Page 35 of The Duke's Spinster

“Yes. I’ve determined that it is the best way forward for my future to improve my skills in this area.”

He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers as a hand flew to his chest.

“Wait.”

He could sense that Boudicca was nervous. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted him to kiss her. He was one of the most powerful dukes of theton, and he had a reputation with the ladies. Of course she would want attention—lessons—from the best of the best. “Is there no warm up?”

“This isn’t fencing. There are no exercises to practice.”

“Are you sure?”

“Quite sure.”

“Well…um…if you had to start kissing me somewhere else, to um…warm up. Where could you start?”

This wasn’t his plan. He didn’t want to kiss her elsewhere. Lips were safe. Elsewhere led to passion.

“I thought you wanted kissing lessons without passion?”

“I do. But just um…show me my options.”

Show me my options?The chit was driving him crazy. She wanted options? He would give her options. Passion be cursed!

And he intended to plant a few kisses harshly over her skin, and in using such a delivery none of them would appeal to her, so then he could kiss her right back on the lips where he had started. Safely.

The first kiss he placed roughly on her nose. Which, when he pulled back, caused an unexpected smile to form on her face. The smile tugged at his heart. No, not his heart. His insides somewhere. Anywhere other than his heart. So he placed another kiss on her ear. Notably less roughly. His breath must have tickled because her shoulders drew up and caught him by the jaw.

“Not there,” she nearly giggled.

And he found himself wanting to kiss her exactly there again.

“I’ll kiss you wherever I want to. I’m the one giving the lessons, aren’t I? And you wanted your options.” He kissed her against her ear again, much less roughly. One might even label it softly. Her giggle was also softer, but her shoulders pulled up again.

“These are in the way,” he said as he pressed a kiss against her shoulder. “I need more access to this.” And then he trailed excessively soft kisses up her neck where his lips could feel her smooth exposed skin.

Her sigh impelled him to step closer, so he could feel her breasts push up against his chest. His hands gripped her waist, holding her still. Forcing her not to move into him more than he could control.

So not to leave one side unattended, he kissed the other side of her neck, trailing kisses until he reached her collar.

“Are there other options?” she asked in a gravelly voice.

“Plenty.” He tripped a finger down the buttons of her shirt. “May I?”

Her eyes widened but her head nodded.

With each button he loosened, he kissed a new inch of exposed skin. By the time his lips were on the top of her breasts, her hands were in his hair.

“Wesley,” she gasped. And he hadn’t even gotten to the good part yet. With his name on her lips, he was lost to any plans he had crafted. Plans, what plans? The only thing on his mind was seeing how many times he could get her to say his name.

One of his hands reached up to bring her breast to his mouth. His tongue flicked her nipple.

“Wesley!”

He licked again.

“Wesley!”

Waiting for his grin to fade, he pulled her nipple into his mouth and sucked. And then she groaned into his ear, and he had a new goal.

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