Page 9 of The Secret of My Seduction
She wet her lips. The pulse in her throat beat rapidly. “None of the care described inFifty Ways to Sin. That was what caught my attention about them, you know—Constance’s lovers took such care for her pleasure. William took very little for mine, although I didn’t realizehowlittle until later.”
William. Stupid blighter. “What did he do?”
Her flush deepened, and she opened her eyes. “Does it matter?”
“I would hate to make the same mistake,” Liam answered in the same low, languid voice. He ran his hands down her arms and wove his fingers through hers, lifting her hands to place them on his knees. It had the desired effect; she almost seemed to hold her breath. He slid his arms beneath hers and tugged at the string of her petticoat bodice. “Did he throw you on the sofa? Bend you over a table? Up against a wall?”
“No,” she said, although her voice was tighter than it had been. “He persuaded me to take him to my bedroom, and sit on the bed with him. It was all very lovely—like this—until he—he got on top of me. A few minutes later it was over. He pulled down my skirt, kissed me on the cheek and said he’d had a wonderful time but he had to get back to work. I hardly saw him after that.”
“The man should be shot,” said Liam with feeling. “What a bloody arse.”
She gave a short, nervous laugh. “I thought it was the most disappointing thing. I didn’t expect him to stay and marry me—I never did, so I cannot blame him for that—but I thought it would be more blissful. And last a bit longer.”
When he made love to her, it would last as long as she could endure. The petticoat bodice had come undone; he slid it down her arms to uncover the corset, one of the short workmanlike versions that came off in a trice. And he noted that she put her hands back on his knees without prompting once he’d got them both off her. Oh yes, this was going splendidly.
“Were there any others?”
She hesitated. “Are you going to tell me about all your previous lovers?”
Liam grinned. “If you want to hear it. But not tonight. Tonight I am learning you.”
Another hesitation. “How many nights will there be?”
“I can’t think how to do this properly in less than three or four nights,” he said in mock indignation, taking his hands off her. “Unless you want William’s version of seduction—that will only take, as you noted, a few minutes to accomplish.”
“No!” She shook her head, her loose hair flying against his chest. “This way is…much better, so far.” He grinned behind her; that last bit was so like Bathsheba, letting him know she was still reserving judgment. “There was one other. After Danny came home from the war, missing his arm, we were in very tight straits.” She paused, then went on with the air of forcing out the words. “We didn’t have enough to eat at times. We had lost my father’s shop, my parents were dead of consumption, and then Danny lost his navy pay and his ability to work. It took him months to recover from his injury.
“Henry was a grocer. He had three children who needed a mother, and we got on well. He—he proposed to me. It would have been a very businesslike marriage,” she quickly added. “I would have helped run his shop and raise his children, and he would have supported me and my brother. We were engaged for a month, and a few times we…” She lifted one shoulder, pronouncing silent but brutal judgment on hapless Henry’s lovemaking. “I had hoped it would be better, even wonderful. That would have made me look forward to the marriage, some source of pleasure I might gain. It wasn’t awful. I would call it…perfunctory.” She paused and Liam realized he was scowling. No wonder Bathsheba adoredFifty Ways to Sin. Lady Constance never had so much as a perfunctory tea hour, let alone a boring or bland romp in bed.
“I think he must have been as disappointed as I was,” Bathsheba went on, very quietly. “I could tell his interest in the match waned after we began sharing a bed. In truth, I broke off with him because I thought I would rather starve than become the property of a man who didn’t want me.”
“I can’t blame you.” He put his lips to her shoulder, now bare as he slowly worked her shift off. All Bathsheba’s clothing was simple and easy to remove, which he appreciated. “I would have left him, too.”
A bubble of laughter burst out of her. “Why?”
“If the first few times in bed are dull and unexceptional, how much worse will it get in time? Any man who doesn’t put his best effort forth at the very beginning… Well, I fear he’s a lazy, no-good sort of fellow, and I would never trust my personal satisfaction to such a man.”
She turned her head to look at him, her eyes wide. Up close, he realized her eyes were as richly brown as her hair, mahogany with glints of copper. “Danny worried I’d made a terrible mistake. Henry was a respectable man, with a prosperous shop…”
And Liam would have bet his ownership of theLondon Intelligencerthat Daniel Crawford hadn’t thought for one moment of his sister’s sensual appetites or feelings. “I’m sure he wanted you to be provided for, and I can’t fault him for that. But I certainly wouldn’t trust my brother to make the best decisions for me, so I applaud you for not blindly following his advice in that case.”
Bathsheba stared at him, a startled innocence to her expression. She had not expected him to say anything like that. “Well—yes—I was proven right, in time, butthen, you know, Danny was quite worried…”
“Yes,” he interrupted, “but if you’d married Henry, you would never behere, right now.” She closed her mouth, her eyes still round and unblinking. “Do you still want to be here?” he whispered. “With me? Or would you rather be with a solid, respectable husband like Henry?”
“Here,” she breathed. “With you.”
Liam gave her his most wicked smile. “Excellent. Stand up.”
Wariness sprang into her face, but she stood up, grasping at her clothing when it sagged toward the floor. Liam brushed away her hands and peeled the petticoat, stays, and shift down, kicking them away. Bare except for her stockings and shoes, Bathsheba’s face was bright red, and she wouldn’t meet his gaze. “Come,” he said, pulling her back, this time facing him. She obeyed his urging and straddled him on her knees, her small breasts right in front of his face, her feminine mound tantalizingly near his groin.
For a moment the thought flashed through Liam’s mind that he could undo three buttons on his trousers and be inside her right now.It’s what she wants, whispered a little devil in his ear.It’s what you want, too… Take her now and teach her seduction next time…
He cleared his throat to drown it out. “Put your arms around my neck.”
“Why?”
He sighed, and she bit her lip. “So you won’t fall off.”
