Page 40 of Wedded to the Deviant Duke

The other, meanwhile, drifted across her leg, disappearing beneath her skirt before he settled his palm against her inner thigh.

“Say the word,” he whispered, giving her ear another gentle nip. “I’ll do nothing further unless you do.”

Her body stiffened briefly, her hand covering her waist as wide eyes glanced up towards his. It was a wide range of emotions—desire, terror, hesitancy—and she was looking to him for the answer.

“The gift of trust is yours to give, Thalia,” Gabriel emphasized softly. “I cannot take it from you.” He watched her eyes light up with… surprise? Delight? Lust? But his hands remained—one around her waist, one against her leg—and he waited.

“Higher,” she finally moaned.

“Are you certain?”

She nodded, stretching her neck for another brief, tender kiss. “Yes,please.”

And in that confirmation, Gabriel obeyed; his hands drifted farther up, carefully exploring her as if she were new, uncharted lands. Her breath began to hitch, her chest heaved, and his free hand slipped up the length of her waist, catching her breast as he finally found her sensitive nib.

Another gasp, another groan, and as he massaged her gently, Gabriel could feel warmth spreading between them, her posture stiffening as pressure no doubt built within her. He felt it himself, pressing against his trousers and desperate to be freed—but this moment wasn’t about him. He wanted this to be about Thalia.

It didn’t take long for his little rabbit to cry out, her whimpering and moaning climax a beautiful sound of found desire. And as she relaxed, as she pressed into his chest and both of his hands secured around her waist, something warm pulsed throughout his chest.

She was perfect. God above, she was everything he wanted and more.

…don’t let emotion…

Whatever warm haze had built between them froze and shattered. Gabriel immediately loosened his hold around Thalia, having enough sense to ease her gently to the ground.

As soon as she was safe, his arms recoiled to his side, a cold sweat forming on the back of his neck. What was he doing? Had his own instinct just completely betrayed his father’s trust in him?

He watched Thalia on the ground for a moment, beautifully sprawled out like the wounded rabbit she was. Her chest heaved heavily, her face flushed from their interaction as she visibly wrestled air back into her lungs.

A pang of guilt shot through him, and Gabriel had enough sense to offer a hand and help her upright. And then, silence. She continued to breathe, and he simply listened; not a word was spoken between them.

A knock on the door brought clarity back to Gabriel’s senses, and he cleared his throat before answering. “Come in.”

The door creaked entirely too slowly for his liking, and his absolute worst nightmare stood on the other side; Robin Sutton, finally roused from his sleep, stared at the pair of them with a slightly befuddled expression.

Before realization could further sharpen his gaze, Gabriel quickly moved to greet him, speaking in hushed tones as to not alert Thalia—or give them further away. “I told you to wait in my study for your report.”

“Charlotte sent me this way,” Robin hissed back. “Though, perhaps I should return later? I seem to be…” he paused, glancing around the duke as Thalia found interest in the point of her shoes. “Interrupting something.”

He wanted nothing more than to slam the door in his face. Hell, the boy deserved at least a swift punch to the face for his insolence. But that would mean Gabriel had emotional investment in… whatever had occurred between himself and Thalia just now. That thought alone soured the duke’s stomach. “Five minutes. My study. I’ll be keeping time.”

“I’m sure you will.”

Gabriel inhaled slowly, quelling his own bubbling rage, and shoved past Robin, doing everything in his power to keep his footsteps light and not simply storming away like a disheartened schoolboy.

* * *

She bit him. She bit the Duke of Stonewell right on the tongue. Thalia nearly doubled over in absolute shame as she watched her brother and her… her suitor? Her accomplice? Her forbidden lover? She couldn’t rightly say who Gabriel Harding was to her, anymore, only that he was currently in heated discussion with Robin.

Oh, God, was he telling him about her indecency?! But, she hadn’t even initiated it—at least, she was fairly certain she hadn’t.

Once their lips locked, things became a whirl of thoughts and feelings, of hot breath and warm skin, of a deep, throbbing ache that screamed to be soothed by the duke’s full and undivided attention.

And—and even if she had initiated it, the duke seemed more than willing to oblige her.Morethan willing. In fact, he looked almost desperate. As desperate as she was. Or at least she hoped he did.

Finally, he left the library, leaving her brother standing beneath the door’s frame. His attention immediately fixated on her, and she found herself unable to meet his gaze.

How could she, knowing what she’d done? How could she, after staring so long into Gabriel’s—the duke’s—own eyes long enough to memorize every detail? Everything had felt so right mere moments ago, and now, it all felt horribly wrong.

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