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He heard her sharp intake of breath as she nodded shakily. “You will be forgiven once you have taken your seat and I am allowed to have my bonbons.”

He shook his head and sighed. “Do the bonbons matter to you more than your husband?”

“Certainly not.”

His heart soared at her words.

And then, his mouth went dry when she reached for a bonbon and popped it delicately into her mouth.

Damn, if it wasn’t the most seductive thing he had ever seen in his entire life!

“If my husband can bring me more of these, then I should look on him more favorably.” She grinned at him.

He laughed and shook his head. “It is my great fortune to have married an extremely smart woman.”

“And I have married a man with a silver tongue.”

He smiled wickedly at her. “My tongue can do so much more, Duchess.”

She turned a lively shade of pink and glared at him. “Is that all you think about?”

“No, not really.”

“Oh, wonderful.”

“But it is just one of a great many fantasies of mine,” he added.

He did not think it possible, but she turned an even livelier shade ofred.

“You truly are a rogue,” she grumbled. “You cannot even let me enjoy these bonbons in peace.”

He chuckled and poured himself some tea if only to relieve the dryness in his mouth. Teasing her had a rather strange effect on him, further bolstering the hardness between his legs.

“Forgive me, Duchess. Old habits die hard.”

“Well, you should restrain your…urges,” she told him primly. “This is hardly an appropriate time.”

And what would you say would be an appropriate time?

For Ethan, he could devour her morning, noon, and night, and he would probably still not be satisfied.

But he dared not say the words and cause her even more discomfort. She was right—there would be another time for that.

“I finished reading your book last night,” he said instead.

It was not a lie—it made for good reading when one was suffering from intense arousal and doing his best to understand his wife better.

“And how did you find it?” she asked him.

“Like I told you last night, the concept is most certainly interesting,” he said. “It is rather provocative, but you tell the story in such a way that brings your characters to life. You have a gift with words, my Duchess.”

In the light of the warm afternoon sunshine, Phoebe seemed to glow, her cheeks turning a delicate pink, her eyes shining with unabashed delight.

“You truly think so?” she said breathlessly. “You are not just humoring me, are you?”

“I do not make jokes when it comes to my favorite books,” he told her softly.

Her eyes lit up even brighter, if it was at all possible, and Ethan found himself struck by their sheer brilliance.