Page 82 of Duke of Wickedness
She dropped her hand to his arm, purposeful enough that it caught David’s notice, not so obvious that anyone else would pay attention.
“What do you need?” he asked immediately.
She nibbled the corner of her lip, nervous and excited.
“I don’t want to see anything else downstairs,” she confessed.
Every iota of David stilled. She wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d even managed to pause his heart beating.
“You don’t?” he asked, so quiet that nobody else could hear.
She shook her head minutely, then gathered her courage.
“The only person I want touching me…is you.”
There had been so many strange moments over this adventure with David—all these little slips in and out of understanding one another, times where they would come together in perfect accord, then others where she felt as though they were occupying entirely different worlds.
But now… This was one of the incredible moments. The ones where even their breathing felt like it was happening in perfect synchronization.
She knew what she wanted. She knew that he knew what she wanted.
And when he looped his arm through hers, she knew that he was going to give it to her.
“Shall we return upstairs?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said lightly, trying to seem as though she wasn’t trembling with nerves inside, “let’s.”
It wasn’t a smooth retreat from the party; just as when they had entered, their return to the stairs was peppered with people who offered an encouraging word, a sly comment, or an invitation to David, Ariadne, or both.
She didn’t tug at David’s arm to rush through these interactions. This was partially because she hoped that they could slip away relatively unnoticed—at least as far as was possible. Part of it was because everyone was being lovely, even when they were being risqué and suggestive.
But much of it was because with each pause, with each moment that stood between her and getting the thing she wanted so very badly, she felt a tight, delicious anticipation growing inside her.
When they finally made their way to the staircase, she wasalmostdisappointed that the appealing wait would be at its end.
Almost. But certainly not entirely.
They had only made it around the first curve of the staircase—the first bend that took them out of sight of most of the partygoers below—when David pressed her against a wall and took her mouth with his.
“I am a selfish man, little bird,” he said gaspingly between kisses. “I wanted to give you everything you wanted tonight. I wanted you to have it all. But I am so bloodydesperatelypleased that I have you all to myself.”
She smiled into his mouth, her hand reaching back to take off his mask. She was ready to seehim, the part only she got to see, at least on nights like this, and not the face he showed everyone else.
“David,” she crooned, just for the pleasure of saying his name. “Idohave everything I want.” She tugged gently at his hair, pulling him far back enough that he could look at her. “Or Iwilljust as soon as you show me everything you promised.”
His laugh felt a little desperate and relieved.
“Never let it be said that I go back on my promises, my darling,” he said.
Her pulse raced at the endearment—but then, he always was able to make her heart beat faster.
He led her down the hall, and she noted that they passed his study, as well as the room where she’d gotten dressed earlier. Their progress was slow; David tugged her along, but he also paused to kiss her soundly every few feet, and by the time they made it to a closed door at the end of the hallway, Ariadne’s senses were dazzled, and she was burning with desire.
He opened the door and led them through.
She knew at once that these were his private chambers.
At first, she couldn’t precisely placehowshe knew it. Then it clicked in her mind: the rooms carried, in their very air, the same warm scent of him, the soap he used in his bath lingering underneath the light, pleasant cologne that he habitually wore. And maybe more than that, it was the energy of the place, the atmosphere; there was asenseof David in this place.
