He couldn’t help the cheeky grin and laughed along with her. He was more than aware of his wife’s conservative view on dressing, but that didn’t mean there weren’t other ways of spoiling her. Faustus made the mental note to keep the gifts to a modest amount and extravagance; there was no use in buying her something he knew she wouldn’t delight in wearing. Realizing he hadn’t thought too much about her state of dress before now had his heart thudding in his chest. As her hand met his, he pulled her closer and his free hand came up to capture a stray curl at the base of her neck. His gaze lingered there before he continued. “May I see it? Your hair down.” The intimacy of the request was not lost on him, and he searched her expression in hopes that he hadn’t offended her.

---