Page 75 of Every Rake Has A Silver Lining

As she perched on the edge of the bed, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Was that a coquettish, come-hither smile?

He shook his head to clear it.

The smile remained.

He shucked off his coat, tossing it onto the settee behind him. His neckcloth followed.

Her smile widened, displaying?—?

What was that in her cheek? He sucked in a breath. Oh, dear God. She had a dimple. He was a fool for dimples. His fingers fumbled with the buttons on his waistcoat, shouldered off the garment, and threw it behind him.

His boots and stockings were next, and as he yanked each one off, Charlotte’s eyes followed his every movement. He slipped the braces from his shoulders, letting them fall loosely against his hips and thighs, and when he pulled the shirt over his head, those dark eyes of hers widened.

Satisfaction—or perhaps pride—swelled in his chest at the way her gaze locked on his bare chest, and he withheld the grin threatening to break free. She might deny it with words, but she was attracted to him, perhaps even as much as he was to her.

But when his hands moved to the buttons on his trousers, her demeanor shifted from interested to alarmed.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting undressed for bed. I thought that was clear.”

“At least have the courtesy of putting on a nightshirt before you remove your trousers.”

“Nightshirts confine my movement. I’m told I’m a restless sleeper.” At that, he released the grin. Let her make of that what she will.

“Which is yet another reason you will be spending the night on the settee.”

Another reason?He spun around to the clothes-cluttered, and much-too-small-to-sleep-on settee. “Do you mean you had been planning on relegating me to sleep on this”—he pointed to the offending piece of furniture—“all along?”

She made a show of studying her nails. “Of course.”

“But you . . . that smile . . .” He squinted at her. The termagant had teased him into believing she wanted him. No!Shedidwant him. He hadn’t lost his instinct for sensing that in a few short days of being married.

“That settee isn’t made for a man of six-feet-two. Why, even Boney wouldn’t fit on that thing—though it would be fun to watch him try.”

“You’re not suggestingIsleep on it?” The harpy had the gall to appear affronted.

“No. Even you’re too tall for it.”

As tall as he was, her forehead topped his shoulder. Exceptionally tall for a woman, she had to be at least five-feet-eight. Why, he didn’t even have to stoop much to kiss her, and in bed they would fit perfectly. Which, speaking of . . .

“Besides, contrary to what you believe, I would never be so ungentlemanly to force you to sleep on a hard piece of furniture when there is such a soft—big—bed at our disposal. Big enough to share, Charlotte.”

Her shoulders squared, becoming so perpendicular to her body, he could have balanced one of their supper plates upon it and not spilled a bit of food. “You promised.”

He arched a brow at her. “If memory serves, you also made a promise. I will abide by mine. As I said, the bed has plenty of room for both of us, and I will not do anything you don’t want me to. But our marriage doesn’t stand a chance if you keep me at arm’s length.” He allowed her some time to let that sink in.

Seconds stretched into minutes, and he silently screamed for his mind to still. His fingers had already mutinied, drumming against his thigh.

After an excruciatingly long time—at least for him, although in truth, only about a minute had passed—she nodded. “Very well. But keep your trousers on.”

“No.” He had to draw the line somewhere. “And you’ve seen me without them before. It shouldn’t be some great shock. We’re married, Charlotte.”

Her bottom lip protruded enough to make him want to take it between his teeth and?—

“Fine. If you must be that way.” She stood and strolled toward the settee. Surely, she didn’t prefer trying to sleep there. Did she really detest him that much? Instead, she removed a blanket thrown over the back.

“This should work.” Back at the bed, she studied the canopy. “If I can hang this up there, it could drape down and provide a dividing line.”

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