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She let out a soft mewl as he grabbed her wrists and pinned them over her head.

“You are going to do exactly as I say,” he continued. “But if you ever feel the need to stop me, just say so.”

He watched as her breath hitched in her throat, felt the slight tension in her body, and drew back just a little. If she told him to stop right now, he would—even if it would damn well kill him.

“Are you done warning me yet?” she groaned, her voice tinged heavily with frustration. “Or is this your chosen method of torture for my flagrant disobedience?”

A wicked smile spread across his lips as he laughed softly, darkly against the side of her neck.

“So impatient, my Duchess,” he crooned. “Very well then. Let us start your lessons…”

She could feel her breath hitching in her throat, her skin tingling at the slightest whisper of his touch. How she craved it—allof it.

All ofhim.

“Now, before we start, we need to set some rules,” she heard him say.

Rules?

Evie’s mind whirred. She was already close to bursting out of her skin and he wanted to talk aboutrules?

“We are going to need a word—a sort of code, if you will,” he continued. “Once we… start, it can get very hard to say something intelligible.”

Dear God in heaven, is he going to reduce me to a blubbering mess?

She had no doubt he was capable of doing so if his kisses were anything to go by. The merest feel of his lips on hers was enough to liquefy her brain and all rational thought in it. If he were to go further…

“I need you to decide on a word that you can use, should the situation become too much for you.”

“Like what word?” she said impatiently. “Stop?”

He chuckled. “That is too vague, sweetheart. Imagine if you saiddon’tandstopin close succession… I would not know what to do.”

He was being decidedly wicked, and Evie could feel it.

“What do you suggest then?”

“We can start with colors,” he whispered as his fingers skated over her bare skin. “Red if you want me to stop. Green if you want me to go on…”

Green, green, green!

“And what if I do not say anything?”

“Then I shall take it as a sign to carry on,” he replied, trailing his lips from her jawline to the side of her neck. “Sometimes, it can get very hard to speak once one is in the throes of pleasure.”

Pleasure…

Her whole body thrummed with the delicious possibilities. Possibilities that Daniel would no doubt make a reality that very night.

“All right,” she murmured breathlessly. “Green.”

It was exhilarating, not quite knowing what was going to happen to her. Merely trusting thathewould take good care of her. Make her his wife in every sense of the word.

But somehow, Evie felt there had to be something more to the consummation of their marriage. She could not understand why thetonspoke of it as a woman’s duty to submit to her husband. Could not understand the deep, dark desires that slumbered in her heart, only to be awakened by Daniel’s touch.

All she knew was that she wanted him—whateverthatwas.

She felt something soft and cool wrap around her wrists and realized that Daniel was tying them up with expert, masterful movements. The bonds were neither too loose nor too tight, providing just the right amount of restriction to her movements without hurting her.