that was what excited her about this whole business. What would it be like to be physically intimate with a man again, intimate in ways she could not even imagine? It sometimes thrilled her to think of it, but just as often frightened her.
"Well." How to begin? How to say what she wanted to say without dying of mortification? "You see, David is the only man I ... well, you know. I never ..." She felt her cheeks flame with embarrassment. She could not believe she was having this conversation. "Oh, Adam, I just don't know how to go about this. I don't know who would be a good ... who would know how ..." She pounded a fist against the chair arm. "Damn it all, I don't know anything. I don't know how to find the right man."
Adam shook his head. "If you expect me to tell you which man would make the best lover, then you're out, Marianne. I'm sorry, but that is asking too much. How should I know something like that? You'd be better off asking another woman." He grinned. "The duchess, for example."
She had thought about talking to Wilhelmina, but became too tongue-tied to do so. And yet here she was, having just such a conversation with Adam.
"You are right. I shouldn't be bothering you. It's just ... well, it's not all about what a man does in the bedroom."
He quirked an eyebrow. "Is it not? I thought that was the whole point."
"Yes, but I also need a man who will be discreet. I don't want my name bandied about at the clubs or, God forbid, mentioned in the betting books. I would like my privacy respected."
"A gentleman of honor, then," he said. "I would expect nothing less. And what else?"
"I do not want a man with an eye to marriage, or an eye on my fortune. It must be someone willing to accept me on my own terms."
"A physical relationship only?"
"For the most part. No entanglements."
"A man of the world, one who covets your body but not your fortune." His hooded gaze followed the line of her hips and thighs, sending a sudden flush of heat through her veins. "That should not be difficult. And what else?"
Damn the man for looking at her like that. She had become much more aware lately of the words and looks and touches that passed between men and women. She had known Adam most of her life, knew him to be a seducer of women, but he had never turned those bedroom eyes on her in such a provocative way.
Or had she just never noticed?
She gathered her composure and smiled at his feigned insolence. "Well, it would be nice if he was handsome, of course."
He laughed. "Of course. A handsome gentleman of honor with some skill between the sheets who is content with an uncomplicated affair. The field narrows. And what else? A man of fashion?"
"I do not think that is important. He should be presentable and clean, naturally, but I doubt a man overly concerned with his wardrobe would be an appropriate candidate."
"Quite right. No pinks of the ton . Too absorbed in themselves to do right by a woman. What about fortune?"
"That should not be a consideration."
"And age?"
"Hmm. I had not thought of it. I suppose it would not serve the purpose for him to be in his dotage."
"Certainly not. The fellow must be able to perform, after all. And an old roué would not suit you." He gave an exaggerated shudder. "So, we are looking for a gentleman who is handsome, discreet, and not given to dandified ways, who offers no entanglements, and is still vigorous enough to satisfy a woman's needs. Have I got it right so far?"
She grinned and realized that he had put her entirely at ease by making a game of the whole business. "Yes, that sounds about right to me. And also —"
"Egad, there's more? My dear, if you become too particular in your tastes, you risk narrowing the field to the point where there is no man left standing."
"But, Adam, this hypothetical man and I will spend a great deal of time together, and not just in the bedroom. There ought to be more than just ... that , shouldn't there? I would like a man I can talk to, a man who has a
"Well." How to begin? How to say what she wanted to say without dying of mortification? "You see, David is the only man I ... well, you know. I never ..." She felt her cheeks flame with embarrassment. She could not believe she was having this conversation. "Oh, Adam, I just don't know how to go about this. I don't know who would be a good ... who would know how ..." She pounded a fist against the chair arm. "Damn it all, I don't know anything. I don't know how to find the right man."
Adam shook his head. "If you expect me to tell you which man would make the best lover, then you're out, Marianne. I'm sorry, but that is asking too much. How should I know something like that? You'd be better off asking another woman." He grinned. "The duchess, for example."
She had thought about talking to Wilhelmina, but became too tongue-tied to do so. And yet here she was, having just such a conversation with Adam.
"You are right. I shouldn't be bothering you. It's just ... well, it's not all about what a man does in the bedroom."
He quirked an eyebrow. "Is it not? I thought that was the whole point."
"Yes, but I also need a man who will be discreet. I don't want my name bandied about at the clubs or, God forbid, mentioned in the betting books. I would like my privacy respected."
"A gentleman of honor, then," he said. "I would expect nothing less. And what else?"
"I do not want a man with an eye to marriage, or an eye on my fortune. It must be someone willing to accept me on my own terms."
"A physical relationship only?"
"For the most part. No entanglements."
"A man of the world, one who covets your body but not your fortune." His hooded gaze followed the line of her hips and thighs, sending a sudden flush of heat through her veins. "That should not be difficult. And what else?"
Damn the man for looking at her like that. She had become much more aware lately of the words and looks and touches that passed between men and women. She had known Adam most of her life, knew him to be a seducer of women, but he had never turned those bedroom eyes on her in such a provocative way.
Or had she just never noticed?
She gathered her composure and smiled at his feigned insolence. "Well, it would be nice if he was handsome, of course."
He laughed. "Of course. A handsome gentleman of honor with some skill between the sheets who is content with an uncomplicated affair. The field narrows. And what else? A man of fashion?"
"I do not think that is important. He should be presentable and clean, naturally, but I doubt a man overly concerned with his wardrobe would be an appropriate candidate."
"Quite right. No pinks of the ton . Too absorbed in themselves to do right by a woman. What about fortune?"
"That should not be a consideration."
"And age?"
"Hmm. I had not thought of it. I suppose it would not serve the purpose for him to be in his dotage."
"Certainly not. The fellow must be able to perform, after all. And an old roué would not suit you." He gave an exaggerated shudder. "So, we are looking for a gentleman who is handsome, discreet, and not given to dandified ways, who offers no entanglements, and is still vigorous enough to satisfy a woman's needs. Have I got it right so far?"
She grinned and realized that he had put her entirely at ease by making a game of the whole business. "Yes, that sounds about right to me. And also —"
"Egad, there's more? My dear, if you become too particular in your tastes, you risk narrowing the field to the point where there is no man left standing."
"But, Adam, this hypothetical man and I will spend a great deal of time together, and not just in the bedroom. There ought to be more than just ... that , shouldn't there? I would like a man I can talk to, a man who has a
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