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Trevor gestured to a door on their right. “That door connects to another bedchamber. It will be yours to decorate as you like. Do you want to see it now?”
“Maybe just a quick look.”
She padded farther into the room, ignoring the sense that she was somewhere she shouldn’t be. Years of treading carefully around unmarried gentlemen had made her overly cautious. It was ridiculous that she still felt wary even though she was now married to Trevor and being alone together was the goal, not something to be avoided.
The connecting door was unlocked, so she eased it open and peered through. In terms of layout, the room was similar to Trevor’s, with a dressing table against the far wall, a writing desk to the left of the main window, and a bed occupying much of the central space. However, where Trevor’s room was adorned in shades of brown and cream, hers was a more feminine combination of cream and lilac.
The bedspread was lilac, the wallpaper floral and patterned in cream and lilac, and the floor was polished wood. For the first time, it occurred to her that she’d have to arrange for her belongings to be sent over. Hopefully, her father wouldn’t make a dreadful fuss. She didn’t want to fight with him anymore.
After closing the door again, she retreated into Trevor’s room, looking around for somewhere to sit. There was an ottoman at the end of the bed, so she perched on it, her breath catching when he sat beside her, much closer than she’d expected.
He angled himself toward her and slipped one of his hands into hers. “How much do you understand about the mechanics of intercourse?”
She giggled, then clapped her free hand to her mouth, appalled at herself. It was just so like Trevor to make marital relations sound like an academic subject. “I’ve read a little on the topic. I think I have a reasonable idea of what goes on.”
Some of those texts were about livestock, but she’d also uncovered the naughty illustrated book that she’d never shown anyone but had studied more than she’d like to admit since he’d begun courting her.
“I’m nervous, but I’m excited too,” she admitted. “I want to know how it feels.”
“This is going to be another fun experiment for you, isn’t it?”
“I hope so.”
He grinned at her, his cheeks enchantingly red, the blush spreading to the tips of his ears. “I’m concerned I’m about to be tortured in the most delicious way.”
That didn’t make any sense whatsoever, but hopefully it would soon.
Raising their clasped hands, he kissed the back of hers, and a hot, sweet thread of pleasure curled through her. “I know I may not have been your first choice of groom, and I don’t have as much experience as most gentlemen, but I’m not entirely inexperienced. I plan to do everything I can to satisfy you in bed.”
Her heart clenched. This man. How could he not see how wonderful he was? “You’re the only man I’ve actually wanted to marry.” She turned their hands over and kissed the back of his hand the same way he’d done to her. “I drove the Honorable Phineas Beardsly away on purpose.”
Admitting it was oddly freeing.
He frowned. “You did?”
“He was a bore and a prig, and I didn’t want to marry him.”
The frown deepened. “But you wanted to marry me?”
“Yes.” She could tell from his expression that he didn’t believe her.
“So, what did you do? I can’t imagine how you could possibly make anyone not want to marry you. You’re incredible.”
Her cheeks heated from the praise. “Do you really want to know?”
“Of course. I’m intrigued.”
She leaned forward. “First, I prattled on about the dullest topics I could imagine. When that didn’t work, I told him how much I was looking forward to taking over his household and shaping his political future. He’s a dreadfully lazy sort with no ambition who doesn’t want to do anything other than drink and carouse. Unfortunately, that still wasn’t enough to deter him.”
“I doubt it would be, if he was smitten with you. Enough to make him nervous, perhaps, but no more.”
Her mouth hitched up on one side, and she knew her smile looked slightly evil, but she couldn’t help it. “I started carrying a small vial of a capsaicin tonic around with me and dabbing it about strategically or using my fan to blow it toward him, so he began sneezing and getting watery eyes whenever he was near me.”
A laugh burst from Trevor. “I’d never have thought of that.”
She grinned widely. “You’re nicer than I am. Anyway, I suggested that being near me might be bad for his constitution, but I worried that still wasn’t enough, so I started slipping monk’s pepper into his drink whenever he called on me, to make him concerned about his virility.”
“Monk’s pepper lowers libido,” he said thoughtfully.
