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Kate should’ve known that she would find him in the study. Despite what Lady Whistledown may have you believe, Anthony Bridgerton did in fact take his responsibilities as viscount quite seriously. Which is why he was currently hunched over his desk scouring through papers, as opposed to sitting with his loved ones (and Newton) who were sat in the drawing room downstairs.
“Is there anything I can help you with in particular? Or are you just content with standing there and leering at me?” He didn’t even need to look up to know it was her. Anthony had lived in Bridgerton House long enough to recognise the sounds of the footsteps of each of his family members, his wife included.
If he didn’t know any better, he would have thought that she was actually offended by the insinuation. “I should not believe it is considered leering when it’s my own husband.”
Fortunately, he did know better. “Agree to disagree.”
Seeing no point in pressing the matter, she put her hands up in a faux surrender. In no time at all, she was across the room and and by his side. Anthony had yet to look up, far too engrossed in his work. Which is why she took it upon herself to place a finger under his chin, turn his head and pull his mouth to her’s. Her devoted husband was more than happy to oblige.
“Hello.” She whispered as they broke away, her mouth still inches from his.
Anthony simply smiled. He would never get tired of that. “Hello.”
“So, how are the books? Are the Bridgerton finances up to snuff?” Walking behind his the chair, she wrapped her arms loosely around his neck and rested her chin on his left shoulder. She used her newfound viewpoint to peer at the papers scattered across the desk; half nosy, half genuinely interested.
He was far too engrossed in his work to notice her snooping. “Just about. If I never have to read about Window Duties again in my life, it will be far too soon.”
She pressed a consolatory kiss to his cheek. Poor thing, having to do actual work. On a weekday, no less. “I suppose now would be a bad time to tell you I have spent the last nine months of our marriage embezzling from you?”
“It would be awfully inconvenient, yes.” He leaned back in his chair, accepting the fact that no more work would be done for the foreseeable future. “The seducing me was a nice touch though.”
If her hair was not pulled back into a chignon, she would surely be tossing it over her shoulder there and then. “Thank you, my lord, I thought so too.”
He turned his head to look at her, awkward angle be damned. “Shame that you had to turn out to be a heartless criminal. We would have made such a delightful couple.”
“I know, it really has put a dampener on things, has it not?” She was playing with his hair now, one hand absentmindedly caressing the side of his head. “Would you like to go back to living in ignorant bliss?”
“I think that would be best, yes.”
“I suppose I can oblige.” She smiled. God, how he loved that smile. Especially the thought of kissing it right off of her face.
It was hard to say who leaned in first. It very well could have been either of them. But it was Anthony who murmured. “Oh, how generous of you.”
“What? I’m a dastardly thief, not a monster.”
It was Anthony who closed the gap, hand reaching round the back of her head, careful not to tousle her hair. He was the one who had helped her put the hair pins in after all, a routine formed during her time on bed-rest. She melted into the kiss, opening her mouth to his with no hesitation. They stayed like that for who knows how long. Away from chaperones or prying eyes, they had all the time in the world. It was a lovely moment, perfect even, until-
She giggled.
“What?” He frowned, moving back slightly.
She just shook her head, already pulling him back to her. “It’s nothing, forget it.”
Anthony tried his best to put the incident to the back of his mind. With much more pressing matters to attend to, it was easy enough. But just as he had begun to nibble on that familiar tender spot under her ear, it happened again. Another titter.
“Seriously?” Pulling back once more, his eyes scanned her face. Anything that would give him a clue as to what what gotten into her that evening. “What has possessed you?”
“Nothing, I’m just ticklish. Continue.” Before he could press the matter further, her mouth was on his again. With her tongue licking along the corner of his lips, how could he focus on anything else? So continue was exactly what he did.
Soon enough one of her hands had made its way from his jaw and travelled down his neck until it had found its way to his shirt. More accurately, her delicate fingers had begun dancing around his top button Meaning he was ready to forget the whole incident until she had to go and burst into full-blown laughter.
He pulled away, unable to ignore it any longer. Once was an accident. Twice was a coincidence. Thrice was an insult. “Kate, my love, my pride can withstand many things. But even I am wounded by a woman who laughs at the mere thought of kissing me.”
“It is not that. Never that.” She began to drum her fingers on his collarbone, clearly reminiscing as she looked up from his shoulder and around the room. “It’s just funny, is all.”
Between kisses on the underside of her jaw, he murmured, “How so?”
“Well, we had our first kiss in this very room.” She reached forwarded and gave the wood a definitive pat. “This very spot even.”
“Oh yes, now I remember.” With one graceful tug on her wrist, he pulled her into a seated position on his lap, her left arm looped behind his neck while her right hand played with his lapel. “Comfortable?”
“Yes, quite.” She murmured as settled her head in the crook of his neck, admiring her now healed leg that hung over the arm of the chair. Anthony was far too enthralled by his own reminiscing to notice.
“I can see it now. The steadfast Kate Sheffield, succumbing to the rakish wiles and dashing good-looks of her sworn enemy. Try as you might, not even you, dearest, could withstand the charm of London’s most eligible bachelor.”
She didn’t even attempt to hide her incredulous frown. “If I recall correctly, you kissed me first.”
“Only after you had snuck in to my private study, unannounced.” He tightened the arm around her waist, worried she’d lose her balance amidst her protests, an entirely valid concern. It was a good thing he had, because she was already turning to face and point at him.
“Which I adamantly maintain was the result of an unfortunate misunderstanding.” Alas, she was always so cute when she was disagreeing with him.
“Besides the point.” He swatted the accusatory finger out of his face, returning to his gentle ministrations against her neck. “All that matters is that, even then, you were already mad with desire for me.” He left a sharp nip on the skin, just for added emphasis.
She turned back around in a huff, arms crossed over her chest. “I was a twenty-year-old maiden, I was mad with desire for just about anything with a pulse.”
“I beg your pardon?” He asked, practically cackling.
“What?” She turned over her shoulder to look at him, her face almost appalled by his doubt. “Do you think young women aren’t plagued by the same deviant urges that you men are?”
He kissed her temple before doing the same to the shell of her ear, his right arm tightening around her waist, his left hand reaching to push a stray hair from her face. “Oh, do tell me more about these deviant urges of your’s. I am all ears.”
Kate allowed herself to be pulled back against his chest. “I hate to break it to you, my love, but we women enjoy riding St. George just as much as men do.”
“Especially when I have something to say about it.” He muttered.
If not for how she was seated, she would surely have swatted him on the arm. “I’m serious!”
“So am I!” He grinned, his face practically beaming with pride. “A true gentleman always leaves his partner well and truly satisfied.”
He really was insufferable sometimes. Still, she leaned into him further, tucking her head under the crook of his jaw again. “The only difference is that we women cannot act on our natural bodily urges until we are married. Whereas you men can sow your wild oats to your heart’s content. It’s infuriating.”
Almost on instinct, he lifted his free hand to stroke her cheek. “I can imagine.” His hand then travelled south, his fingers now lightly tracing lines up and down her arm. Damn this February weather making her need to wear sleeves. “However, if you did not have to worry about society’s outdated hypocrisies, would you have stayed? The first time we were here, I mean.”
Kate stayed quiet for the longest time, clearly thinking it over. That night had been so long ago now, it seemed as if almost a lifetime had passed. She was a different person then; they both were. There was so much she did not know. About him. About herself. About…well…that.
But even then, she couldn’t deny the fire that had ignited in her that night. Even if she hadn’t known it yet, she burned for him. Maybe a part of her always had. “Yes, I think I would have.”
His finger was idly tracing along the collar of her bodice now. No chemise this evening? Interesting. Still, he maintained an air of indifference. He’d scare her off otherwise. “I probably would have let you.”
“I probably would have let you fuck me right here on this desk.”
Now that had most definitely caught his attention, especially if the stirring happening underneath her was anything to go by. Kate paid it no heed, opting to nestle further into his chest. She knew better than to give him the reaction that he so craved. “But this is all entirely hypothetical, of course.”
“Of course.” He curtly nodded, still taken aback by her recent admission.
“Because I was unmarried.” She added; her face the picture of innocence, her words anything but.
“That you were.” All he could do was nod, dropping his hand to join hers on her lap. Without a word, she clasped it between those graceful fingers of hers. “However.” He let the words hang in the air. “You’re not unmarried now.”
It took Kate a moment to answer. “No, I suppose I am not.”
She sat up to look at him. In all their banter, neither had noticed that the sun had already set, leaving nothing but the candlelight to fill the room. But, even in the dim light, she could see the hungry look in his eyes and the almost sinful arching of his brow. Still, some foolish little part, a part that had not yet been entirely extinguished, made her ask. “Might I hope that you are thinking what I am thinking?
But she didn’t need to tell him. She never did. He already knew.
In an instant, her hands were gripping onto his hair for dear life and her mouth was devouring his. Far gone was the starry-eyed lass who blushed at the mere thought of holding hands. When it came to making the Beast with Two Backs, his wife had no qualms in letting him know exactly what she wanted. And what kind of husband would he be if he did not oblige?
But alas, it is hard to breathe with one’s tongue down their husband’s throat. By the time she finally pulled away, she had already managed to undo the buttons of his waistcoat. Frantically pulling the offending article off of his shoulder, she was pulling him to his feet, her breath still erratic.
“Lock the door.”
“Brother, are you in - OH GOOD LORD!”
There were some things in life that Colin Bridgerton just never wanted to see. But his eldest brother bent over his sister-in-law as she was pressed face first against his desk? Engaged in what could only be described as a most rigorous bout of love-making? That trumped everything else on that could possibly be on that list, hands down.
Anthony was the first to see him. To her credit, with her right cheek pressed against the mahogany wood, Kate wasn’t in a position to see much of anything. “What are you doing in here?” He bellowed, scrambling to untangle the two of them whilst simultaneously pulling his trousers up.
Meanwhile, Colin was shielding his eyes, attempting to the keep the emotional trauma that this would surely cause to a minimum. “Mother sent me! She wanted to know if you were joining us for dinner!”
Anthony began to make his way out from behind the desk, clearly hoping to defuse the situation. But that only made things worse. "Oh good grief, Anthony, stay where you are!” Colin had seen quite enough of his brother already, the last thing his eyes needed to see right now was his Roger.
“It’s not what it looks like!” Kate was lying of course. It was exactly what it looked like. But you can’t blame the poor lass for trying.
At least they were still clothed. Technically. Sure, Kate’s skirt was bunched up around her hips and Anthony’s shirt was hanging off of his waist, but they were at least technically wearing them. In all likelihood- he knew that Anthony’s breeches would have been around his ankles. However, thank heavens, the desk and the bustle of fabric around Kate’s derrière blocked the lower half of his body from view. Oh, great, now he was thinking about his sister’s derrière.
Now, to her credit, Kate at least had the decency to look ashamed. Gingerly pushing herself up from the desk, she had lowered herself into her husbands chair and put her head in her hands. To say she looked mortified would be an understatement.
Colin was well past the shock stage and had moved onto ranting. “I am furious, I am disgusted, I am- you know what? There are no words to describe what I am feeling right now. You have left me with no words. No. Words.” With his hands on his hips and the solemn expression on his face, the boy had never looked more like his late father. “I mean I could expect nothing less from him. But, you Kate, I dare say I thought better of you.”
She just groaned, just about ready to let the ground swallow her whole. Or to throw herself out the window. Anything to stop the absolute carriage-wreck that was this conversation.
The rage having subsided, Colin decided that he was now ready to tease his brother within an inch of his life. Of course, Kate would be an unfortunate casualty, but she knew what she was getting into when she married a Bridgerton sibling. “Why, I have half a mind to tell Mother of this.”
Anthony’s face went positively white as a sheet. “Do not tell Mother.”
“Why? I think she should be quite interested to know how her eldest son chooses to while away the hours. Would you not agree?” He was enjoying this now. After all, what was the point of having siblings of you couldn’t torture them every once and a while? “I surely must go and inform the cook. The two of you must have worked up quite the appetite.”
“That is enough!” It did not take a smart man to know that Kate had just about had it. She was standing now, having slammed her palms against the desk. The epitome of a woman scorned. “You will do no such thing! You will return downstairs and tell everyone that we shall be joining them momentarily. Lest you want your mother to know what really happened to her grandmother’s Meissen vase.”
If Colin didn’t know any better, he would have thought that she was looking into his very soul. “That’s right, I know.”
Ever so slowly, he began to make his way to the door. Lest he make a sudden move and enrage the beast he had unleashed even further. He did not doubt that Kate was not above throwing something at him.“Quite right.” He shrugged, obviously trying to break the tension. “I suppose I shall see the two of you at dinner?”
“Get out!” How the two managed to yell in perfect unison, Colin would never know. One of the benefits of married life he supposed.
No sooner than he had left, his head reappeared in the doorway. “One last question. Why were you standing behind her? How does that even work?”
“Get the hell out!” Her scream may not have been ladylike, but damn if it wasn’t effective. And, if Anthony was being completely candid, oddly arousing.
That was the final push that Colin needed to send him well and truly on his way. Sinking down into his chair, Anthony wondered if anyone else in Bridgerton House had heard their little outburst. Best not to mention it to Kate, who had crossed the room to ensure that Colin had properly shut the door behind him.
He let out a small chuckle. “Perhaps it was a good thing we waited until marriage to do that.”
If looks could kill, Anthony Bridgerton would be six feet under.
“Oh, you don’t say?”