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“I never thought my cock could have shriveled so quickly.”
Her eyes widened to the size of saucers. “I see.” She cleared her throat delicately. “You dressed me.”
“Only in your nightgown.”
She made a soft sound in her throat but said nothing more. They stared at each other, and unexpectedly the corner of her eyes crinkled, and she giggled. The sweet sound bloomed into a peal of laughter that filled his chest with sunshine. He didn’t understand the infectious nature, but he chuckled, then he too started laughing, releasing the last bit of tension in the air. They laughed like two fools, and it felt natural to reach out and draw her into his arms. She did not resist but rolled into him, settling her head against his chest.
“I do not believe I have ever heard you laugh before, husband,” she said breathlessly. “I like it.”
Bloody hell, she smelled good. Felt even more perfect pillowed onto his chest.
“Then I will endeavor to do it more.”Just for you. “Now tell me, why did you faint?”
She lightly stroked a finger over the hard planes of his stomach. “It is silly.”
“I would still like to hear it,” he murmured. “I would hate for you to faint every time I take you to my bed.”
“And how often will that be?” she asked pertly.
“Every morning and night.”
She shifted a bit to tilt her face up to his. “Is that possible?”
Oscar smiled. With the way she made him feel, he would bet his prime stud horses it was possible. At least until they sated each other, and a part of him wonder if he would ever get enough of her sweet taste or the heady arousal her responses brought forth. “We shall discover together, countess.”
Her cheeks reddened prettily, but she did not look away from him. He lowered his head and touched her lips, kissing her softly, gently…lovingly. Oscar wanted to reassure her that she was safe, and she would face no judgment in his arms.
“Since I was little…I faint when I feel pain and at the sight of blood,” she confessed, lowering her face and curving into his side once more. “I hurt myself once. It was bad. All I remembered was the awful pain and the blood.”
Devil take it. He rubbed her shoulder soothingly. “How old were you?”
“Eight. I fell from my pony. I recall screaming at the blood wetting my riding habit. I was horrified at the sight and the scent. I wasn’t sure what was scarier. The blood or the faint. My sister told me I fainted. Of course, when I woke, it was all like a distant dream. I never knew I would have such a reaction again until I was about twelve. I badly pricked my finger with an embroidery needle. As the blood beaded on the tip of my finger and the ache spread…it was as if my body separated from my mind. I hazed, and I fainted.”
His wife’s voice was rich with mortification.
“Since then, the idea of pain and blood frightens me. It is silly, for I am a grown woman!”
“It is not silly, Prue. It is a response to an event that was very traumatic.”
“But I cannot stop myself from having the reaction. That is what I hate the most.”
Her voice sounded small and muffled. A quick glance showed she had drawn the sheets up to hide her face. He tugged the sheets down and used a finger to lift her chin. “That little flaw does not change the fact you are a brave lady.”
Her brows winged down in a frown. “Brave?”
“You got back onto a horse, and you are an excellent rider today.”
Her eyes widened, and then she looked absurdly pleased with herself. “Iamexcellent, aren’t I? It was petrifying to restart my lessons, but I did not want the fear to cripple me. Only four months later, I found the courage to start riding again.”
He lowered his head and kissed her brow. “And one day, you will overcome this too. Believe in that, countess. And if you do not, it does not make you less.”
Oscar was not sure if he should speak with her about the painful ordeal that was childbirth.Hell. One step at a time. His countess was young. There was no rush for him to get his heir. He would try his best to ensure she did not fall with child for a few years. That way, they would have another three or more years to get to know each other before introducing children. His mother, who was already haranguing him about an heir and a spare, would simply have to keep her nose out of their marriage.
“Now show me your badge of bravery.”
She scuttled from his arms to push aside the sheets. Oscar loved that she displayed no maidenly shyness or blushes in showing him a part of her body. Baring her legs, his wife revealed a scar on her shin. It was long and wide but not garish. Still, he grabbed her foot and lifted it. With a gasp, she fell back onto the bed, laughing breathlessly. Raising her foot to his mouth, he gently kissed the scar, then up to the back of her knee.
She gasped and giggled.
