Page 57 of A Heart Disguised 1

Before I could muster another objection or deflection, his mouth was on mine once more, his kiss a silent command that I was powerless to resist. The duke’s lips moved against mine with a hunger that bordered on feral, our tongues tangling in a heated dance. I struggled valiantly to keep up, to match his fervor, but he was relentless, a storm of passion that swept me away without mercy.

Underneath his commanding presence, I squirmed and writhed, lost in the heady sensation of his body pressing down on mine. His arousal strained against his trousers, a hard line against my thigh that ignited an unfamiliar blaze within me. The heat, the pleasure—it was all-encompassing, and for a moment, the world beyond the bed ceased to exist.

Lost in a haze of pleasure, I was oblivious to the world beyond the duke’s touch. His lips trailed fire down my throat, each kiss igniting sensations I’d never known existed. Whimpers and groans escaped me, sounds I’d never imagined myself capable of making. I was adrift in a sea of bliss, unaware of anything but the exquisite feel of his mouth on my skin, his hands roaming my body. The cool air against my chest, the exposure of my pale skin—all of it went unnoticed in the storm of passion that engulfed me.

His hand ventured under my skirt, caressing my thigh with such fervor that I could do nothing but surrender to the blissful haze enveloping me. Meanwhile, his lips lavished attention on my throat, nipping and sucking in a way that made me gasp and arch against him. I had never imagined lovemaking could be this beautiful, this all-consuming. The dual sensations of his mouth on my neck and his hand inching higher under my skirt left me dizzy with desire. Then came a touch that snapped me back to reality—the unmistakable feeling of his palm cupping my arousal through the fabric of my undergarments.

I felt his lips curve into a smile against my throat. “Well, well,” he murmured, his voice rich with amusement and desire, “what have we here?” His fingers squeezed gently, then caressed, sending jolts of pleasure through my body. “It seems you’re quite… excited.”

The mixture of embarrassment, fear, and shameful pleasure crashed over me like a tidal wave. My eyes flew open, and for a split second, my heart forgot to beat before thundering back to life with such ferocity I thought it might burst from my chest. Panic surged within me, warring with the traitorous desire his touch ignited.

With all the grace of a newborn foal, I shoved at the duke’s shoulders—my palms slipping against the slick fabric of his shirt—and bolted upright. “I… I…” I stammered, unable to form a coherent thought as his hand continued its maddening caress.

Suddenly, panic overtook pleasure, and I found my voice. “I’m so sorry, my lord!” I blurted out, my words tumbling over each other in their haste to escape. In a flurry of movement, I scrambled off the bed, a tangle of limbs and fabric. My gown billowed behind me like a ship’s sail caught in a storm as I sprinted toward the en suite bathroom—the top of it slipping off one shoulder in an unintended display of seduction gone awry.

In my head, alarms were blaring louder than the bells of Lunaria Cathedral at high noon.He knows! He has to know! Any second now he’ll call for the guards! They’ll storm in here and—oh sweet basilisk eggs—I’ve doomed us all! Rosalind! Lily! Our home!My mind conjured images of Aldercrest Manor in flames because of my little ruse turned catastrophic!

Stumbling into the sanctuary of marble and porcelain, I slammed the door behind me with athudthat echoed through my bones. Leaning back against it, my breath came in ragged gasps—my thoughts racing like wildfire through a parched forest.

“Well, Robin,” I chided myself, my voice bouncing off the gleaming tiles, “that’s one way to end a wedding night. You’ve certainly set the bar for conjugal blunders. Farewell cruel world; you were as confusing as you were beautiful!”

As I stood there, caught between mortification and the lingering afterglow of the duke’s touch, I couldn’t help but wonder how, exactly, I was going to explain this to Duke Darius—the demon lord who had unwittingly become my husband and was now, no doubt, contemplating which circle of hell to banish me to for my deception.

Then I heard it—the low rumble of the duke’s laughter coming from the other side of the door. “My little bird,” he called out, his voice laced with amusement, “I assure you, there’s nothing to fear. But perhaps it’s time we had a little chat, don’t you think?”

Oh, sweet merciful heavens. A chat. With a demon lord. About my unexpected anatomy. Surely there were less painful ways to die?

The knock at the door was more of a courteous tap than an actual attempt to enter, but it might as well have been a battering ram for all the dread it inspired in me.

“Robin, open the door. We really must talk,” Duke Darius’ voice filtered through the solid wood, a gentle request laced with an undercurrent of amusement.

“Just a moment, Your Grace!” I called out, my voice squeaking like a rusty hinge. Open the door? I’d sooner face a den of hungry shadow wolves. “I’m… I’m indisposed!”

But of course, the sanctity of a locked door means little to a duke—and even less to a demon lord. The door creaked open despite my protests, and there he was, a towering figure silhouetted by the flickering candlelight. My heart, which had temporarily taken up residence in my throat, now threatened to leap out of my mouth and make a run for it. I scurried like a startled rabbit behind a massive column that offered as much cover as a twig does for a naked nymph.

“Robin,” he called, his voice echoing through the cavernous bathroom. “There’s no need for this. Come out.”

“No, thank you!” I chirped back, mustering all the cheerfulness of a convict walking to the gallows. “I’m quite comfortable here, in my porcelain sanctuary!”

“Robin,” Darius called again, this time with a patience that seemed to stretch into eternity. “Come out, please.”

Clutching the column like it was my lifeline to this mortal coil, I squeaked out, “I shall emerge only if you agree to be… not rash in your judgment!”

“I promise,” he said, and there was something in his tone—a softness, a sincerity—that coaxed me out from my hiding spot.

I took a deep breath, adjusted my disheveled attire, and stepped out from behind my meager shield. The sight of him was almost enough to send me scuttling back into hiding—tall, dark, and imposing enough to make any secret quiver in fear of being discovered.

Duke Darius approached with steps that spoke of regal confidence and scooped me into his arms as if I weighed no morethan a feather. I let out a startled yelp, my arms flailing like the wings of a panicked bird before wrapping around his neck for dear life.

“Your Grace, I must protest!” I squeaked as he carried me back into the bedchamber. “This is most undignified for… well, for anyone!”

“Ah, but you’re not just anyone,” he replied with a roguish grin, depositing me onto the plush bed with all the ceremony of a cat presenting its human with an unwanted gift. “You’re my wife, Robin Aldercrest. And I find I quite enjoy the unexpected.”

I made a hasty retreat to the center of the bed—not too close to him but not too far lest he think me cowardly—which I was. The duke’s eyes followed my every move, his predatory gleam filling me with thrilling apprehension. Then I bowed deeply, prostrating myself before him like one might before an altar—only my prayers were of the begging variety.

“If you could find it in your generous heart to only end me and spare Rosalind and Lily Aldercrest—not to mention Aldercrest County itself—I would be eternally… well, not eternally since you’d have killed me… but very grateful!” My voice wobbled like jelly in an earthquake. “Please, Your Grace, I beg of you, show mercy. If you must mete out punishment for my deception, let it fall upon me and me alone. I alone am to blame for this… this… debacle!”

The duke chuckled, a rich, velvety sound that seemed entirely out of place given the circumstances. “Robin, look at me,” he said softly, and with a great deal of reluctance, I lifted my gaze to meet his. “I have no intention of destroying Aldercrest or your family. This is not the way of Lunaria, and it is certainly not my way.”

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