The Ugly Duckling Debutante (House of Renwick #1)(47)

“Yes?” His eyes darted back to the food.

“Do you think we could take a nap out on the field rather than inside?” She scooted closer to him, allowing her scent to permeate the tight bubble he had around his person.

“Uh…”

“Then we can go inside later?”

“Sure.” His voice sounded unsure, but he’d agreed, which was exactly what she wanted. She hadn’t planned on trying to seduce her husband, and frankly she didn’t really know how. All she knew was that for some reason he was being an idiot, and she, being the female, needed to remedy the situation.

“Thanks,” she said, stretching her hands into the air. She felt his hot gaze even though her eyes were closed. If looks could kill, she would be dead.

She took the opportunity to yawn and lift another strawberry to her mouth before stretching her body across his.

“Sara.” His voice was small, not at all how she was used to hearing it.

“Hmm?” she asked innocently.

“I uh, I—“

“Do you always use such big words, Nicholas?” she teased, not opening her eyes. His body tensed beneath hers. Surely this was the bravest moment of her life as she began caressing the top of his leg. Even she felt his shudder and a smile crept upon her lips. Luckily she was facing away from him.

“Time to sleep,” she said, even though it was absolutely the last thing on his mind now. Good, let him suffer for a while, she thought, then she sadly realized how tired she really was. Maybe she could sleep for a few minutes.

She woke up with a start. It was already dark outside; she could hear the crickets and feel the cool temperature. Somehow the blanket she had sprawled across was tucked around her body and Nicholas was sitting straight up next to her. She was mortified. She had tried to seduce her husband and fell asleep; she really was an innocent.

A smile played on Nicholas lips as he looked down at her. “Awake princess?”

She nodded glad he couldn’t see her red face. “How long was I sleeping?”

“Four hours.” Nicholas didn’t even crack a smile.

“Four hours!” she yelled.

He shook with laughter and fell back onto the grass. “My, my you’re fun when you wake up from a long sleep. Maybe I did stretch the truth. I actually fell asleep too, it seems we have only been out here around two hours, maybe one spent sleeping.”

She exhaled, realizing she had held her breath. “Shall we go inside?” she asked, already getting up.

“Sure.” His eyes squinted with laughter. “I have another surprise waiting for you.” He grabbed her hand and kissed it. The kiss sent sensations all the way down to her toes. She could get used to being kissed on the hand like that.

Nicholas led her back into his immaculate home. He bit his lip and focused on pulling her up the stairs. He looked like a little boy on Christmas, which gave Sara tingling sensations in her stomach. The anticipation of what was to come was nearly too much to take. She hadn’t seen him like this, ever.

“Just this way,” he said softly in her ear. It was odd how often he whispered to her, as if speaking in his normal tone was too harsh for someone so precious. Whatever his reasons, it made her feel special. He led her back into her chambers and into another room she hadn’t seen yet. It was small and smelled like fruit and soap. She looked down and nearly cried. He had had a bath prepared for her. It was perfect; then again, she wasn’t sure what he wanted her to do. Was she supposed to bathe alone, or was he going to sit with her, or would he bathe with her? The thought, rather than frighten her, filled her with longing and anticipation. What would his hands feel like on her naked body? Closing her eyes momentarily, she allowed herself the little daydream of being alone with Nicholas in the large tub.

“I’ll be in my chambers preparing a light supper when you’re ready,” he answered the probing questions in her mind. She tried to act nonchalant but felt that her face revealed the disappointment in him not staying. She had felt ugly all her life, and finally come to terms with who she was, yet on her wedding day he hadn’t touched her since the carriage ride.

Desperate times called for desperate measures she told herself. She would bathe alone as he asked, but if her assumptions were correct, he was in fact lustful of her; he had said as much before. All she needed to do was give him a little push, and she would do exactly that.

A secretive hum passed her lips while she quickly undressed and sat down into the warm water and nearly choked with laughter. He had met his match; it was about time he realized that.



****



Nicholas paced in his room for close to an hour. If he kept it up, he would surely break the floor or forever mold it to his feet. He had felt bad the minute he left Sara alone in the bath. Had she wanted him to join her? It almost looked that way, but it also could have been his imagination playing tricks on him. He was, after all, a blubbering idiot, or at least that’s what he felt reduced to at this point. Why couldn’t he seduce her like any other girl?

The answer was simple: she wasn’t any other girl, and he had in fact never seduced an innocent woman in his entire life. Sure he had a well-deserved reputation, but it wasn’t because he walked around stealing the virtues of young debutantes. Most of his famous seductions were with older woman who were either married, bored with their spouses, or worse yet, cheated on.