Page 62 of A Duke for Diana
“That, my dear Diana,” Geoffrey said softly, “is passion.”
Well, well. She had been missing out on more than she realized. She lay back a moment, savoring the feeling, wishing she could tell someone how magical it was. She could only tellhim. And judging from the cocky smile on his face, he already knew. She wasn’t sure how, but heknew.
Then something awful occurred to her. She sat up and pulled her skirts down to cover her delightfully sated flesh. “What about you? Don’t you want to feel pleasure, too?”
“I got my pleasure from watching you get yours,” he said smoothly as he rose to sit beside her. He was still breathing heavily, as if his exertions had tired him.
“I may not be quite a woman of the world,” she said, “but even I know that’s not how it works. You may have noticed that one of the charities we support is for ‘fallen females.’ Some of them are quite forthcoming about the process of becoming ‘fallen.’”
“Are they now?” he said, cocking up one brow.
“You know perfectly well they are. They even told me where to buy sponges to keep me from bearing a child and how to use them.” She nodded at the bulge outlined beautifully by the black silk of his breeches. “That’s how I know you are not as . . . shall we say,satisfied, by our encounter as I am.”
“Doesn’t matter.” A frown etched lines in his brow as he pulled out his watch. “By your own terms, you should leave here in fifteen minutes if you mean to preserve your reputation. So, we can either talk. Or you can pleasure me. Your choice.”
Frustrated by how he always created situations where he couldn’t go as far as she wanted, she stood up and smoothed her skirts. “I don’t want to pleasure you. I don’t want you to pleasure me. I wantusto have a mutual enjoyment of pleasure the way married people do, which is clearly something you have no interest in.”
As she started to move away, he caught her hand. “It’s not that I don’t want to. But I dare not marry until I’m sure of . . . certain matters.”
“I’m not saying you should marry me. I’ve never said that. I’msayingI want to experience the same lovemaking that married people do. Because as wonderful as your pleasuring mewas, it doesn’t tell me if sharing a bed with a man is equally as enjoyable.” She tugged her hand from his. “I’ve heard it can be painful for a woman.”
“So I’m told.” He rose, his face reddening. “But mainly, I’m trying not to ruin you.”
“I don’t care if you ruin me! Besides, if a man has relations with some widow he’s just met, why do other men nudge and nod and congratulate him, but if a woman does the same with some man she actually knows, she’s ruined?” She began brushing her skirts, trying to smooth them so no trace of their enjoyment . . . ofherenjoyment remained. “I reject the idea that it ruins me in any way.”
“So do I!” he said. “But the very care you’re taking not to be seen with me demonstrates that you do accept the idea. Hell, at this very moment you’re trying to hide what we did. You have no more choice in the matter than I do. Unfortunately, you and I don’t run the world. We don’t even run Great Britain.”
She tipped up her chin. “Well, we should. We’d do a better job of it.”
“I’ll go tell the king at once,” he said dryly. “I’m sure he and his ministers will step right down and allow us to take the throne.”
Diana swallowed the tears gathering in her throat. “I should like to see that.” She patted her hair, hoping it hadn’t become too disheveled. She wanted to cry but knew she didn’t dare. Showing up in a ballroom with red eyes and a red nose would get all the tongues to wagging.
Which just proved his point, curse him!
Geoffrey pulled her into his embrace. “If you really wish to share my bed, I will not say no. What man would? We could do it here. But we’ll have to come up with a way to meet that won’t attract notice.”
She sighed. “I’ll think on it. I’m sure I can figure out something.”
“If anyone can, it’s you.” He glanced at his watch. “You’d better go. I’ll need some time to . . . deal with my bulging breeches.”
That made her smile. “How exactly do you mean to—”
“Never you mind,” he grumbled. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
“Then I’ll see you at supper.”
“I’ve already had my supper,” he said in a husky voice, his eyes alight. “Quite a good one, actually.”
“Oh, dear, I knowthatlook,” she said. “I’d best leave.”
Thankfully, she was able to slip out of the room, climb the stairs, and dash toward the retiring room before anyone saw her. But as she walked into the room to find it empty save for one dozing lady, she couldn’t help wondering why he still wouldn’t tell her the source of his reluctance to marry. It made no sense to her.
One thing at a time, Diana, she told herself.One thing at a time.
Chapter Fourteen
They all left Almack’s at two a.m. As soon as Geoffrey and Rosy picked up their mother at Grosvenor Square and headed for home, he started unknotting the draconian torture device called a fashionable cravat.
