Page 56 of Married to the Ruthless Duke

“I should probably warn you. You have probably gleaned from your first meeting with my sister that she has a barbed tongue and intimidating tendencies, but she is by far the most docile member of my stepfamily. My half-brother and stepmother, on the other hand, are skilled in the art of manipulation and blackmail. They have been honing their skills on me and other members of the ton for years, and they are not above using you to get back at me. So, stay close to me at all times and try as much as possible to avoid having private meetings with them. They are experts at turning even the most innocuous situation into a scandal. I should know. I have been a victim several times over.”

Helen let out a worried sigh. “I would admit that the prospect of meeting them does not particularly thrill me, and all this talk of blackmail scares me silly. They are such beautiful people. Why would anyone want to do that?” she asked, perplexed

“Ah, love,” he replied, taking her hand, “not everyone has your pure and beautiful heart. Do not fret. Just be yourself. Besides, I will be by your side throughout.”

She nodded, even though she still looked shaken.

“Now, enough talk about my stepfamily,” he declared, clapping his hands together. “Let’s enjoy this meal set for us. Shall we?”

“Yes,” she agreed, nodding with a smile. “Everything looks good!”

The next few minutes were agony for Alexander as he watched Helen put the fruit in her mouth, its juice wetting her lips and dripping a little. It enhanced the pinkness of her plump lips. When her tongue darted out to lick the juice from her lips, he swung his legs as lust shot straight through him faster than a bullet.

“You are not eating Alex?” she asked in what he thought must be a concerned tone, but he was too engrossed with her lips to be sure.

He offered a non-committal grunt in answer as he was incapable of any words at the moment. The sight of her very pink tongue darting out to lick her lips just kicked his arousal into overdrive. Before he knew what was happening, he was shifting the dishes with one swipe of his hand and drew her into his lap.

In the next moment, those intoxicating lips were under his, and he was devouring them with reckless abandon. Ah, she tasted like the sweet tang of strawberries and her. Helen returned the kiss, opening her mouth to allow his tongue in. Their tongues dueled as the kiss turned molten.

Alexander broke the kiss to lay Helen down gently on the cloth and then proceeded to nibble down her throat, alternating between nipping and sucking on her throat until she was reduced to a mass of whimpers. One of his hands made short work of loosening her bodice and freeing her glorious breasts, and then he proceeded to suck one cherry nipple while torturing its twin.

Now, Helen was writhing, but she managed to force out between her pants, “Outside. Alex, we are outside.”

“No one will see, no windows are on this side of the castle,” he replied between kisses, not bothering to raise his head.

That seemed to reassure Helen as her fingers tightened in his hair. Her body writhed with the pleasure he was giving her.. Pleasuring her gave him pleasure, and he was just one heartbeat away from coming.

He felt her hand fiddling with the fastening of his breeches. Soon it was open, and she put her hand in to caress him. He hissed in pleasure.

“Please, pet, you have to stop. I won’t last long if you continue to do that,” he gasped, but Helen ignored him and boldly stroked his member until he wanted to explode.

He held both her hands above her and then lined himself with her wet heat. After a few thrusts and strumming her clit, she was shouting out her orgasm, and he followed soon after.

* * *

Helen could not believe that some members of the ton believed that the marriage act should be endured and not enjoyed. She understood from the gossip among the maids that not every couple enjoyed such bliss. If all couples enjoyed this bliss, how they would get anything done? It took a considerate man to make it good for his wife or lover, and Alexander was considerate. It was one of the reasons she loved him.

Loved?

Helen shot off her bed in surprise as the thought took root. Was it possible she’d somehow fallen for her husband?

She had always known that she cared about Alexander, but it seemed that care had transformed into love without her paying attention.

It would have been a good thing she’d have celebrated if perhaps they had a normal marriage, or she knew he shared her sentiment, but his concern for her and willingness to open up to her about his past didn’t translate to love, and she was not ready to destroy the fragile thing they had by blurting out her feelings.

It seemed she was destined to love her Duke secretly. It had to be enough. She would make it enough.

ChapterThirteen

The next evening, Alexander stood in the foyer of his castle, waiting for his lovely wife to join him.

If not for the need for a good societal image, he would have preferred to stay home, lounging with his wife between the sheets in their king-sized bed upstairs. At least, he was guaranteed to be happier that way than stepping into the proverbial lion’s den.

The moment the familiar scent of lavender reached him, he turned to see Helen descending the stairs in a gown of the deepest blue that contrasted with her skin, making it look rich and glowing. She was magnificent, a goddess among men, and he was temporarily struck dumb by that picture.

“How do I look?” she asked shyly when she reached him, swirling her skirts this way and that.

It was adorable how free of artifice she was.

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