Page 51 of His Duchess' Wicked List

Maddie felt her cheeks redden. She had no experience with this at all. Perhaps this was just something that men said to women to reassure them in the aftermath. Especially when the woman’s maidenhead had been taken.

He was so much more experienced than she was. He had probably made love to dozens of women. He was a seducer and a rake. This is what he did.

“Are you… hurt?” he asked, still caressing her face.

She bit her lip, shaking her head. “I am fine,” she mumbled, trying to steel her heart against the tender look on his face. “It was amazing. I have no regrets.”

She knew, as the words left her mouth, that it was the truth. She didn’t regret it. And she wouldn’t regret it tomorrow. This belonged to her now, and whatever happened between them was irrelevant. Or at least it couldn’t take away from it.

“We should leave this room,” she said, glancing at the door anxiously. “It has already been far too long.”

Daniel sighed heavily but nodded, swinging his legs off the bed. She watched as he slipped back into his shirt, her heart tugging painfully. Trembling, she slipped off the bed, gathering her gown and pulling it over her head.

He was behind her, gently lacing her gown. She felt his breath on her neck. And then, to her surprise, he put his hands around her waist, kissing her neck gently, tenderly.

Maddie squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn’t breathe. It was on the tip of her tongue to just turn around and tell him how she truly felt about him. To spill it all out and lay it at his feet. Come what may.

She balled her hands into fists, resisting the impulse. She knew she was feeling especially vulnerable because they had just madesuch amazing love together. But she wasn’t about to show how inexperienced she was in such matters.

He made love to many women. She was certain he would recoil in distaste if she expressed that her feelings for him went deeper than desire. He would leave hastily, and she would feel like a broken fool.

It wouldn’t change anything if she told him. If anything, all it would do was make him feel he had more power over her than he already did.

“I will leave and make sure the coast is clear,” he said softly. “We will find a moment to talk. Perhaps we could meet in the gardens, near the lair?” There was a hint of gentle humor in his voice now.

Maddie turned around, facing him. “Very well. In half an hour?”

He nodded, his eyes full of tenderness as he beheld her. “A perfect plan.” He hesitated, reaching out to caress her cheekbone with one hand. “We will defeat them all, Maddie. I swear it.”

She forced a smile on her face. “Yes. Perhaps we will.”

He took her hand and kissed it, before quickly departing.

When he was gone, Maddie slumped against the bed. It had taken all the strength she had to send him away. All the strength she had to not reveal her true feelings for him.

She took a deep, ragged breath before straightening her spine. She walked to the trunk and closed it with a decisive thump. She had no intention of meeting him in the gardens in half an hour.

By that time, she would be long gone. And with luck, he would not be any the wiser… until it was too late.

CHAPTER 21

Where is she? I cannot see her anywhere.

Daniel loitered outside his lair, gripped with impatience. He grabbed a twig off the ground and snapped it in two. He had been waiting for her for over half an hour.

He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair, trying to keep his cool. Images of their lovemaking were playing in his head, over and over. He couldn’t stop them.

The feel of her skin, like the softest silk I have ever touched. The feel of her body moving seamlessly with mine. The glorious moment when I entered her for the first time. We fit together like we were always meant to be.

He sighed again. It wasn’t like him to moon over the act after it was over. Usually, it was the thrill of the chase for him. When he had finally conquered, the allure of the lady dissipated.

It wasn’t like that this time. Not at all.

His heart flipped over. He had told her the truth—it hadn’t been just words to get her to submit to him. Hedidcare for her, in his own way. It had been growing on him slowly. He cared what happened to her. He didn’t want to hurt her. It wasn’t just about the intense lust he felt for her.

But now… now, it was like something else again. Making love to her had stirred something deeper within him. He couldn’t stand the thought of losing her. He couldn’t stand the thought of never making love to her again. He especially couldn’t stand the thought of his cousin claiming her.

Her body belongs to me. We are made for each other.

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