Page 23 of Seven Nights with the Wicked Duke
And they shared scandalous secrets indeed.
His hand on her thigh caused heat to shoot up her legs to the core of her where a pulse she hadn't felt before beat. She felt uncomfortable as liquid heat pooled there and squirmed in his lap.
"But you would see it. See me. In the nude."
His intense green eyes shot to hers, filling her with dark promise.
"That is the point, is it not?" he asked. "Do not worry, I do not intend to behave in an untoward manner. Not even if you asked me."
She had never cared for the color of eyes before now but his eyes reminded her of the fields outside their estate in the country, her favorite place to be in the spring.
"All right," she agreed, surprising herself.
Somehow she trusted him to keep it purely between them and also she was curious about his artistic talent. There were many sides to this duke and each one he revealed to her fascinated her in turn.
"I expect you to employ the utmost discretion, Your Grace," she told him pointedly.
He nodded and eyed her lips, visibly fascinated. The way he looked at her left her breathless and wanting. She had never been so appraised by a man and she didn't know how to process it.
"I should…" she started to say, but before the words were fully formed, the duke claimed her lips in a kiss that stole her breath.
So this was what kissing felt like?
The Duke was punishing in his kisses but there was also tenderness in the way his lips caressed hers. Soft yet firm. He nipped her lips lightly and she gasped at the sensation that travelled all the way to her toes so she did the same to his lips, enjoying the way he groaned into her mouth.
He buried his hand in her hair, the other going to her thighs and she followed his lead, moving one hand to his hair and the other to his jaw. He groaned when she fisted his hair and pulled.
"Will you keep doing everything I do?" he asked against her lips with a smile.
"Indeed," she said with a smile.
He smiled and nipped her lip softly.
"You are a most willing student," he remarked.
"And you a good teacher," she praised, smiling against his lips when he kissed her again.
CHAPTER 8
Being the center attention of a lot of eligible suitors ordinarily would be the dream of every noble young lady of marriageable age. But that dream could be somewhat nightmarish, if said young lady had a certain grumpy older brother breathing down her neck, sniffing his disapproval of every and each suitor.
"You do not have to hold her hand to give her the flowers," he growled at young Lord Hightown, who had been courteous enough to arrive at her door, a bouquet of roses in hand unlike the other suitors said brother had chased away already.
The young lord in question shrank back in fear clearly not expecting such a sharp reprimand at his arrival. After all he had only held her hand to kiss it in greeting. It was easy to dismiss the young gentleman to be a coward for such a reaction, but Cecilia understood.
Her brother might be a man of nobility, but he was built like a street side wrestler, that in combination with a foreboding lookthat seemed to be permanently etched on his face and animosity in his voice, and he became a threat that any intelligent person would do his possible best to avoid. The menace that exuded just standing there in the sitting room fell off him in waves.
At this rate he might just drive away all her suitors.
Cecilia resisted the urge to huff and scold him then and there because she didn't want their family drama becoming news for the gossip blogs. Instead, she shot her brother a glare that she hoped was warning enough.
She would definitely be giving him a piece of her mind when the day was over but for now, she had a handsome suitor to charm.
Lord Hightown had recently inherited his title and was moderately handsome with a head of golden blonde hair and blue eyes a girl could get lost in. he was also well mannered and had a love of horses much as she did.
They had danced at a few balls together and he had courteously asked her permission to come calling on her. She hadn't thought to inform her brother as she felt he would approve but the man seemed more displeased than she had imagined he would be.
"Lord Hightown was just greeting me." she said with a smile, looking up at her brother, making sure that her eyes conveyed her displeasure as much as she could. "And I am thankful for his kind gesture. The flowers are lovely. I thank you," she added to Lord Hightown.
