Page 29 of Reforming the Rakish Marquess

“Fucking is for pleasure, hopefully for both parties,” he explained. “Making love is something else entirely. It is the exchange of emotions, kissing, and tenderness. It is more than just the meeting of physical needs.”

“Is that why you do not kiss me?” she asked. “Because we have agreed there will be no affection between us?”

She almost sounded jealous from the manner of her questions. It should have alarmed him, and sent him running from the room. He didn’t want her becoming attached to him. Did he? But something about her being driven to jealousy over him, made him feel something. He wasn’t certain what it was, but he might have liked it a bit too much.

“I don’t kiss anyone, my dear. At least not on the lips, anyway.” He winked at her.

She smiled at him, and as the light cast from the fireplace kissed her skin, she was somehow even more beautiful and captivating, causing the breath to catch in his chest.

“Well, you are quite good at that manner of kissing,” she said, followed by another of her sweet giggles that tested his resolve.

“I am glad you are pleased, my lady.” More so than he cared to consider, even if he had always been a considerate lover.

He finished donning his boots and crossed the room to the door. He turned back to look at her one last time where she rose from her chair and stared back at him. His heart told him to rush towards her and pull her to him for a searing kiss, but his mind told him to remove himself from her presence as quickly as possible.

“I’ll see you tomorrow night,” he said before he bolted from the room, resolving himself to put an end to the notion that kissing could ever occur between them. He absolutely cannot kiss her.

Chapter Eight

Juliana sat in Hannah’s drawing room, chatting about events and the latest on dit with Hannah and Tabitha. They all missed having Marina and Diana in town for the season. The events weren’t as exciting without their entire group, but at least for Juliana, she had her evenings with Jude to look forward to.

He had come to see her every night for the past week. They kept to the pleasure that made use of their hands and mouths, and it had been the most exquisite week of her life. Some nights they even did so twice, each orgasm just as intense as the last. It was afterward that she might have enjoyed even more. They would lay together and talk about all manner of things before he took his leave.

She decided she was ready to broach the subject of coupling with Jude. She was ready to know what it would be to couple with a man. No, not any man, Jude. Her fear of the growing affection for him was the only thing that held her back. She was almost certain she would lose her heart to him forever if they coupled, but being with him in that way consumed her every desire.

Juliana knew it was foolish to form any feelings or attachment beyond friendship for the most notorious rake of the ton. He reminded her several times that there could be no affection between them. She would continue telling herself it was just lust and the spellbound nature of his physical attention. Because that was all it was. She couldn’t have feelings of love for him. That would be a ridiculous notion. Wouldn’t it? She hadn’t even kissed the man, not that she didn’t want to.

It shocked her when Jude shared that he didn’t kiss at all. She wondered if that meant he had kissed no one, or just no longer did so.

“Juliana, what are you wool gathering about?” Tabitha asked.

“Oh, nothing. Just household matters,” Juliana said, less convincingly than she would have liked.

Hannah and Tabitha’s expressions suggested that they didn’t exactly believe her.

“It doesn’t seem like nothing,” Hannah said.

Juliana would need to make her escape or her friends would find a way to pull all of her secrets from her lips, and she could never tell them about Jude. She would never break the trust of someone she held dear.

“I just recalled some business that I must handle today,” Juliana said quickly. “I must take my leave and see you both at the ball tonight.”

She bussed each of her friends’ cheeks and rushed from the room before they could ask her any further questions.

The walk back to her own townhouse helped to ease the anxious energy that had built within her. She was being a ninny. Of course, she didn’t have feelings for Jude, and he most certainly didn’t have feelings for her. She would continue to enjoy everything he offered her while she pondered what her future might hold. With her inheritance she was a wealthy woman. She didn’t want to marry again other than for love, but then there was the matter of children. She did long to have them one day.

She pushed aside her thoughts of the future and reminded herself to focus on the present. With Jude.

When she reached her townhouse, Drummond met her at the door and opened it for her.

“My lady, you have a visitor. The new Viscount Gordon.”

Juliana had forgotten that the man wrote he would call on her. She couldn’t imagine what he might want. She handed over her bonnet and reticule to Drummond.

“Where is he?” she asked.

“In the drawing room, my lady.”

She sighed. “I will go there directly. Please send in a pot of tea.”