He leaned over her shoulder to see what she was writing. Then, he pulled back a little so that his mouth hovered near her ear.

“Now, tell him that…”

Ava shivered slightly.

“Are you fine?” Edwin asked.

Ava cleared her throat. “Quite fine.”

He nodded. “Good. Now, let’s continue. Tell him to ensure that the repairs on the summer house are finished as soon as possible.”

She scribbled in silence for a moment. “Done.”

“Now, to the next one,” he said. “I must write a letter to Parliament.”

“That sounds rather important.”

“Indeed, it is. I cannot attend the next sitting, so I must make my stance known,” he explained. “Now, write that I simply cannot support Lord Wilbury’s bill because while it is rather advantageous for nobles, it would cause even more hardship for the merchants and middlemen.”

Ava scribbled on for a few more moments and then stopped, raising her head.

Edwin reached out his uninjured hand towards the letter. His arm grazed her breast, and she sucked in a sharp breath.

“Hmm! You have done well to capture my tone.” He made a show of reading the letter, even as his arm rested against her breast.

“I take it that you like what I’ve written, then?”

“Indeed, I do. Now, the next letter shall be to my accountant. Tell him”—he lowered his left hand to her lap and slowly pulled up the skirt of her gown—“to send a cheque of fifty pounds to the merchant…”

Ava pretended not to notice what he was doing, and that excited him even more.

“… who is importing the drapes for the drawing room. Then”—he bunched up her skirt till he reached the hemline, exposing her lap—“tell him that he must give…”

He traced his fingers slowly up her chemise. Ava’s breath itched, and she stiffened.

“… thirty pounds to Mr. Ashworth for the ponies”—he stopped when he reached her crotch—“that he shall be supplying me with.”

“Is that… Is that all?” Ava asked in a hoarse voice.

“Yes. Now, write.”

Ava leaned away from him as she pored over the papers, consequently pushing her buttocks back, giving him even more access to her crotch.

Edwin smiled wickedly before tracing a single finger across her hips through her chemise. The fabric, even though a barrier, made his touch even more sensual.

Ava arched her back and made a sound he could not quite decipher. However, she did not stop writing.

“I like how dedicated you are to the task I gave you,” he praised.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Edwin found the bundle of nerves at the apex of her sex and stroked it lightly.

A moan escaped her lips. “Edwin…”

“Did you just call my name?” he asked.

Ava shook her head.