With a little laugh that was more effective than any aphrodisiac, she moved away and grabbed her list of rules once more. "Okay, next rule then." Her face flushed suddenly.
He frowned. "What is it?"
"Umm … "
"You can tell me anything. You know that, right?"
"I'm just … " She sighed and read the first part of her second set of rules. "BDSM."
He choked. "What the bloody---" He demanded, "Where the hell did you get these rules anyway?"
She pursed her lips.
"Maaary … "
She tried avoiding looking at him.
"Mary, one last time … "
She blurted out, "Half of the rules I got from a Regency etiquette book and then the other half from the contract in Fifty Shades and other erotica books."
Without a word, he took the list from her. By the time he reached the last set of rules, he was having difficulty controlling his laughter.
"It's not that funny!"
That clinched it. Laughing, he hauled her up to his arms and got to his feet. "You are so amazingly ingenious, do you know that?"
Her legs had wrapped automatically around his waist and at his words, she leaned back against his arms so she could see his face better. The tenderness in his eyes made her swallow. That look … that look …
It told her she had done the right thing, told her that by loving him he might learn to love her, too.
"I just want you to be happy," she whispered honestly. "Those rules … I want you to make it clear to me what you want and what you don't want because I want to be your perfect mistress."
"You're already perfect."
"No, but I will be," she told him seriously.
The way she was willing to fight so hard for him made Rathe swallow.
Too hard. Too fast. He had to stop this or there was no going back.
Forcing himself to look away, he murmured, "Those rules of yours … "
"Yes?"
"Rather than just agreeing and disagreeing about them … "
She cocked her head to the side. "What are you saying?"
"How about we test them one by one instead?"
Chapter Thirteen
"Is that good enough, sir?" She plumped the pillows behind her patient's back, wanting to make sure he was as comfortable as possible. As she bent forward to arrange the blankets and tuck it in the sides of the bed, he chose the same time to move forward, with his face accidentally bumping into her breasts.
She pulled back with a gasp, her gaze flying straight to her patient.
He looked at her blankly. "What is it?"
Her heart was still beating hard at the contact. She was embarrassed to admit that her nipples had also reacted to what appeared was an innocent and accidental contact. Oh, dear. How could she be aroused so easily?
With a sigh, she shook her discomfort off. "It's nothing, sir." She checked her watch. It was about time he had his lunch. "Would you care to eat now, sir?"
He nodded and she arranged his meal on the bedside tray before pulling the wheeled tray towards him. She began to feed him, not because he was too weak to do so himself but because it was part of her job. When they were done, she wiped his mouth with the napkin. As she did, his hot tongue darted out, licking her fingertip.
Again, she gasped but he was only licking his lips. "It was a good meal, thank you," he said ever so politely.
Flushing because she had once again misunderstood what was happening, she forced a smile and asked, "Now, what else do you want to do, sir?"
He said thoughtfully, "Perhaps we should have some quiet time reading?" He indicated the bedside table. "Pull the drawer open. I have a couple of magazines in there. I would appreciate your company while I read my journals. You may choose any of the magazines there."
She nodded. "Thank you, sir." Taking the chair next to his bed, she handed her patient his journals while she browsed through his impressive catalog of magazines. Something caught her eye, a magazine with a plain black cover with some strange non-English characters printed on it.
Pulling it out, she opened it and her eyes widened at the illustration on the first page. Oh! What was this strange magazine? Why did it---
She hastily flipped to the next pages but they all featured the same thing. Or at least illustrations of the same subject, of humans having intercourse with each other, and the images were so vividly drawn it made her throat dry, forcing her to swallow several times.
Moisture formed between her thighs, gushing out as she remained unable to take her gaze off the illustrations. A man, taking a woman from behind. A woman, impaling herself on her lover's cock. And, oh, several men taking their turns with just one woman and the expression of her face was not of pain but of eager pleasure---
"Nurse?"
She hurriedly slammed the magazine shut and pushed it back inside the drawer. "Y-yes, sir?" She was red-faced, unable to meet his gaze, fearing he would know what she had inadvertently read.
"Are you all right, Nurse?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well, if you say so … "
"Is there anything I can do for you?"
"I would like to sleep now. Will you be so kind to give me a little head massage? I feel a headache coming."
"Oh, yes sir, absolutely." Headaches were one of the more common symptoms of her patient's affliction and it was part of her job to make such symptoms go away. Standing a little behind her patient, she bent forward and began massaging his temples.
He sighed in pleasure.
She smiled, liking it when her patient was obviously feeling better under her care. "Is that good, sir?"
"Yes, it is." Her patient was a very handsome man, young, tanned, and strong, but his affliction had rendered him bedridden for months and it was only now that he had started to recover from his illness.
She smiled at him like a proud mother, seeing how strong he had become since she had been hired as his private nurse.
She carried on with her ministrations for half an hour, kneading his temples, knowing which parts and points to target to eliminate tension. He shifted in the bed, his eyelids closed, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.
He was facing her now, whereas a while ago he was lying on his back. This forced her to change her position so she could massage him better. Again, she leaned forward, her breasts brushing his face---
Oh!
He yawned and, with her breasts smashed against his face, her suddenly puckered nipple was caught between his lips.
Oh!
How would she be able to---
He started to suck her nipple, even covered as it was with the starch linen of her nurse's uniform.
Was this truly happening?
She couldn't make a sound, her eyes darting wildly around his room. Thank goodness this was at least a private room! If someone caught them now---
He started sucking harder and harder.
She forgot about everything. "Rathe."
He looked up with a grin, releasing her nipple. "You forgot your role."
"I couldn't help it," she wailed. "It was too much!"
Laughing, he scooped her into the bed and laid her on top of him. "Let me please you then." It was the only heads-up she got before he was taking off her clothes and his. In the blink of an eye, they were both naked and in another swift movement, he had reversed their positions, with Mary lying flat on her back and Rathe rising over her like a god.
She was mesmerized. "Rathe."
He groaned. "You have to stop seducing me so innocently, little pearl." He bent down, kissing her hungrily, not letting her respond. He sucked her tongue, her lower lip, and when it was no longer enough, he moved down, sucking her neck.
"No," she said breathlessly when she felt him sucking harder than he should.
But he ignored her protest, sucking even harder, needing to mark her. "So sweet and tempting, my little pearl." He moved down, kissing a straight line down the valley of her breasts before he cupped them, one in each hand. He began to play with her nipples, pulling them and pinching them in ways that made her squirm and moan.
"Rathe."
"Say my name again," he urged her.
She looked down at him with eyes cloudy with need for him. "Rathe."
Yes. It really was the best aphrodisiac, that voice of hers. It was made for the bedroom and he knew at that moment he would do everything possible to prevent any other man from hearing her speak like that. It was too potent, that voice, able to make any man come if she so willed it.
He teased each nipple with his tongue, and when she was writhing helplessly, he gave in to her wordless demands and sucked on her nipple, one at a time.
After, he moved down, not releasing her breasts as he kissed her navel. Finally, he reached the triangle of flesh between her thighs, which she instinctively clamped together as if she had a secret to protect.
"Let me see it," he commanded.
With a sigh, she slowly parted her trembling legs.
Her pussy was beautiful, completely shaved, its pink flesh glistening with moisture. He swiped his finger on her flesh and sucked on it.