Page 49 of The Duke's Hellion

He grunted at the movement, found his breath again, and then thrust into her.

“Uhh…” she called out, at a loss for words. The pleasure was rampant inside of her. Around her. Encompassing only them.

“Come for me, Mimi. Again.” He called for her, commanded her, and her body responded. She could feel the base of his cock rubbing her pearl, pushing, pulling, teasing, giving. Relentlessly.

The intermingling of them screaming each other’s names wrenched the air, as release poured through them.

“Thank God, you’re my wife.” Sam’s last words embedded themselves in her brain as they collapsed in slumber.

*

When it rained,it poured. Sam knew it to be true, and he was floundering. He was falling for Mimi. But he couldn’t be. He needed to keep his wits about him. He would not—would not—turn into his father. He would not be the kind to be so desperately in love with a woman that he was not in control of his own emotions and actions.

Yet…last night was shaping up to be an exception. Forget shaping up, last night was a pointed example of an exception. He had lost himself in her. The moment he saw her he knew he was gone.

He had to set some boundaries. And that was the plan this morning. And God, there were a few boundaries that needed to be set. He hoped that he could do so without too much trouble from his cousin, Rudolph. They had arrived so late last night that there had been no time for introductions. He only hoped that he could send Rudolph on his way without incident. If only he should be so lucky.

Sam sat at the breakfast table awaiting his wife as he planned how to manage Mimi. Just then, she walked in. He had expected her to sleep in, but then again, they had worked up an appetite.

“Good morning, Sam,” she said with a smile.

“Good morning, Mimi.” He could do this. Bed his wife at night and be friends—at best—during the day.

“How did you sleep?”

“Deeply.”

She eyed him curiously but there was no time to finish the conversation as Rudolph walked in. Without standing on ceremony, the man plopped himself down into a chair, not even claiming a morsel of food onto his plate.

The man was a walking irritant. A footman, who undoubtedly had been trained by Rudolph already, piled high a plate of food and placed it before the man.

Rudolph glanced over at Mimi, his gaze lingering significantly longer than Sam would have liked. In fact, if the man didn’t take his eyes off his wife—

“I love her.” Rudolph proclaimed. “I love her with an undying love.”

“What?” How could a man look at a woman and announce his love? Undying or otherwise. It was not possible. The first time Sam had seen Mimi he had not fallen in love. Not even the second time. Third, fourth, and many more. He was not in love with her even though he had taken her innocence and married her. Well, he was as close to love as he was going to get, and it was far enough. Love had no place in his life. He had been forced to concede to a marriage. Not one that he wanted, but one that he could see working out quite nicely for all the parties involved. Namely two. Then again, in the future there would namely be more…and really, that didn’t seem so bad. Mimi would make a wonderful mother. And he…well, he might just make a good enough father. Forget that, he would make an excellent father.Whatever he set his mind to, he would do. Or not do. That’s just how he was.

“Did you hear me?” Rudolph was shouting now. “I said I love her.” His arms were outstretched, pointing toward Mimi.

Hell, no. This man (he couldn’t deign to call him his cousin at the moment) had gone too far. It was one thing to threaten his life. It was a completely different thing to threaten to take his woman. Yes, Mimi was his. That was clear. But perhaps not clear enough to Rudolph.

Mimi stood stunned, not moving to the table. Or anywhere.

“I love her.” Rudolph shouted again. “You might think I’m crazy, but I shall have her. One way or another.” He stood to his feet, and if Sam thought for even a second that Rudolph would lay a hand on Mimi he would call the man ou—

Rudolph lunged toward Mimi. “You, good woman, have shown me the light.” He smacked his lips against her cheek and raised his finger into the air. “A wedding! Tomorrow. Or as soon as we can—”

“Over my dead body.” Sam was in his cousin’s face saying the words he never would have expected to cross his lips. The words his father had spoken far too many times. The words that had led to his father’s death. The words that could lead to his own. But there were no greater stakes. “Name your seconds.”

Chapter Twenty

“Name my seconds?What on earth are you talking about?” Rudolph, the weasel, looked befuddled.

“You can’t have her,” Sam countered, essentially ignoring his cousin’s question.

“Why not?”

“You can’t possibly love her. You don’t even know her.”

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