some pretty words first, if not the wine.â
Her stomach pitched nervously. She ignored it. Shewas a businesswoman, and this was only another matter of business. Emotion had no place in it. âI am gently bred, and a virgin. But I am not girlish, and I do not require poetry in business transactions.â
His brows lifted. âBusiness transactions? Darling, if this were business, weâd be on the street corner.â
She flushed. Why was he making this difficult? It was a comfort to know that he hadnât guessed the great turmoil bubbling inside her, but how much easier it would have been had he simply followed her lead! âI do not mean to give it such a vulgar gloss,â she said stiffly. âBut I see no need to pretend at deep feeling. Were there some way to avoid this unpleasantness, we would do so. But consummation will mitigate the risk to us. If my brother tries to challenge this marriage, we will speak with a clean and honest conscience to any officer in the land that we are legitimately married.â
âAnd I donât argue with that,â he said. âBut for my own sake . . .â
âSurely you do not require candlelight in order to perform, Mr. OâShea?â
His head snapped back. The churning in her stomach intensified. Had she gone too far?
âFine, then,â he purred. âIf youâre up to it, then certainly I am.â
She nodded tersely. âThen please step outside, so I might undress.â
âNo.â He took a seat in the single wing chair, his smile mocking. âIf itâs the law that concerns you, seems wise to mind all the particulars. Iâll need to make certain thereâs no flaw in you that might invalidate the marriage.â
âFlaw?â She stared at him. âWhat do you mean?â
âI mean, Iâll see you naked,â he said. âMake sure thereâs no false pretenses at work. See that youâve got all the necessary bits, and such. That sheet, after all, makes it impossible to tell.â
She had no words. âI . . .â
âAnd of course, Iâll return the favor.â His smile tipped into a roguish slant as he reached for his collar. With leisurely movements, he unknotted his necktie. âGo on,â he said pleasantly. âWe neednât take turns. Will speed things up if we both work at once.â
He began to shrug out of his jacket. She quickly turned her back. âI have no need to watch,â she spat at the wall. âI am quite certain that you have theânecessary bits, as you put it.â
âOh?â His voice was muffled, but it grew clearer again as he continued. âIâll take that as a compliment.â Muffled thumpâfrom the corner of her eye, she saw his jacket hit the ground, followed by his boots.
âYou need some help there?â he asked.
There was a smirk in his voice. He was enjoying himself. No doubt heâd bedded a hundred women in his time. Was it any wonder if innocence, a certain degree of modesty and reserve, struck him as laughable?
But she was not a spectacle for his amusement. She pivoted, facing him, and opened the last button on her bodice.
The pounding of her heart, the rushing of blood in her ears, mercifully deafened her to whatever word slipped from his lips then. But the glare of the lights revealed with stark clarity the surprise on his faceâand then, as she let her gown fall to the floor, the infinitesimal tightening of his expression, the new hardness of his mouth, and the fractional drop ofhis lids, so his gaze suddenly looked slumberous as it trailed down her body.
That look worked some evil magic on her, luring out her own awareness from the safety of her brainâpulling it down into her body, along her own limbs, chasing his glance across her skin, goose bumps rising.
She swallowed. He was a handsome man. She was, despite all rumors, a woman of ordinary flesh and
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