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In a rush of near panic, Alice’s stomach flip-flopped and she ended the kiss, pushing against his chest to stop him.
She pressed her knees closed.
She wasn’t ready yet. Not yet. Maybe never.
Maybe this was all a dreadful mistake.
She wasn’t a seductive, worldly Lady Rake. What had she been thinking?
It was all well and good to wear French lingerie and no drawers, but she was beginning to realize that a few chapters of an ancient erotic text and some bawdy anecdotes from one’s friends did not a sophisticate make.
“Did you know, my lord,” she said in a rush, “that champagne began as a still wine of a rosy hue? The cold winters halted fermentation entirely until the warming of spring produced bubbles, much to the monks’ consternation. Why, even into the seventeenth century, winemakers endeavored to exorcise that characteristic effervescence! It wasn’t until—”
“Alice,” he broke in.
“Yes?”
“Is anything the matter? You seem distracted.”
“If you must know, I’m rather flustered by you and by the thought of what is to take place upon this bed.”
“Of course you are, Dimples. That’s only natural. But you needn’t be frightened. I’ll do nothing against your will... and everything to please you.”
He teased her lower lip between his teeth gently, kissing the corners of her mouth before moving to her neck.
She tilted her head back to give him access, but her mind wouldn’t stop churning. “While I have conducted a thorough inventory of my person, from pate to toes and everything in between, I’m not at all sure that I understand how my person is supposed to accommodate your person and whether it won’t at first be very painful and whether I might not like it as much—”
“Alice.” He placed his hands on her cheeks, framing her face. “While I enjoy hearing your every thought, and your every thought is a unique revelation that no other lady could possibly express, there is a point at which language becomes superfluous.”
Language was never superfluous. “You can’t mean we are to be completely silent while we... that is... during the act of congress.”
“Not completely silent. Short exclamations of the imperative variety and breathy moans are encouraged. The words Yes, Nick, right there and Oh God, yes, don’t stop are allowed.”
“Oh.” Alice blinked rapidly, absorbing this new information.
Not supposed to talk?
Then what was she supposed to do? “But language, my lord, is how I make sense of the world. But if you request me to refrain from speech, I shall. If it’s the sensible thing to do in these... situations.”
His smile widened. “Do you ever do anything for a reason other than ‘It’s the sensible thing to do’?”
She thought about that for a moment. “No.”
“You never let emotion carry you away.”
“Never.”
“This is going to be quite a challenge. But I’ve always loved a good challenge.”
He ran a hand down the center of her gown.
“I’ve never seen wrappings like this on a gown,” he said, sliding a finger beneath one of the crossed layers. “Are there buttons somewhere?”
“Hidden hooks.”
“Mmm... another challenge.”
He had her bodice undone in seconds flat, and a large hand burrowed beneath the fabric, sliding across the edge of the corset. He opened her bodice and inhaled sharply, his gaze traveling over her mounded bosom and the scarlet silk corset.
“What’s this, Dimples?” The expression on his face was almost one of pain.
She’d made yet another error. “You don’t like it?” she asked, biting her lip.
