Page 19 of My Dark Duke

“Oh?” It was her turn to arch an eyebrow, “And what’s that?”

“A life of luxury and pleasure,” he answered, with a Gallic shrug. “The freedom to come and go as you please - within reason, of course. The power and the wealth that comes from being associated with the Thorncastle name. Dresses, jewels, sparkling champagne, trips to Europe, if you wish. The theatre, the opera, a carriage and six - you can have it all, Mary.”

“I may have everything I wish for, except for your heart,” she surmised.

“I’m told I don’t have one,” Sebastian grinned, “So I’m afraid you’re correct; that’s not on offer. But I will care for you, treasure you, and protect you, until you decide you are done with me.”

She reached for her wineglass and brought it to her lips, her brow furrowed in thought. For the first time in his life, Sebastian felt a stab of doubt. He had offered Miss Smith everything he was capable of offering to a woman, but for the first time, he wondered if it would be enough.

Nervous that he might lose her, Sebastian decided that a demonstration of what else he could offer might tempt her further.

He pushed back his chair and stood, before holding out his hand for her to take.

She looked at it for one uncertain moment, before allowing him to pull her to her feet.

“You are nervous,” Sebastian stated. “That’s only to be expected; but you accepted my offer, Mary, because you trust me. Am I right?”

She nodded, slowly.

“Then I will ask you to trust me a little bit more,” Sebastian whispered, as he placed one hand at the small of her back and pulled her towards him.

He kissed her softly, glad that this time they were in a warm room and not a rattling carriage. As she relaxed into his arms, Sebastian’s mouth drifted from her lips to her ear, dropping gentle kisses along her delicate white skin.

A sigh of pleasure let him know he was on the right path and he gently continued his exploration of her skin. From her ear, all the way down to the nape of her neck, he rained hot kisses, before returning with zeal to claim her mouth once more.

This time he did not go softly; he captured her lips with the full force of his desire and claimed her mouth completely. As his tongue caressed the soft recesses of her mouth, Sebastian’s hands slipped from the small of Mary’s back to her bottom, and he pulled her against him so that she might feel just how much he desired her.

She gasped as he pressed his hard length up against her. Her hands fell from around his neck and roved his chest. Sebastian shivered with longing as her fingers slipped through the gaps of his shirt and caressed his skin. Her innocent touch was more arousing than any of the practiced strokes of a lady of thedemi-monde.

“Enough,” he rasped, pulling away from her. “I won’t take you on the table. Come.”

In one swift motion, he lifted her into his arms, cradling her against his chest. He carried her from the dining room, all the way to the top of the stairs, where he encountered a slight hurdle.

“Which room?” he rasped, and she nodded towards the end of the hall.

Once they had reached the bedchamber, a pretty room decorated in shades of pastel, Sebastian set her down and began the torturous process of undressing her.

His fingers felt clumsy, as he undid the buttons of her dress. After what felt like hours, it fell to the floor with a sigh, revealing her slim curves. She wore no stays, he noted, and the pink of her nipples was visible, even through the material of her chemise.

With her clothing out of the way, Sebastian drew Mary towards him again, though this time he felt her tremble slightly.

“Are you cold?” he inquired, to which she shook her head.

Her cheeks were aflame with passion and desire; it was the fear of that which had her trembling, Sebastian realised with a pang of guilt. She had been brought up to be afraid of her desire, to see it as something bad and wicked.

“Go lie on the bed,” he ordered her.

Mary obeyed, padding gently across the thick carpet to the bed, unaware that her thin petticoat gave Sebastian a tantalising view of her bottom.

He removed his boots with haste, then shrugged off his coat and waistcoat, and pulled his shirt over his head. His breeches, sadly, would remain in place.

“Lie back against the pillow,” Sebastian instructed, as he reached the bed.

She complied, though he could tell she was still nervous, for her green eyes followed his every move.

“Just relax,” he commanded. “I am not about to relieve you of your maidenhead. At least, not tonight.”

“Then what is it you wish to do?” she asked, confused.

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