Page 28 of Wedded to the Sinful Duke

“That is most kind of you to say.” Ciara couldn’t help but feel gratitude for this unexpected new friend as well as the unexpected information she had just received.

She glanced at her own reflection in the looking glass, satisfied with what she was seeing. “How about we go and find Mrs. Dawson? She told me to come and find her once I freshened up, so she can give me the grand tour of the manor house.”

“I will gladly accompany you, Your Grace, if you wish me to.” Frances beamed at the suggestion.

“Yes, Frances, I would really like that.” Ciara smiled, getting up, eager to find out more about this place and all the people in it.

Nighttime had always been difficult for Ciara, forcing her to reminisce, to reevaluate, to keep rethinking her choices, and that night was no different. She found herself pacing her room, her mind racing with nervous anticipation. The flickering candlelight cast soft shadows on the walls, adding to the intimate atmosphere. She had changed into a silk nightgownand a robe with delicate lace trimmings, feeling both elegant and vulnerable.

A sudden knock on the door adjoining her room to Jonathan’s made her jump. Her heart pounded in her chest as she walked to the door, her hands trembling slightly. She took a deep breath and opened it.

Standing there was Jonathan, his presence dominating the doorway. He was clad only in his white shirt, unbuttoned to reveal his strong neck and a hint of his muscled chest, and his breeches. His dark hair was slightly tousled, and his eyes gleamed with mischief and something deeper as he looked at her from head to toe.

“I have brought offerings to you, my siren,” he said, his voice a low, enticing rumble. He held two glasses and a bottle of wine in his arms, his grin nothing short of wolfish.

Ciara’s breath hitched at the sight of him, her nerves heightened by his presence. “O-offerings?” she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jonathan stepped into the room, his movements graceful and confident. “Indeed,” he said, closing the door behind him with a soft click. “A fine wine to celebrate our union. I thought it might help ease the nerves of my lovely wife.”

She swallowed heavily, realizing that nothing would be able to calm down her racing mind and her nerves. Nothing but his arms around her and his lips on hers. She tried to banish thethought from her mind as it only confused her even more, making her tremble with desire. She wanted to be cold and aloof, but she was exactly the opposite, and she knew that he could easily tell the effect he had on her.

He took a seat on the sofa across from the bed and filled their glasses without taking his eyes off of her for even a single moment. She wondered how he didn’t spill a single drop. Then, she remembered that he must have done this a million times before. After all, he was an infamous rake. It was just one of his skills. She was certain that he wanted to show her more, but she would then show him the door.

Still trembling like a leaf in the wind, she sat all the way on the other end of the sofa, as if fearing his proximity. The truth was, she dared not sit closer to him for fear of his cologne completely washing over her and making her forget that she wanted to refuse him, not allow him to do whatever he wanted with her.

Seeing that, he laughed. “Unlike you, my dear, I don’t bite.” He paused for a moment then added mischievously, “Well, unless you ask for it.” He winked at her which made her blush even more fervently.

Unable to say anything, she remained quiet with a storm brewing inside of her. He handed her a glass at that moment. Her fingers curled around the crystal throat, but there was no grip. She had absolutely no control of her body or her mind. Her fingers were trembling so much that she almost dropped the glass onto the beige-colored carpet.

“Easy there,” he said softly. “Just take a sip. It will help you relax.”

Usually, she would not even consider drinking alcohol, but right now, she was too anxious to contradict him. She wanted to relax. She didn’t want to be that tense. Her fingers still trembling, she took a long, thirsty sip. He did the same, not breaking eye contact. Then, he placed his glass on the table in front of him.

“All right,” she heard him say as she tried to anticipate what he would do next. “You are trembling like a leaf, so I’ll end your torture now. I will not bed you tonight. Although, most women tremble at the thought of bedding me, mind you.”

His words were followed by a self-satisfied grin. She wanted to wipe that smirk off his face by telling him that she would rather die than go to bed with him, but she wasn’t allowed to say that before he continued.

“I can see you are nervous and very eager with the wine. Ideally, when I do bed you, I want you to be very alert.”

“Do you, now?” she asked. She could have done much better than that, but it was all she could come up with at the moment.

“Yes,” he agreed still with that smirk. As he said it, he slid over closer to her. Instantly, she flinched, affected by his proximity, and the wine spilled onto her hand.

Without any warning, he gently wrapped his fingers around her wrist, bringing her hand to his lips. Then, his tongue was gliding down her fingers, lapping up the droplets of wine. Her skin exploded into a million little goosebumps which traveled down her spine, merging into an eruption of lava somewhere between her thighs, a place that had been slumbering before she had met him.

Those were mere seconds, yet she felt as if they were hours of delicious torment, and she didn’t want it to end. But it did. It ended with him pulling away. His gaze made her shiver, especially after what he had just done.

“I know you are just an innocent maiden,” he whispered. “Although I can sense something in you, Ciara, something perhaps you yourself are not aware of yet. But I am a patient man. I am willing to wait. This is, after all, a marriage of convenience, and I don’t want you to feel any pressure to be intimate with me.”

She raised an eyebrow. “But… don’t you want an heir?”

Up until that point, she thought that perhaps that was the reason behind their hasty marriage. She couldn’t imagine that he would care so much about her reputation. They barely knew each other.

He shook his head at her question. “We can live here together for two months until the ton’s attention is required elsewhere. I predict that will be the time frame for them to finally leave us alone. Then, we can start living separately,” he divulged.

She felt a pang of something strange, something she didn’t like. Wasn’t this supposed to be her new home? He planned on throwing her out after two months? Her heart clenched at the idea.

“Separately?” she echoed, not wanting to reveal that his words hurt her.

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