Page 112 of A Virgin for the Duke of Ash

Fortunately, the matter was summarily dropped when the opera started. Everybody in the box took their seats, with Evie seated behind Daniel. Almost immediately, his hand sought out hers in the dim light, his roughened fingers naturally intertwining with her more delicate ones.

His wife tilted her head slightly in his direction and smiled. In return, he pressed an openmouthed kiss to her knuckles, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from her.

It was a promise of things to come much later, when the opera ended and they were back in Ashton Hall.

As he turned his gaze back to the stage, Daniel could not help the smirk that formed on his lips ever so slightly.

Married life was not as bad as he thought it would be.

Evie had long realized that her husband enjoyed teasing her and keeping her in a perpetual state of arousal. He often spoke wordsthat lit a slow-burning fire within her, usually hours before he would finally take her to bed.

As she thought of what lay in wait for her back at home, she could not help but squeeze her thighs together as her toes curled inside the new shoes that he had purchased for her to match her gown for that night.

As the much-vaunted Miss Donatella let loose her talent in an aria that reverberated throughout the theater, Evie found herself subtly twisting in her seat as Daniel began to seductively stroke her finger.

She sighed as the fire simmered low in her belly. It truly cannot be helped, for she had married a man who was insatiable—and she would have it no other way.

She loved Daniel for all that he was, and while Lady Spalding had derided his… peculiar predilections, she had found great pleasure in them.

His dark nature, his overprotectiveness… these were just a few of the things she loved about him. Oh, he might try to hide his true nature from her, but sheknew.

She knew that he had a hand in the Earl of Sidmouth’s disappearance, and although she might not agree with his actions, she understood why he did the things he did.

Besides, he already did the Earl and his sister a great favor by sending them away. She knew of a great many more who might not have been as kind as her husband.

The audience burst into applause as the curtains fell to reveal a new scene. The performers’ voices rose in perfect pitch, but all Evie could think about was Daniel and the way he was enacting his seduction merely on her hand.

It was maddening.

Halfway through the second act, he pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles and whispered in her ear, “Come with me, Duchess.”

Evie nodded with far too much enthusiasm than was normal.

“Where are you going?” Colin asked her, his brow furrowing when he saw Evie standing up.

She gave him a small smile. “I need to go out for some air. It is rather stifling in here.”

“I will go with her,” Daniel announced softly, before anyone could protest.

He stood up and held his hand out to Evie, and she slid her own gloved one into his with a smile.

Quietly, they both stood up and left the box.

Daniel hastily pulled her into one of the many rooms that had been provided for guests of the opera to refresh themselves. Once inside, he closed the door and locked the door behind him as his lips slanted over Evie’s with fierce passion.

Evie replied by throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him back just as eagerly. There would never be a time she would grow tired of his kisses.

Or the way his hands would boldly caress her body through her clothes.

A frustrated moan bubbled up her throat, and she heard him laugh huskily as he pressed a soft kiss to her neck.

“I cannot wait for all of this to be over,” she groused.

“Who was it who wanted to hear this Miss Donatella sing so eagerly in the first place, hmm?”

“Well, she does sing rather well…” Evie contemplated with a soft smile.

“But you would much rather be back at home?” he supplied helpfully.

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