Page 20 of A Raven Reformed

He didn’t face her again until she had every stitch of clothing perfectly in place. “Better?” she asked, slightly perturbed.

“Much.” He nodded and waved a hand toward the pair of armchairs. He placed the tray with scones and jam on the table between them.

“Where is all this from?” she asked as he handed her a cup of tea.

“There is a wonderful tea shop right across the street.”

“Thank you for procuring it for us.”

“At your service, my lady.” He gave her a little bow before settling himself into the other chair.

It felt strange being called that by him. For some reason it was so much more natural when she called him my lord than it was in reverse. Perhaps because he’d been born to be a lord, and she was only a lady now because she was his wife. But more than that, it made her feel like he might think of her as his equal. Was that possible?

“Well, now that you’re no longer mostly naked, I will go over the basics of lovemaking. I’ll try to make it as easy to follow and as comfortable as possible.”

She nodded, focusing all her attention on him.

“The basic mechanics are very straightforward. My”—he gestured toward his lap—“will go inside of your”—he motioned toward her lap.

“I know that much, even if I don’t fully understand it.”

“You won’t fully understand it until it happens probably. And that’s fine. Trust me.”

“I do,” she said, surprising herself as much as him probably.

“Good, then we’re moving in the right direction.” The warmth in his voice showed in his smile. “There are some important things I want you to know because it wouldn’t be fair for you to be surprised. No matter how prepared we are and regardless of how much you want it, your first time will likely be uncomfortable, and possibly even painful. I will do everything in my power to mitigate that, which is why we are waiting.”

“Lizzie warned me that there would be pain.” It did make her a bit nervous.

“Well, what she probably didn’t tell you is that there will also be immeasurable pleasure.”

Her pulse quickened remembering the events from the previous night. “You mean like last night?”

“Last night was merely a taste of the pleasures that await you, my dear.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Remind me again why we’re waiting?”

Amused laughter rippled from him, his radiant smile warming her heart.

“Thank you for being so honest with everything, Michael.”

“Honesty is important to me. Can we make a deal? No secrets between us? Only truth?”

“Deal.” That was easy enough. She liked not having any secrets between them.

“Would you like to seal our deal with a kiss before we leave?”

She practically threw her dishes onto the table and launched herself at him, slamming her mouth against his. She liked kissing him. His warm laughter vibrated against her lips and she smiled as she deepened their kiss this time. He pulled her into his lap, and almost immediately she felt him grow hard beneath her bottom. She wiggled gently against him and he groaned into her mouth before pulling away from her.

“You are definitely going to be my undoing.” He placed a quick kiss on her lips before he stood up and deposited her back in her own chair. She was enjoying this newfound power she seemed to have over him, almost as much as she had enjoyed giving him power over her.

Michael downed the last of his tea and placed his cup on the tray. “Are you ready to leave?”

A shadow of disappointment settled over her. She didn’t want to leave behind all the joy they’d shared here. “Are you going to leave me again after you take me home?”

“No. Not right away, at least. We need to have a house party.” He walked to stand beside her chair. “It’s time the important people in my world were introduced to Lady Dalinridge.” He reached down and she placed her hand in his.

“I’ve never done anything like that. I don’t even know where to start. And what if they don’t like me?” Panic was rising in her chest.

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