his words were too impossible to hear. “…I must thank you for the choices you made…you did me a grand…I would never have known happiness and true love if not for you.”
“Oh, my darling Eli,” Lady Tinley said, rushing toward him. “You are my happiness and true love also.”
Jo felt as if a massive fist had grabbed her heart and squeezed it mercilessly. Something seized her, rendering her incapable of moving. She wanted to run, to never hear another word that was being spoken between Decker and this woman. And yet, she could not go.
But then, Decker’s voice rang out.
“No,” he said, shaking his head, staving off Lady Tinley’s advance toward him. “I do not love you. I love my wife.”
He loved her.
Quietly, Jo backed away from the open salon door. She had eavesdropped enough. And she had heard the only words she needed to hear.
By the time Decker had seen Nora to the door, he felt lighter and happier than he had since before his mother’s death. Finally, he was free of the past.
Forever.
Which meant that it was time to focus instead upon the future and where it would lead him. He sought out Rhees instantly, wondering where his wife was. The time had come to tell her he loved her. He only hoped he was not too late.
Rhees, ever a step ahead of him, it seemed, handed Decker a missive. “From Mrs. Decker, sir.”
He thanked his butler and tore open the note.
D.,
It seems to me that there remain items on my list which have yet to be completed. Will you assist me with number two and meet me in your chamber?
Yours,
J.
He did not require the list before him to know what number two had been. Her ways to be wicked were emblazoned upon his brain: Arrange for an assignation. Decker’s feet were already moving, taking the stairs two at a time. He could not get to her fast enough.
Chapter Nineteen
Ways to be Wicked
1. Kiss a man until you are breathless.
2. Arrange for an assignation. Perhaps with Lord Q? your husband? Strike that, bijou. Definitely with your husband.
3. Get caught in the rain with a gentleman. (This will necessitate the removal of wet garments. Choose said gentleman wisely.)
4. Sneak into a gentleman’s bedchamber in the midst of the night.
5. Go to a gentleman’s private apartments.
6. Spend a night in a gentleman’s bed.
7. Make love in the outdoors.
8. Ask your husband to help you disrobe.
Jo crossed off number two on her list while she waited for Decker to come to her in his chamber. Then she filled in the rest of number eight. She hoped she would be able to strike through that number as well before the afternoon was done.
Satisfied with her progress, she waited for him, heart bursting with love.
At long last, the door opened, and her husband came prowling into his chamber, closing the door at his back with more force than necessary. The action was rather reminiscent of that first day when she had gone to his offices in search of her list and Macfie had slammed the door when he had left.
Jo gave Decker a teasing smile. “It would seem you do not know your own strength.”
He paused just short of her, his sky-blue gaze searing hers. “There is a hell of a lot I do not know, bijou. Principal amongst them, how to tell my wife I am in love with her.”
It required all Jo’s restraint to keep from throwing herself into his arms. “Have you tried using your lips and tongue?”
Her cheeks went hot as she realized the implications of her words.
He flashed her a sinner’s unrepentant grin. “I have indeed used my lips and tongue upon her many times. Though I fear not nearly enough.”
Jo’s smile grew at Decker’s teasing. After so much heaviness, grief, and pain, it felt good to embrace some lightness. “You know very well I was referring to using your lips and tongue to speak.”
“I do,” he agreed. “But when your cheeks turn pink, you are even more impossible to resist than you ordinarily are.”
They stared at each other for a moment, nothing but silence and two steps between them. She wanted to be brave, to be the one to say the words first. She also needed to hear his confession. She wanted him to tell her everything.
“Did you get my note from Rhees?” she asked, a foolish question, for of course he had.
Why else would he be in his chamber, just as she had requested?
“I did,” he