Page 35 of A Duke, a Virgin and a Baby
It was hard to breathe, hard to stand, hard to recall who she was in that moment and all she knew was the tingle running along her skin. She could feel Julian moving around her, his fingers slipping out of her mouth and out from the warmth in her, pulling her skirt down into its right place.
Then slowly, he turned her around to face him, lifting her up to sit on the top of what she had only just realized was his desk.
For a moment, he stared at her, his gaze searching her eyes for anything amiss and seconds later, he leaned forward and kissed her, this one chaste and lighter than any of the kisses they had shared thus far.
“I hope you have learned your lesson,” Julian murmured.
If Anna really concentrated, she could still feel her buttocks ache and her cheeks filled with heat.
“Consider me adequately educated.” She replied softly.
Julian smirked, and just as his lips parted as he prepared to speak, the sound of Nicholas crying pierced through the atmosphere, startling both of them.
“Nicholas – I-I must go,” Anna said, pushing him out the way and slipping off the table.
Before Julian could speak up, Anna left his study, her heart thundering as she ran away from her husband and the sudden passion they had just shared.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Icannot believe we had to come this far for that incorrigible menace.”
Lysander sighed and squeezed his eyes shut, clearly doing what he could not to say anything to give away how irritated he felt on the inside. Slowly, he opened his eyes and fixed a deadpan gaze on Julian and stated bluntly,
“You have done nothing but complain, for the entirety of this trip? What was the point of involving yourself in this matter so deeply if you were going to cut my ears off with your tiresome lamenting?”
“Handling the matter personally ensures that my brother is not able to weasel his way out of it, as he does everything else. And I had to take things into my own hands because I so despise people shifting their responsibilities onto others and getting away to live their lives as they wish. Meanwhile the one who now carries their burden now has to bear it. If the child belonged to anyone else, I would have given it away the moment I learnedof its existence. But my brother will not get away for being so callous and risking our family reputation even more than he already has and does on a regular basis.” Julian said angrily.
Lysander stared at him with wide eyes, then slowly, he asked,
“You are particularly crabby today. What happened? Didn’t get enough sleep? Fight with your wife?”
At the mention of his wife, Julian fought hard to keep himself from twitching. Because this was her fault, too.
She was the one with the big heart who was caring for someone else’s child so dearly. She was the one risking so much of herself for the sake and well-being of another living creature.
Now, he had gotten closer to her than he was supposed to and suddenly, it was as though every ounce of restraint had bled out of him. He wanted to taste more of her, to listen to more of her cries of pleasure, to wholly be in her – over and over again.
If what had settled upon him after their first kiss had been an itchy of want, he was being consumed by flames of desire now. He had never felt so impatient, so pushed to the brink of his quickly shattering resolve. His brother was important to Julian, because they were family. But honestly, Julian had sworn to God that if things got even marginally more difficult for him, he would feed his brother to the wolves.
“Didn’t sleep well,” Julian grunted after a few moments of disconcerting silence.
“Ah,” Lysander nodded in understanding. “Margaret is the exact same way after a restless night. I, more often than not, find her in a corner of the house napping by a window after such nights, her skin aglow from the soft rays of sunlight bleeding in through the windows. An ethereal sight, I tell you.”
“Did… did you just compare me to your wife?”
Lysander stared at him for a moment, and when the carriage rolled to a stop then, he cheered.
“We’ve arrived!”
Julian allowed him to disembark first, following closely and frowning at the harsh sting of the bright sun in his eyes as soon as he left the carriage. It took some rapid blinking to clear up his vision and soon, he was staring at a country estate that was sitting atop impressive grounds.
“What did you say this place was known for?” Julian asked as they walked towards the front door.
“Arranging cockfights. I am well acquainted with the Lord who owns the property – nice chap, not very bright though – and I had was able to get him to tell me a little bit about Seth’s activities. Apparently, he has been coming around these partsfrequently in the last few months.” Lysander explained as they walked into the house.
And truly, just as Lysander had warned, it was a much worse sight than the other place they had visited previously. The grounds outside were pristine, giving an impression of nothing out of the ordinary, but the further they ventured into the mansion, the filthier the floors beneath their feet became. The air was ripe with the smell of cigars and vomit and there was so much noise all around.
“Shall we split up and search for him separately? This is a lot of ground to cover and I fear we might not be able to cover much if we stay together,” Julian reasoned.
