Page 238 of Historical Hotties
“Because you have bedded so many women, do you have any diseases of the male member that I should be aware of?” she asked. “Do you have the French pox?”
That did cause him to cough, and cough loudly, because he had to cover the laugh that came belting out of his mouth.
“I do not think so,” he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Do you want to inspect me to find out?”
“Is that your question to me?”
“It is.”
Caledonia realized he’d cornered her quickly. If she refused to inspect him, he might consider it a refusal to answer. It was difficult to tell with him. But she wondered if he was prepared to drop his breeches for her inspection were she to agree to it. Perhaps he didn’t expect her to and was willing to take the chance.
She was going to turn the tables on him.
“Thank you, I would like to inspect you,” she said. “Lower your breeches. Let me see what nineteen other women have seen.”
The blue eyes began to crinkle at the corners. God help him, it was all Thor could do not to burst out laughing. She was being bold and reckless and entirely inappropriate, and he had to admit that he was impressed. When he should have been appalled, he was actually impressed. The woman was fearless as few people were. Without hesitation, he stood up and began to untie his breeches, but he abruptly came to a halt.
“Wait,” he said. “I answered your question. You must drink.”
She frowned. “I answeredyourquestion, soyoumust drink.”
One hand on his breeches, Thor picked up the cup and took another drink of that liquid lightning. Caledonia did the same, tossing back a healthy swallow and sputtering because of it. He was about to slide his breeches down his hips when she put out a hand to stop him.
“Wait,” she said. “You do not need to show me. I believe you.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Are you certain?”
“I am?”
He inched one side of his breeches down. “It would be no trouble.”
“Pull your breeches up, de Reyne. I do not want to see your flesh sausage.”
He couldn’t help it then. He started laughing. By the time he fastened his breeches and sat down, he was crying with laughter.
“Where did you hear such a thing?” he said. “No lady should say such words.”
Caledonia was smiling. His laughter lightened what could have been a truly embarrassing moment, but more than that, he had a positively delicious smile, one that changed the entire shape of his face.
It was astonishing.
“In case you’ve not realized it, I am not an ordinary lady,” she said. “What would you prefer I call it? Your gospel pipe? Your staff of delight? Your—”
He cut her off. “I understand clearly enough,” he said, wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes. “You needn’t prove your vocabulary to me, though I find it somewhat shocking that you should know such things. But along those lines, now it is my turn to inspect—I want to see what forty-nine men have already seen. Lift your skirts.”
Her smile vanished unnaturally fast. “I willnot.”
“Then you must drink.”
Angrily, she grabbed her cup and took another big swallow, nearly choking on it. Thor sat across the table from her, a smile still on his lips as he watched her struggle with the strong drink.
“It is your turn,” he said. “Ask me anything.”
Caledonia wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, eyeing him unhappily. Unfortunately, she’d been drinking most of the day, and even though the drink, and those damnable mushrooms, had worn off for the most part, the three big gulps of thegorzalkawere quickly catching up with her. Her throat was on fire and her head was beginning to swim a little as she faced off against the excruciatingly handsome man across the table.
Truth be told, he was looking better by the moment.
“You do not really want to marry me, do you?” she asked.
