Page 87 of The Hellion's Heart
Joshua awakenedon his first day as a married man with a contented smile. He had not slept overmuch the night before, but he had no regrets.
There was much to be said for an audacious wife.
He eased his hand across the sheets without opening his eyes, glad yet again that Helena had shown no inclination to retreat to her own chamber to sleep. He liked having her soft heat beside him, her scent filling his dreams.
His eyes flew open at the realization that she was no longer in the bed beside him. He sat up, wincing a little at the sunlight shining into his chamber, and smiled at the sight of his lady seated by the window. She wore his shirt from the day before, the front open, the crisp white fabric contrasting beautifully withthe soft rosiness of her skin. Her hair hung in dark curls down her back and she bit the fullness of her bottom lip as she read some volume with great concentration. He rose from the bed and strolled toward her, choosing where he would kiss her first.
She glanced up at him with a contented smile and lowered the book to her lap. Joshua bent to kiss her sweetly, then tilted his head to read the title of the book. “What so fascinates you this morning?” he said, then felt his eyes widen.
The Ladies’ Essential Guide to the Art of Seduction.
He blinked but Helena only smiled. “It is most instructive. I had read some of it earlier, which was how I knew to be encouraged by the hue of your eyes.”
He scooped her up and took her seat, with her in his lap, then kissed her again. “How did you come to read any of such a scandalous volume?”
“I wasn’t intended to, of course, but I was curious. And it was useful to know.” She opened the book to the frontispiece and displayed it to him.
Joshua read.
It cannot be denied that in matters of intimacy between husband and wife, a gently-bred lady has no recourse to information, save her spouse’s counsel. Many men decline to provide any tutelage, leaving their wives dissatisfied or discontent though they cannot clearly identify the cause. Such is the result of a lack of education in matters of intimacy. This volume intends to fill the deficit by ensuring that ladies of merit know not only what to expect in the marital bed, but also how to induce their husbands to join them there frequently and with enthusiasm.
“One can scarce argue with such good sense,” Helena said.
Joshua could find no cause to protest frequent and enthusiastic unions himself.
Helena turned the pages, evidently seeking the one she had been reading. “I found this most apt,” she said, turning the book for his consideration.
Upon the matter of gentlemanly restraint…
There is a notion commonly held that women are fragile and delicate, that we fear passion and cannot be expected to enjoy the sensual pleasures of the bedroom. Those who hold this view believe that women endure intimate relations—while, in my experience, ladies may not only savor such intervals, but welcome them and incite them.
Consider the merit of surprising one’s husband, lover, or partner. If the man in question believes that he must initiate all sensual encounters, his ardor may be stirred by an unexpected seduction. I encourage you to embrace the unexpected—in both timing, location, and posture. Challenge his expectations by your willingness for congress at times other than those which have become your custom. Does he come to you in darkness at night? Go to him in sunlight, in the morning. There is much to be said for surprising a man in his bath, and no opportunity for him to disguise any enthusiasm for the interruption.
There are men, as well, inclined to hide their emotions and passions from view, presenting the world with an austere countenance and a rigid upholding of expectations. I assure you that there is a delicious pleasure to be found in conquering the reticence of such a man. Those hidden desires may be tumultuous and, when coaxed forth, may overwhelm his restraint with such abandon that the resulting encounter becomes most memorable.
Indeed, releasing the passion of a man who appears to have none is among the most rewarding of all sensorypleasures, and one that will forever change the balance of a relationship. To hold such a man in thrall to the satisfaction that only you can offer is a power that is to be welcomed, yet one that should be wielded with grace…
Joshua was well aware that Helena was watching him closely. He looked up to find her eyes sparkling with mischief. “A delicious pleasure?” he repeated and she laughed.
“A most satisfying one,” she said, stealing a kiss he was only too willing to surrender.
He sighed with mock forbearance. “And now I suppose you mean to hold me in thrall.” In truth, he suspected she already did.
“I take it as a challenge,” she said, fanning the pages. “After all, I have this incomparable resource, though only a fortnight to take advantage of its counsel.”
“How so?”
“It was lent to me, though I will not confess by who.”
He might have argued that point, but she turned the pages again. “Does this not bring you and I to mind?”
Upon the matter of feminine capitulation…
It is the expectation of many men, and indeed of society at large, that women should be biddable and docile, always taking the counsel of men with regards to their behavior. I would suggest to you, gentle reader, that there is a delight to be found in challenging such expectations, particularly in matters of intimacy.
In the bedroom, in privacy with one’s lover, a lady can reveal her own urges as nowhere else in the world. Be bold in your caresses, and forthright in your demands. Instead of lying back and accepting whatsoever your partner deigns to offer, tell him what you wish of him. Make the first address. Touch him as you wish—or touch yourself as he watches. Ihave written of boldness before, but the combined power of audacity and surprise cannot be underestimated, nor can its ability to change the foundation of a relationship be overlooked…
Joshua found himself grinning. “I have never expected you to be biddable, Helena, and certainly not docile.”
Her pleasure in his approval was most clear, for she rewarded him with a kiss. He deepened it slowly, ensuring that it would be a memorable one. She was flushed when he raised his head but turned again to the wretched book. “I read this part this morning and could only wonder, Joshua, just how wicked you were inclined to be for me?”
Upon the merit of secret pleasures…
Joshua lifted the book from her hands and dropped it to the floor without needing to read more. “I vow to be as wicked as you desire me to be, my Helena.”
“I think you will find, sir, that might be very wicked indeed,” she managed to say before he kissed her to silence. He was prepared to take the better part of the morning to show her that he had no need of a book to discover ways to please her—much less of how to be wicked.
A lady’s desire should always be fulfilled, after all.
