The Earl's Defiant Wife

Standing there at the edge of the lake, she let the material fall to her feet and graciously stepped out of it. Her heart was beating fast. Faster than she expected.

Swivelling around she turned to face him in nothing but her chemise and corset, which was holding her breast up like a lover's hand. She felt his eyes rake over her body from up to down, landing briefly on her breast before going up to her face. He folded his hands under his chest and gave her an amused look. Widening his stance.

Clearly, he didn't believe she would go through with it. Emily didn't believe it either, but then something shifted in his eyes and Emily felt it linger once more on her breast. His chest rising and falling in slow breathing, his stomach contracting and extracting. Emily's body somersaulted into a flutter of warm feeling at what she saw there. She didn't know if he knew it, but he was eating her up with his eyes. Emily was glad to know she wasn't as invisible as she thought she was to her husband. She realized now he was aware of her... as a woman.

Good.

With that knowledge, she pulled at her corset. Mentally thanking her modiste for insisting she get this corset which she could remove with minimum help required. Emily liked the look in his eyes when she started that process. He was watching her closely, contemplating if she would go through with it or not. He still didn't think she would. Emily smiled inhaling the fresh air.

Her corset landed on the floor, joining the green morning dress. His eyes widened as her breast bundled out. Emily smiled and let out a sweet laugh, and before he could utter a single word, drove straight into the blue water.

When she resurfaced, it was to discover his face was contorted and squeezed like a stone. Emily hadn't the faintest idea why, but Cole did.