Page 44 of Good Duke Gone Hard

He remembered running about his estates with his brother catching bugs, playing swords. He recalled his first time on a horse. Grey. And nearly falling off several times.

He remembered learning to fish at the stream. Putting bait on the hooks, which disgusted girls.

He remembered his mother’s laugh. Longed to hear it again.

He remembered Mary and Gregory and the silly plays the four of them used to put on. How he had not thought then that Gregory and Mary were destined for each other bewildered him.

And then he remembered the fight with Gregory and Jonathan walking out the door. He remembered going to war in attempts to convince his fiancee at the time to cry off. He remembered not wanting the marriage of convenience his parents had aligned for him nearly at birth.

He remembered the army and his superior officer convincing him to take on a simple small reconnaissance mission. To help his country. He remembered the boat and the feeling of pain on his head from being knocked out.

He remembered Glaston and everything. Everything. How could millions of memories flood his body in such a short time? Or maybe he had been standing like a wall in front of Margaret for an hour. That, he didn’t remember.

But one more series of memories submersed him. He remembered the summer before he left, the water, and Margaret. And…everything.

He wasn’t thinking about why she withheld everything. She had her reasons. The only thing he could think and say was one of the most important words between them.

“Maggie?”

MARGARET FOUND JONATHAN STUDYING her with long, slow breaths. Her brow curled in nerves upon hearing him finally use the nickname he had given her before. Her eyes widened as she saw the depth in his own. He had called her Maggie. He knew. He knew everything. All of his memories were back. As sure as she knew the inordinate cost of ultramarine, she knew Jonathan knew.

And all she could think in that instant was that she couldn’t bear to lose this moment. She flung her arms around him and jumped up with her legs around his waist, knowing he would catch her.

He did.

And then she locked all her fears and worries in the corner of her mind. They would be of no help right now.

“Johnny?” she asked with a smothering kiss.

“Maggie,” he replied with hot lips and a determined nibble on her bottom lip. How he spoke and nibbled at the same time was not worth the mental quandary. Her breasts were aching to be touched, squeezed, pressed, so she thrust them against his chest.

With a firm grip on her arse, he took them both to her bed. Lying her down softly, he began pulling the pins from her hair and tossing them onto the ground, a minefield for later.

She could feel his arousal jutting into her waist, so she slid herself up to meet his shaft with her folds.

“Take this dress off of me, Johnny,” she begged.

He paused. Knowing he understood the request, and knowing he was truly a gentleman, she expected nothing less than his reply, “Are you sure, Maggie?”

“Yes. I can’t bear losing–it.” She looked away, blinking back tears. Now was not the time. Right here and now was for joy. Pure bliss. Taking what she had been longing for since their first summer tryst. “I have to…have you.”

“I have to have you too,” Jonathan agreed with a smile. And then he worked fervently on the buttons of her dress, pulling some layers over her head and some layers down off her legs until she was bare before him. She could feel the chill in the air reaching her delicate skin.

She waved her arms at him.

“What does that mean?” he teased, knowing full well she wanted his clothes off.

“Off. Now.”

“I never knew you to be so demanding.”

“Yes, you did.”

“I stand corrected. And never more happily to be so.” Slowly he unbuttoned his shirt to torment her and then sifted his shoulders out of it as he dropped it to the ground. When he reached for the buttons on his trousers, Margaret sucked in her breath.

She wanted this. She craved this. But she truly had no idea what to expect. Sure, there had been some gossip and a couple of books, but nothing compared to the real–

When he finally freed himself, he stood erect, in more ways than one. It was so large, and thick. Margaret was both terrified and electrified at what was about to happen. The jolts of lightning fly through her body were verging on impossible to still.

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