Page 41 of Wedded to the Sinful Duke

Jonathan nodded. “Yes, a married man changes his habits, Lady Fletcher.”

“Perhaps, but there are always exceptions to that rule as to any other.” Lady Fletcher chuckled a little maliciously as if she had seen her fair share of exceptions to that rule.

Ciara knew that she didn’t want to remain in the company of that lady any longer, but she couldn’t pull Jonathan away. He had todo it on his own. Fortunately, he seemed to be able to read her mind.

“Yes, exceptions are all around us,” he noted. “It was lovely to see you, Lady Fletcher. We wish you a good day.”

Without allowing Ciara to say goodbye, he gently led her away with Adeline and Lord Islington immediately following them. She wanted to ask about Lady Fletcher and how Jonathan knew her, but she couldn’t get the words to leave the confines of her mind. She was afraid of the answer, just like she was afraid of her husband’s past and how it might always be a shadow over them both.

Lord Islington started a new conversation, and Adeline flowed into it with Jonathan occasionally adding his own thoughts, but she was mostly silent, having remembered something she would rather forget.

That same evening, Ciara was brushing her hair, having given her lady’s maid some time to rest. The truth was, brushing her hair was something she had always done for herself; her mother never had the patience or the will for it. As she grew older, Ciara realized that her mother simply never wanted to do any of those tender things that a mother did for her daughter. So, she brushed her own hair, learning to calm herself down in the process.

As she was doing so, the door opened, and Jonathan let himself in.

“Jonathan,” she said, her hand stopping mid-stroke.

She wanted to be aloof, to be unavailable to him, but her eyes were already drinking the sight of him. She couldn’t hide the fact that she wanted him there as much as he wanted her.

“Siren,” he grinned. “I forget what lovely hair you have. You always have it tied up.”

“It is the fashion,” she explained timidly.

“To hell with fashion,” he walked over to her, taking the brush from her hand and placing it gently onto the vanity table. He stood behind her, gathering all of her hair in his hands gently, pushing it to the side, revealing her swan-like neck. “You should always have your hair loose like the siren that you are.”

He slowly kissed her neck, and she immediately felt that onslaught of heat completely take over her. The anticipation of the next lesson had her in its grip for the past several days, and she couldn’t wait to see him in her chamber again. Finally, the moment had come. Nothing else mattered but the two of them in that moment.

He took her by the hands and got her to stand up. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, kissing her with wild passion. She returned in the same manner, their tonguesdancing to the sound of music only the two of them could hear. When he pulled away, she was blushing and breathless, his eyes staring at her very soul.

“You spent half your life in a nunnery, chaste as the morning dew, and yet, you kiss with such passion, siren. How is that possible?” He grinned through his question.

She blushed even more fervently, deciding to share with him a secret. “Well… there was a stable boy by the name of Peter,” she smiled, remembering the boy who had by then become just a shadow of himself, but the feeling of warmth his name evoked was still genuine. “I was sixteen when we met at the nunnery. I saw him for the first time and remember thinking that I wanted to kiss him. So, I often took up tasks in the stables to steal him away and kiss him.”

“Did you now?” he asked, tilting his head to the side as he gazed at her. “I keep being surprised more and more by this wild side of yours, siren. What else did you do with Peter the stable boy?” he asked in an amused manner.

But that was when she became saddened. She couldn’t even pretend it was any other way. “When Mother Superior found out, I was lashed, and the boy and his family were laid off.”

She looked down at her feet, unable to feel guilty for what had happened simply because she wished to indulge in some pleasure.

He cupped her chin with his fingers and made her look up at him. “I’m sorry, but that wasn’t your fault.”

She shook her head. She wasn’t certain what she was responding to. The guilt? The fact that she believed it wasn’t her fault? She didn’t know. All she knew was that she didn’t want to think about that any longer.

Closing her eyes, she crashed her lips against his again, and he understood what she needed. He took her into his arms, taking her to the armchair this time. She was sitting as he spread her legs, pooling the hem of her nightgown around her waist, just like the last night.

“I want you to watch, siren,” he urged. “No closing your beautiful eyes. Understood?”

“Mhm,” she managed to muster.

She watched when he dug his tongue into her, swirling her, tasting her. She whimpered at the sensation that washed over her. She never wanted his tongue to leave the confines of her body. He glanced up, adding a thumb that gently started to stroke her. She trembled underneath the knowing touch. Then, his finger slowly entered her. It was a strange sensation, one she had never felt before. He took it out, showing her how wet it was. Then, he put it in his mouth, tasting her again.

“Delectable,” he said again, grinning. He lifted himself upward, reaching her lips, kissing her with her own juices on his mouth,making her taste herself. Her need was heightened beyond recognition.

He slid down between her legs once again, taking her into his mouth relentlessly. Her body writhed. It convulsed. She moaned loudly, biting her lip in an effort to be quiet, but that was impossible. She wanted more of him. She wanted him deeper. But he didn’t give it to her yet. And that made her yearning even more ravenous.

He kept sucking her, his finger teasing her only slightly but enough to make her go wild. Finally, she came undone, just like he knew she would. Her body tensed entirely as a million little stars exploded around the periphery of her vision. Through all that, he kept his eyes on hers, refusing to allow her to look away even for a single second which only seemed to heighten the sensation.

Once the onslaught of bliss subsided, she was still breathing heavily. However, this time, she didn’t want to allow him to leave without a promise.

---