The Third Duke's the Charm Read Online Free PDF

who cared not at all if he got a bit of a smudge on his tailored breeches or a hint of dust on his polished boots.
    And he’d caught her staring at him, and stared back with those vivid blue eyes she found entirely too expressive. That had been the beginning of it, and now here they were, on their wedding night, alone and in a room far away from the world she knew, about to embark on their life as husband and wife.
    “Would you like a glass of wine?” he asked casually, setting down the bottle he’d brought with him. “I don’t suppose it is surprising that they don’t have a fine vintage of champagne on hand, but this is French and palatable.”
    She hesitated, for she hadn’t eaten much at dinner, and truly, she didn’t often indulge in spirits of any kind, but when Charles poured her a glass without waiting for her reply, she accepted it.
    “Just one,” he said, gazing down at her, “maybe to relax you a little, but I wish for you to remember every detail of our first night together.”
    Just the brush of his fingers made her skin take on a small flush. With a nod she took an obedient sip, finding it smooth and rich, the ruby beverage catching the firelight as she lowered the glass.
    “There’s no need to be nervous.”
    “That’s easy for you to say, my lord.”
    He quirked a brow. “Come now, Lou. It’s just me, Charles. I’m not a lord to you. I’m your husband now. Shall we discuss this?”
    No one else ever called her Lou; her family was not that lighthearted and the informal nickname belonged to him alone. It warmed her, and truly, she did trust him or she would not be there, looking up at him and seeing nothing but amused sympathy in his expression. She went back to the chair by the dressing table and turned it around to sink onto it before she nodded. “That might help.”
    He chose one of the chairs by the fire, extending his long legs and crossing them negligently at the ankle. “I am not the trembling virgin, so you are going to have to outline for me your specific fears.”
    The wine did warm her a bit and she took another sip. “I’m hardly trembling.” Well, perhaps trembling a little, but he didn’t have to know that.
    That irreverent swift grin she found so captivating touched his mouth. “My apologies for the exaggeration but I did have a moment there at the door when I wondered if I might be sleeping in the stable this eve.”
    That was close enough to the truth that she decided to just eschew embarrassment. “I know nothing.”
    His eyes were such a clear crystalline blue. They crinkled slightly at the corners. “I didn’t really expect you would. Besides, making love is rather like most of life’s more moving experiences. Who can adequately describe a glorious sunset over a calm sea, or the scent of an exotic flower? The best we can do is compare them to something else, and what happens between a man and a woman is unique. There is nothing like it. It must be experienced.”
    Perhaps it was the wine or his easy manner, but Louisa did find her trepidations lessening, replaced by a sense of tentative curiosity. He was rich, titled, privileged . . . it was natural that he’d sampled what the world had to offer someone like him. He’d admitted as much.
    “Were you not nervous then, your first time?”
    It was amusing to see Charles choke a bit on his mouthful of wine. “You can’t expect me to recount my past.”
    “No,” she said in agreement, “and that wasn’t what I asked either. I just want to know if you were nervous.”
    “Men don’t look at losing their virginity in the same way, my love. Women guard their chastity and men can’t wait to be rid of it. However, I will admit the entire process didn’t take very long.” His grin was charmingly rueful. “I vow to acquit myself better for you this eve.”
    She had no idea what that meant exactly, but the way he was gazing at her, with a slightly predatory air, made her stomach do a strange flutter.
    He went