Bound by Bliss (Bound and Determined #2)(19)

Duldon swallowed. He clearly did not like where this was heading. “You think that I can help you learn the same things as a married woman?”

She let her smile grow, trying to pretend a sophistication she did not feel. He would never agree if he knew how timidly she shivered inside. “Given the way that you kiss, I imagine that you could teach me whatever you chose—assuming that I wanted the lesson—but I don’t require you to teach me anything. I merely want you to take me to a couple of the places my friend promised to, places she thought I would truly enjoy. I cannot do much by myself, but with your help I am sure I could accomplish at least a couple of the tasks.”



“This does not sound too difficult,” Duldon said, but she could hear the doubt in his voice. He knew there was a catch. “Tell me, who is this mysterious friend?”

“Oh, a most wonderful lady, the Countess Ormande. You must have met her.” Ignoring the sudden clouding of Duldon’s eyes, she continued. “And the first thing she promised to do was to take me to Madame Rouge’s Club for Gentlemen of Taste. Can you imagine anything more exciting than sneaking into a gentleman’s club? I am not sure how she planned to accomplish it, but I am sure you will think of something.”





Chapter Five


How had he ended up here? Duldon stared across the street at the infamous red door to Madame Rouge’s. And how had Bliss ended up attired in much too tight breeches? His gaze lingered on her ass, peeking out beneath her coat. He knew the answer to both questions, but wished he did not. His eyes slipped closed as he said a silent prayer. He needed to learn to be firmer with her. He was not a man who gave in. He always proceeded the way he thought proper, the way he believed.

She was probably correct that he was not a husband who would let her have her way. Actually there was no “probably” about it.

So why was he here?

He was not a man who ended up at a brothel with a proper young lady who thought she looked like a boy just because she put on breeches. No man, ever, would look at Bliss’s ass in that garment and think she was a boy. That ass was all woman, full and curved and begging to be squeezed—or spanked. He put that thought away. He wanted her for his wife and a wife must be treated with some respect. He struggled with the thought. Hell, if he wasn’t trying to respect her he would have just married her years ago, before he’d brought his demons under control, before he’d been prepared to be the man she needed.

“When do we go in? I didn’t ask you to bring me just so that I could stand across the street in the shadows.” Bliss sounded petulant.

He was acting against his better judgment and she whined?

Patience. From the day they’d met she’d required patience, but she had always been worth it, would always be worth it. All it took was one of her sweet smiles and…and he ended up with her at a brothel pretending she looked like a boy.



“Can’t we go now?”

Of course, when she wasn’t smiling, sometimes he had to wonder. He ached to take her over his knee and teach her exactly how she should act toward him. He had to stop thinking that way. Yes, she had displayed a certain curiosity, it was why they were here, but that was a very long way from thinking that she’d enjoy his type of play. If only those breeches weren’t quite so tight.

The thought brought a smile to his mouth, and not just for the usual reasons. Bliss would never act as she was supposed to. He might long to discipline her, to teach her that she didn’t have to fight the world to get what she wanted, but he knew it was a losing proposition. Bliss would always be Bliss. It was what drew him to her, made him want to protect her from the world—and from himself. It was why he’d ignored her for years, while keeping all the other young fools who paid too much attention to her away. Johnston, Temple, Blankmore, Wilson—he’d made sure none of them had a chance with Bliss. She was his.

“If you aren’t willing to take me, I will go myself. You should have told me earlier if you didn’t want to go in. I can go by myself. Nobody will know I am not a boy. I’ll just pretend that I am there for the first time. That will explain both my youth and why nobody has ever seen me before.”

Could she really believe she looked like a boy? Or any type of male? It was laughable and he kept waiting for the smile that would let him know it was all a joke—the smile that didn’t seem to be coming. “It is not your being seen that I am worried about. I don’t know if you’ve noticed who is walking through that red door, but I’d wager that three of the most recent patrons to enter have danced with you in the last year. Do you really think that they won’t recognize you because they can see your legs?” Well, perhaps they would be too busy looking at her legs to notice her face.



“I bound my breasts as well. Most of the men I dance with spend their time gazing at my bosom. If there aren’t breasts to look at and I am dressed as lad, why would they even think to look at me? Why would any man look twice at a boy?”

Now that was a question he was not ready to answer. Given her confusion when he mentioned kissing boys he doubted she had any idea of the things two men could do together. Things that definitely happened at Madame Rouge’s.

“Bliss, you will have to trust me,” he said.

“Why? Isn’t what this whole thing is about, my not trusting you?”