Page 64 of A Bride for the Rakish Duke

She moaned as he gently sucked, her hips bucking against him almost involuntarily, startled by the fierce heat and hardness of his manhood as the most sensitive part of herself brushed against it. And as she did, he groaned in the back of his throat, the vibration teasing her nipple.

It was the strangest thing to realize how connected every part of herself was. If his fingertips stroked the curve of her waist, a spark burst into life in her chest; if he gripped her thigh, her throat tightened; if he tasted her throat with his tongue, her entire body shivered with delight; if he kissed her fiercely, molten heat pooled between her thighs. It was as if he was reforming her into the woman that she had always dreamed of being—confident and seductive and admired.

“I will let you guide us,” he growled, “so you know what you can bear.”

She swallowed, her head swimming. “What do you mean?”

“It is easier if I show you,” he replied, taking himself in his hand.

Her breath caught in her throat as he eased his manhood between her red-hot folds and paused at the entrance to her sex. Her thighs flanked his, kneeling on the settee, and if she were to just lower herself, she knew she would take him inside her.

“Take your time,” he said, holding her gaze.

He had one hand on her hip, the other cradling the side of her neck, his thumb stroking her jaw. His breathing was ragged, his eyes shining with desire, and though he could have plunged into her as Captain Kildare might have done, he did not. He waited for her to make the first move in her own time. An act of generosity and compassion that she had not expected.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, she lowered herself onto him. His breath hitched as he pierced her for the first time while her breath faltered altogether, biting her lip to endure the initial strangeness. There was a slight sting but no pain, and as she paused there for a moment, growing accustomed to the sensation, the discomfort soon passed. And as it did, it gave way to a sharp gasp of exhilaration, slipping past her lips.

She sank down until he was buried in her to the hilt and stopped there, closer to him than she had ever been to anyone. Nothing separated them, and her heart yearned for more, beyond the physical. It was as if they were taking vows again, promising to be more to one another than they had ever been to anyone, promising their souls to one another. At least, that was howshefelt as she breathed through the overwhelming sensation of him filling her entirely.

“Are you in any pain?” he asked, his voice gravelly.

She shook her head.

“Good.”

He smiled and pressed his lips to hers in a ferocious, desperate kiss that chased away any lingering doubts she might have had about breaking her rule. Indeed, it chased away any thoughts of what she was supposed to be demanding, for if she were to ask for an annulment now, she would never get to experience this again.

Clinging to him, kissing him hard, running her hands through his hair, she paused to whisper, “What do I do?”

“Enjoy yourself,” he purred as he grasped her hips and began to move her backward and forward.

Every time she rocked toward him, he lifted his hips, grinding himself against that secret bud of hers. Fireworks detonated, the friction more potent than anything that had come before, making her hungry for more of that same feeling.

Soon enough, she understood what to do, moving up and down in a swaying undulation that had him breathing hard and moaning with satisfaction. The sound of his pleasure was fuel to her own, spurring her onward, her fingernails raking across his back to get him to cry out, her hips moving faster and faster. Not gentle at all, but eager and frenzied and necessary, as if she would fall to pieces if she did not keep feeling the sliding pressure of him inside her.

But he was not finished with his surprises, his fingertips seeking out her pulsing bud as she rode him. The first touch was electric, sending up a bolt of lightning that splintered through her chest, every limb trembling with the delicious crackle of it.

He strummed her until she was so delirious with pleasure, her bliss mounting to untold heights, that it took everything she had to maintain the rhythm of her swaying hips. She clung to him, his free arm wrapped tightly around her, urging her onward until that wave of ecstasy finally hit her.

“Oh, my wolf… my husband… Oh… oh, yes!” she screamed, her entire body transformed into a glowing, fiery conduit for pleasure itself.

It pummeled through her veins, seizing every muscle, holding her rigid in his embrace as the sensation climbed and climbed. Her back arched, her eyes squeezing shut, her breath lodged in her throat as it washed over her, bliss taking complete control.

As the peak of it crested and began to recede, she gulped down a breath, moaning his name and gasping as she collapsed into him. He withdrew his fingers and, in one swift motion, lay her down on the settee.

There, he paused for a moment, gazing down into her eyes. She gazed back up, still catching her breath, admiring the sheen of sweat that had turned his skin to bronze.

And just when she thought she could endure no more pleasure, he slowly drew his hips back, withdrawing from her. Instinctively, her hands grasped the satisfying muscle of his backside, urging him to sink back into her.

With a smile, he did so, grinding himself against her most sensitive spot, stoking up the fires of her ecstasy once more.Indeed, her beloved book, and her beloved Captain Kildare, could not hold a candle to her husband.

CHAPTER 26

William could not hold back any longer. He did not know what time it was, nor how long he had spent indulging his wife, with her indulging him in return, but he was swiftly unraveling with every measured stroke. And as she had reached her conclusion at least thrice, he figured she would not mind if he enjoyed his own.

Sweeping her legs up onto his shoulders, gazing deeply into her eyes, he finally relinquished his restraint. He thrust with glorious abandon, spurred on by her cries of encouragement, and as he bent forward to kiss her, he stilled inside her. He moaned against her mouth, thrusting once more before he shuffled off her legs and collapsed on top of her.

He smiled into her neck as she wrapped herself around him, kissing his shoulder softly.

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