“Not certain how that is possible. It feels like a tree trunk.”

He dropped his head onto her shoulder and suppressed a laugh. This woman and his vanity were a match made in heaven.

“Are you laughing at me?”

Sobering, he cleared his throat. “Not at you, per se. More like your descriptions. They are certainly creative.”

“May we return to my question about biting?”

“I am always happy to return to biting.” He demonstrated, nibbling on the skin behind her ear.

She clutched his arm and swayed against him. “Why does that feel so delicious?”

“It does, doesn’t it?” He did it again lower, careful not to mark her. She wriggled on his lap, torturing him with a bit of friction to his poor neglected cock.

“Do you like it, as well?”

He released her and leaned back, offering her his throat. “Try it and find out.”

“Really?” She sounded eager and he bit off a grin.

“Of course. I am at your disposal.”

“Again, this isn’t necessary as part of our bargain.”

This again? He sighed and cupped her nape with his hand to bring her closer. “Will you bite me already?”

She hesitated, even in the face of his encouragement, so he waited. He couldn’t cajole her into doing what he wanted. Victory was much sweeter when earned and not taken.

And Alice was brave—much braver than she believed, in fact. She claimed she was shy, but a shy person did not come looking for help in seducing a husband. A shy person did not speak her mind so freely, or argue with him when she did not agree. She was no doormat, except in the presence of her mother, and someday Kit would get to the bottom of that mystery.

Just when he’d about given up, humid breath drifted over his neck. Her lips touched his skin first, a soft kiss that sent goose bumps darting across his body, and then her tongue followed with a firm swipe. Closing his eyes, he tried not to react. It wasn’t easy, not when lust careened through his veins like a locomotive. He’d been with many partners over the years and never had to employ so much patience. In any other circumstance, he would have carried her over to the bed and begun shedding clothing by now.

But Alice was not a bed partner, and this was not an affair. It would never go beyond this. He would help her with some tips and simple experience in exchange for Franconi’s recipes. Once back in New York, they would never see each other again.