Page 27 of Wicked with Him

“I never said you lacked wits. You were drunk at the time, though. In my story.”

He shook his head. “I must have been, if I wanted to take any other woman to bed but you.”

Amity sat forward and regaled him with all the horrible things her husband had done to humiliate her. By the end, Roman felt quite uneasy…because the details were not so far from the truth of his life. There were some events she mentioned that had actually happened to him with other women, although some were greatly embellished to make them seem more sordid. He cleared his throat. “All of that was after Melody.”

“I…” She reached for his hand. “I am not criticizing your behavior.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, but what I know of your life did help make my story more believable. You are real to me, and so I could describe the scoundrel in you very well.”

“I’m glad I could be so memorable.”

Amity pulled a face. “Although, after what I told everyone about how you hurt me, I will have to ring a peal over your head should you ever look twice at any women in the village.”

Roman lifted Amity’s hand, which she seemed to have forgotten he was holding, and brought it to his lips. “I’m only here for you, sweetheart,” he promised in a whisper. “No one else. How exactly was I making love to that other woman?”

“The way we were. Under the stairs.” She blushed. “I only had the one experience to relate about lovemaking.”

“I’ll give you a dozen more before too long if you agree to take me back,” he vowed. “There are countless ways to make love, and I intend to show my wife each one in exquisite detail as I plead my case.” Roman continue to kiss up to her wrist, but her long sleeve prevented him from higher exploration. He tugged her up to sit on his lap and looked at her face. “So, what do you say? Can I be your pretend husband? Yours until dawn?”

“Husbands don’t usually leave their wives at dawn, you know,” she warned.

“Well, I didn’t want to assume you’d make it easy for me. I’ve a lot to make up for.”

“I could be mean to you, I suppose,” she agreed. “Make you work hard to win me back.”

“I’m willing to work as hard as I can to please you. Between your legs, too, if you’ll let me.”

Her gaze softened and her breath caught.

He leaned close to whisper, “Do you want to be made love to today, sweetheart?”

She caught her lip between her teeth as she considered his offer. “Yes,” she whispered somewhat breathlessly.

“Anywhere I choose to have you?”

She nodded very fast then.

He grinned and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. “Multiple times, starting with here on this very chair.”

Her eyes widened slightly in shock and her mouth formed a perfect o, but she did not say no to him. In fact, she seemed aroused by the idea.

“I’ll take your silence for a yes, until you say you don’t like it this way.” Roman adjusted Amity until she straddled his lap as if she were riding a horse. “My one regret was that I couldn’t see you when we made love that night.”

“It was mine, too. It seemed like a dream after.”

“I’m no dream, but flesh and blood and hungry for you.” Roman settled his hands on her thighs and slowly worked her skirts above her knees. It could have been the work of a moment to bare her legs, yet he took his time. He’d rushed the night of her ruin, but he was done with doing things in a hurry when it came to intimacy with Amity.

Her legs were slim, the lower half encased in serviceable stocking instead of silk, with short, well-worn boots on her feet. Her pretty knees and thighs were bare. He stroked them with just his fingertips.

He loosened his breeches as his cock swelled, mostly for comfort, but did not reveal himself to her yet. He slipped his hands under her gown and teased her inner thighs.

“You should make good use of your husband while he’s here, my sweet,” he whispered as he dotted kisses on her cheek and her neck. “I have much to make up for, and I’ve neglected my wife badly, haven’t I?”

She choked on a laughed. “I suppose you have. It’s been weeks since I’ve had any attention to my needs.”

“I’ll never leave you wanting again. I mean to lavish my wife with all my considerable skill in the bedchamber and beyond too.”