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She poked his chest with the tip of her finger. “Indulge my whimsical imagination.”
“Very well.” After a very second of pondering, he said. “I am at a loss; educate me.”
“A ball there would have absolutely no atmosphere.”
A slow smile curved his mouth, and she pealed with laughter.
“A woman who laughs at her own joke,” he mused, delight gleaming in his eyes.
Lucinda nodded as mirth overtook her. “The ladies at Berkeley Square forever despair of me, but I cannot seem to help it. Sometimes I start laughing before I fully get the anecdote out, and those vexing ladies hardly crack a smile. I cannot imagine how you’ve managed to tell me four jokes with a straight face.”
He drew her against his chest, running his fingers through her hair. “What ladies at Berkeley Square.”
“Oh, dear.” She nuzzled her nose against his throat. “It is a secret.”
“Ah, I have diabolical ways to get you to spill them.”
Lucinda leaned off his chest to meet his stare, wisps of hair tumbling about her face. “Do your worst,” she drawled, bracing for his carnal attention. She was helpless to suppress a little shiver of pleasure. He had only woken her up an hour ago to take her again, until she had begged the dratted man for a reprieve after he tupped her until she was mindless with pleasure, crying and trembling beneath him.
Alexander’s gaze darkened with some mysterious intent. He trailed his fingers up her side to her underarm and tickled her. Lucinda shrieked. “You beast!”
He was the devil. His ticklish torture slowed, and he grinned at her. She blew out a breath, lifting the stray wisps of hair from her brow. “It is a club…a ladies’ club.”
He paused, staring down at her with astonishment. “I have never heard of it.”
“Of course, you haven’t,” she said pertly. “Only members and…lovers are aware.”
His intent gaze ranged over her face. “It sounds intriguing.”
She grinned. “It is delightful and one of the best places in the world. Theo and I conceived the idea one night about creating a place where ladies who feel like they are misfits of society are welcomed. Whether they are wallflowers or bluestockings, even diamonds of thetonare welcomed. Most importantly, at our club, a lady can be herself without fear. We are all free to laugh…drink a glass of whisky, smoke a cheroot, let down our hair and learn to fence or box or even gamble at times. We read whatever books we want without condemnation from families or society.”
“It sounds wonderful. I can see Hannah joining.”
His ready and non-judgmental support stole her breath. “You would allow your sister to join?”
“When she is old enough.”
She exuberantly kissed his mouth. “One of the best things my friends did was dare me to climb into your bed.”
“If I recall it correctly, I was the wrong earl,” he muttered darkly.
Lucinda grinned. “It worked out splendidly.” Then she kissed him again to soothe away the memory, loving the taste of his evocative, masculine taste.
“Perhaps one day I shall visit this club.”
“Absolutely no gentlemen allowed.”
“Very well, I shall stay away.” He kissed her again, taking time to savor the touch of their mouths. “I have another one for you.”
“Let me hear it.”
“A vicar and a Bow Street runner went to a country estate and demanded of the mistress to urgently see animals of the estate because they had heard some gossips that somebody had threatened to commit murder most fowl.”
She laughed, and he shook his head in bemusement. “I shall inform my good friend, Percival, you found this joke amusing.”
“You did not?” she asked with a small hiccup.
A prolonged pause ensued. “No.”
