurd notion she truly would threaten her husband with a pistol, she thought things would be so much simpler if she didn’t like him so much. “Was that house of ill repute really your original destination when we crossed paths in the library? Or did you alter your plans in an attempt to shock me?”
He leaned back, taking his bergamot and lemony fragrance with him. “I kept to my plans … thinking they would shock you. As things turned out, I was the one surprised.”
She’d surprised herself. “I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to speak with a woman of experience about what transpires between a man and woman. Tillie and I have never spoken of the details. Like you, I don’t want to make a fool of myself the first time.”
“You could have asked me.”
“That would have been highly inappropriate.”
“Yet going to a brothel with me wasn’t?”
Her face warmed. She didn’t think she could have gone with anyone else. She’d spoken true. She did trust him. And not only because he was Rex’s brother, but because she sensed he would protect her at all costs. And he’d always shown her kindness. While his attention had seemed brotherly on the surface, she’d often felt an undercurrent of desire simmering through him. Or perhaps it was only wishful thinking on her part. He’d never done anything untoward. More’s the pity. “I didn’t know that’s where we were going until we got there.”
“Lesson learned. Never traipse off with a gent until you know exactly where he is taking you and precisely what his intentions are.”
“So tonight was a lesson for me, was it?”
“You seemed to make it so. What did she teach you?”
She was grateful for the darkness because she was relatively certain her face was sporting a mottled blush. “They were not things to be discussed with a man.”
“Yet they are things to be done with a man.”
Mor
e, it was things to know about a man. “I’m not going to divulge the details of what I might have learned. It is for me to know.”
“And for me to find out?”
Heat swamped her as she envisioned how he might find out, with her showing him. Venus had explained how a man’s body worked and all the places where he was most sensitive, how to touch him with her hands and her mouth. She squeezed her eyes shut, realizing at last why the girl had gone down on her knees.
“Share with me some of the vocabulary words she taught you.”
Her eyes sprung open. “I’m certain you know them all.”
“Perhaps I don’t. Tonight might turn out to be a lesson for me as well.”
“Perhaps you will have learned I’m not so dull after all.”
His harsh curse rent through the confines of the carriage, and she regretted that she’d ruined his jovial mood.
“Gina, I don’t find you dull.”
“You said you did.” She hated that her voice sounded as though it was surrounded by tears. He’d spoken with her at the theater. He’d instructed her on how to increase her odds of winning at the roulette table one night when they’d crossed paths at the Twin Dragons. He’d waltzed with her at the ball where Rex had proposed. When Tillie had accepted, Andrew had leaned down and whispered, “Well that will change things between us.”
She hadn’t known precisely what he meant. She supposed that they would be related in some distant way.
“I was striving to get Rex to leave off,” he said now. “He was warning me to stay away from you, not for the first time. I didn’t need the lecture. I am well aware your reputation must take precedence above all else if you are to secure a good marriage. I want that for you. I’m not going to do something untoward that puts your future happiness at risk.”
“Tonight seemed rather untoward.”
“Things that take place within the shadows of the night need never see the light of day. No one will find out about our little excursion. Besides, you initiated it.” He sighed. “Although I shouldn’t have accepted the temptation.”
“Do you find me tempting?”
“I was referring to the temptation of teasing you. I view you as a sister.”
That was disappointing. “So you would have taken Grace there?”
“Absolutely not. My sister doesn’t need to know about the things going on in a place like that.”
She laughed. “She’s married! She is doing the things that occur in a place like that.”
“Good God! Don’t make me start thinking about what Lovingdon might be doing with her. I’m rather certain she’s still a virgin.”
“She has children.”
“Who came about through immaculate conception. And you do realize this conversation is inappropriate.”
“The entire night has been inappropriate.”
“So it has been.”
But she heard a smile in his voice. “I rather enjoyed it. Thank you for allowing me to tag along.”
“I’ll never be able to go back there now without seeing you traipsing up the stairs with a harlot. You may have bloody well ruined it for me.”
A part of her was glad. She didn’t like thinking of him with other women. “Do you go there often?”
“Not in years.”
“You prefer actresses.”
“I prefer women who are a bit more discerning with their favors.”
“What was she like tonight, the woman you were with?”
“An unexpected delight.”
“You should have spent a bit more time with her then.”
“I was in her company for most of the night.”
His words took her aback, forcefully, as though she’d been punched. “I was asking after the woman you bedded.”
“Surely Venus taught you another word for that.”
“It’s too harsh sounding. I don’t like it. So I won’t use it. And you’re avoiding the question.”
“I wasn’t with anyone else tonight, Gina,” he said quietly.
She wondered how long it would be before her lungs began to work again and take in air.
He looked out the window. “Almost there.”
The carriage slowed, turned onto the drive. The adventure was coming to a close. She rather wished it wasn’t. But at least she was breathing again.
They stopped. Andrew immediately opened the door, leaped out, then reached back for her, extending his hand. It was ungloved. She supposed he’d taken them off as they’d journeyed home. She placed her gloved palm on his bare skin. He assisted her out of the conveyance. Rather than releasing his hold on her, he tucked her hand within the crook of his elbow and escorted her up the walk, up the steps, stopping at the door.
“I don’t find you dull, Gina.”
Facing him, she looked up at him. He was so much taller than she, yet she wouldn’t mind gazing up at him forever, even if it made her neck ache.
“You have intrigued me from the moment I met you,” he continued.
“Yet you avoid me.”
Holding her gaze, he skimmed his warm fingers along her cheek. “You are the sort men marry.” He leaned down. She cursed the faint light from the gaslights that kept her from seeing the blue of his eyes. “I am not the marrying sort.”
“Why?”
“Because I have no heart. You deserve a man with not only a heart, but a title. You deserve so much that I cannot give you.”
He was so close now. She waited, waited for him to traverse that final inch. She felt her pulse throbbing. Lay your tongue against it, calm it, then press your mouth to mine. She licked her lips. There was an audible hitch in his breath. He came half an inch closer.
Yes, be the first to ever kiss me. Show me what desire feels like.
Abruptly he straightened, inserted a key into the lock, swung the door open, and peered inside. “All clear. In with you.”
His voice sounded raspy and raw as though he’d gone weeks without water. She wanted to protest, but she feared if she asked for a kiss, he’d rebuff her. They’d have years of seeing each other at family gatherings. She wanted nothing to create awkwardness between them. Taking a deep breath, she stepped over the threshold and into the foyer.
“Sleep well, Gina.”
She spun around. “You’re not staying the night?”
He shook his head.
“I suppose you’re headed back to the brothel.” She hated the thought of him going there.
“No, I’m rather worn out. I’ll be seeking the comfort of my own bed.”
It was irritating that so much relief washed through her. “Sweet dreams, then.”
He winked. “I’d rather have wicked ones.”
Leaving her there, he drew the door to a close behind him. She heard the key going into the lock, him jogging down the steps, the clatter of the carriage as it departed.
Turning on her heel she headed for the stairs with a wry grin. Considering all Venus had explained to her in the short time they were together, she was rather certain that her own slumber was going to be filled with wicked fantasies as well.
Unfortunately, she feared they might all involve him.
He’d almost kissed her.
Stretched out on the seat in his carriage, he couldn’t deny that fact. Standing there on the steps within an inch of her luscious mouth, with her scent wafting around him, he’d almost leaned in and closed the gap between them. What a mistake that would have been, because he already recognized that, with her, one kiss wouldn’t have been enough. He’d have wanted more: a hundred, a thousand.
Of further alarm was the fact that he was fairly certain he’d have not been able to stop with only a kiss. He wanted to touch her in ways he’d envisioned Venus touching her. He wanted her sighs ringing in his ears, her moans tightening his muscles. He wanted the silkiness of her skin captured within his palm.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed a night so much or been so enthralled by the company of a woman. Her little triumphant
smiles when she thought she’d gotten the better of him warmed him to his core.
The night he met her, he’d been involved with an actress and had gone to the theater in order to watch her performance. He’d stepped into Rex’s theater box, expecting it to be empty. Instead he’d found Rex there with two ladies: the notorious Lady Landsdowne and her far too innocent sister. He preferred women with experience, yet Gina had beguiled him.
Soon after, he’d ended things with the actress, and he hadn’t been with a woman since. He wouldn’t go to one now, not after being in Gina’s company for most of the night.
Yet in order to retain his sanity and ensure he did nothing to compromise her chances of finding a respectable match, he needed to avoid her as though she carried the plague. No more adventures, no more dares, no more nights of utter contentment and secretive smiles. No more temptation.
He would bury himself in play and strive to forget how badly he wanted her.
Chapter 6
It was shortly after noon before Gina awoke. Fortunately, she was able to blame all the wedding activities and festivities for her sluggish start to the day when the duchess asked after her with concern. Although in truth it was her adventures during the wee hours that were responsible. Not that she was going to admit that to anyone other than herself.
But she couldn’t seem to stop thinking about it as she visited in the parlor with one gentleman caller after another while the duchess kindly sat in a corner with her writing desk in her lap, scribbling away, serving as chaperone.
Her fifth caller, Lord Somerdale, was presently sipping tea with her. Flowers from half a dozen men had been delivered throughout the day. Word had either spread that she was residing in the Greystone residence until Tillie returned from her wedding trip or the servants at Landsdowne Court were directing the deliveries and gents here. She suspected it was a little bit of both. Nothing happened in London without everyone knowing. Well, except for forays to brothels in the dead of night.
“That’s a rather mysterious smile,” Somerdale said, arching a brow in curiosity. “What are you thinking?”
“My apologies, my lord. My mind drifted off to yesterday and how happy Tillie appeared to be.” Oh dear. Lies came so easily today. Was that a result of Andrew’s influence? “You were saying?”
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