Page 93 of Duke of Pride

His hands began to move, one sliding up her calf, his fingers tracing the curve of her leg, pausing at the soft spot behind her knee. Her eyes fluttered almost shut. Almost. She didn’t want to lose any of this, she wanted to watch as he touched her.

He leaned in for a kiss. It was not slow, and it was not tender. It was a whirlwind filled with hunger. Victoria gasped, and he swallowed the sound greedily. It was filthy, glorious, messy.

Their mouths met again and again, wet and greedy, teeth clashing, breath stolen. His hands were in her hair, tangled, clutching, tilting her head so he could kiss her deeper, rougher, harder. Her fingers dug into his back, feeling every muscle shift under her touch.

Stephen broke the kiss and followed a path down her body. He kissed her neck and nipped her collarbone. Victoria arched into him, and he didn’t disappoint. He took one nipple into his mouth and swirled his tongue over it.

“Stephen, more.”

“You have no idea,” he breathed on her stomach, “how much more I want to give you.”

Her fingers curled into the sheets. He lingered, letting his tongue tease and stroke until she was squirming again. She wrapped her legs around him, trying to pull him in, but he pulled away and pinned her hands over her head with one hand. She moaned

“My Duchess,” he drawled, “I want to pleasure you and make it good for you.”

“It is good right now,” she protested. “Just not enough. I feel so?—”

“I know. Let me give you more.”

Victoria nodded. She trusted her husband completely. So, when he kissed down her body, she just surrendered to the sensation instead of chasing it. She bit her lip when he dipped his tongue in her navel. She sighed when he grazed the inside of her thigh. And when he reached the aching core of her, she forgot how to breathe altogether.

Stephen kissed her there. Softly at first. Just a gentle press of lips that made her hips jerk in surprise. Then again. And again. He flicked his tongue, and she saw stars. She knew he wanted to take it easy and slow, but he snapped the moment he tasted her.

A low roar tore from his throat. He grabbed her thighs and lifted them off the mattress so that he could gorge on her essence. She threw her head back, her mouth falling open on a moan she couldn’t contain.

“Sweet like apple pie,” Stephen murmured. “You were made for me.”

Her legs quivered, and she moaned his name as he licked into her.

“Again, let me hear you,” he ordered.

One last flick of his tongue, just right, just hard enough, and she lost all command of her body. The tension snapped, and she cried out his name, the sound drawn out and desperate. The wave of pleasure rolled over her again and again as he wound her down.

When she landed boneless on the mattress, he dragged his body up and settled between her legs.

“I can’t hold back anymore, Victoria,” he grunted. “I am going crazy. I want you, I need you so much.”

She had no power to form words, but her body wrapped around him and pulled him closer. His eyes searched her face, asking for permission. Her response was to trail both hands down his chest, his abdomen, around his hips, and up his back. She watched as his eyes closed at her erotic, feather-light touch.

“It might sting, Victoria,” he warned as he leaned closer.

Stephen guided himself with care, his eyes never leaving hers. He entered her, slowly, inch by inch, watching her face for any sign of pain. She gasped, gripping his shoulders, and he paused to give her time to adjust.

“No, don’t stop. It’s so… I need…”

He pushed another inch into her. She moaned, biting her lip.

“So good. You take me so well, Victoria.”

His words ignited her, making her wet core gush and flutter around him.

“You like it when I say things like that to you,” he whispered, his breath ragged against her ear.

Victoria nodded, her eyes half-lidded, lost in the sensation. Her breath came in shallow gasps, her fingers digging into his back.

He rolled his hips deeper. He dropped his head to her shoulder and kissed the juncture where her neck met her collarbone, his teeth gently grazing her skin. Then, he pushed into her further till he was sheathed inside her.

“How perfect you are.”

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