Her Secondhand Groom(90)
“I don’t have sensibilities. Just tell me what’s going on.”
“Nothing,” he said offhandedly, reaching for his dressing robe.
Juliet reached forward and plucked his dressing robe off the screen and clutched it to her chest before he could reach it. “Not so fast. I want some answers.”
A slight blush crept up his face. “If you must know, I was so taken with you, and captivated by the moment, I forgot to put on a sheath.”
“Excuse me?”
He nodded. “When you...er...started riding me, I―”
“I know when you were referring to, Drake,” she interrupted partly from embarrassment due to his word choice and what it implied, but also from agitation.
“Well then, what isn’t clear?”
“The sheath you just mentioned!” she burst out.
“Oh, that.” He waved his hand dismissively, his body had relaxed considerably. “Don’t worry about it, Juliet. I’ll be sure to use one in the future so not to disgust you again.”
She ground her teeth at his airy tone and easy dismissal of the topic. Since when had Drake become more obtuse than Lord Watson? Or was he? There was one way to find out. “There won’t be a reason for you to use one again if you don’t start explaining yourself.”
He stepped closer, his sharp brown eyes skewering her. “Is that a fact, madam? Unless I’ve been transported to a foreign land, I don’t believe you’re in a position to render such a threat.”
She didn’t even blink at his sharp response. She knew he spoke the truth, of course. There wasn’t a single thing legally she could do to deny him access to her bed. But just because she couldn’t do anything legally, didn’t mean she wouldn’t do something illegally. She may not have been married to him any great length of time, but they’d been married long enough for her to know some of his secrets. One of which being he’d never seek admittance into her bed if she took to spending her nights in the viscountess’ room. Not that she intended to employ such a heartless tactic, but if she needed a means to escape him, that was one option available.
She steeled her spine and inclined her chin a notch. “I’ll not rescind what I said. I’ll not be sharing your bed until you explain to me what you’ve been doing.”
He scoffed. “I’ll explain the details of a sheath, but just so you know, I’m not telling you this so you’ll share your bed with me. I survived more than twenty-eight years without you as a bed partner. I don’t imagine I’d die tomorrow if denied your bed tonight.”
She sucked in a sharp breath at his cruel words and wrapped her arms around her midsection. “Forget I even asked.” She stepped toward the door, ready to leave the room before she brained him, thus leaving Celia, Helena, and Kate condemned to having a simpleton for a father.
“No.” He reached out and stopped her. “Just because I said I’d survived twenty-eight years without bedding you and wouldn’t die tomorrow if denied that right, doesn’t mean I intend to find out.” He flashed her a smile that did nothing to sooth the sting of his words. “A sheath is just that. It’s a covering that goes over my...er...rod that catches everything. I’ve worn one every time we’ve been intimate. I just got carried away tonight and didn’t put one on.”
Juliet’s eyes bored holes into him. “Everything?”
The tips of his ears turned pink. “Didn’t your mother explain this to you?”
“Apparently not. All she told me was you’d insert your member a few times and within a few seconds, minutes at most, everything would be done. Then, if I were fortunate, in nine months I’d have a baby.”
His face turned dark. Very dark. “I’m sorry, Juliet. But I can tell you now, there will not be a baby in nine months.”
“I know,” she said sadly.
“You do?”
She nodded. “I just had my flux again while you were gone to London.” A slight, wistful smile took her lips. “But that doesn’t mean in―” Her words died on the spot. Something still didn’t make sense. “Why do you wear the sheath?”
“I already told you, to contain everything.”
That didn’t make things any clearer. Suddenly, Caroline’s suggestion about not cleaning up immediately or finding a way to get his fluid to her core made sense. So did Emma’s confused face and question about Juliet being sure there was nothing to clean up. Now she knew why, and the knowledge infuriated her. He’d been wearing a sheath to...to...to what? She blinked. “You―you wore the sheath to prevent conception?” she asked flatly, knitting her brow.