Page 54 of Married to a Wicked Duke
She found herself reaching for him, fumbling with the buttons of his breeches, desperate to feel him. Frederick moved her hand away gently. “Slow down,” he murmured. “There’s no rush.”
Veronica could manage little more than a frustrated moan in response. Because now Frederick’s fingers were digging hard into her flesh, her need for him was almost unbearable. “I want you,” she whispered. “I want to feel you.”
Frederick’s slipped a finger inside her, causing her to cry out loudly at the unfamiliar sensation. He moved slowly in and out, causing her pleasure to build in a way that seemed to engulf her whole body. She felt herself rocking harder and harder against his palm, desperate for more. When he withdrew his hand, Veronica moaned loudly in frustration. Frederick pulled her into a deep kiss, swallowing the sound between his lips.
With one hand, he reached down to unbutton his breeches, and slowly positioned the tip of his manhood against her opening. Veronica looked down, breathless at the sight of his length pressing against her. Frederick reached for her hand and guided it to his shaft, showing her how to run her fingers lightly over the silky skin. Veronica found herself bucking her hips, desperate to feel him inside her.
Frederick lifted her hand away from his body and laced his fingers through hers. With his other hand, he cupped her cheek in his broad palm. “It may hurt a little the first time,” he murmured. “Try to relax.”
Veronica nodded faintly. Obediently, she drew in a long breath, tried to relax, but the sense of anticipation, and the blatant desire that threatened to overwhelm her, made such a thing near impossible.
Slowly, Frederick eased inside her and she clung to his shoulders, her fingers digging in hard at a sudden flash of pain.
Frederick stilled and looked into her eyes. “All right?”
Veronica nodded. She tried for a long inhalation, but her breath was ragged with desire. Already, the pain was beginning to give way to something else; something far more indefinable. Something far more pleasant.
Slowly, carefully, Frederick began to move inside her, drawing a deep moan from Veronica’s lips. He gripped her hand, planting it above her head as he slid in and out, gradually increasing his speed.
Veronica clung hard to his shoulder with her other hand, closing her eyes as pleasure began to rise within her, deeper this time, and somehow, almost unplaceable. She heard herself crying out, moaning each time Frederick thrust into her. But her own voice sounded far away. She could barely make sense of where she was. Barely registered the creaks of the old building around them, or the clatter of cartwheels and horse hooves coming from the street outside the window. The pleasure felt all-engulfing, almost unbearable in its intensity.
Frederick reached down and touched the pearl between her legs, triggering a climax that made her cry out his name. Moments later, Frederick groaned out his own release and she clung hard to him, pulling him close as though trying to tether herself to him. He ran his fingers through her tangled hair and pulled her into a kiss.
For long moments, they lay entwined in each other’s arms, allowing their breathing to slow, and the remnants of their pleasure to dissipate. Veronica closed her eyes, feeling his chest rise and fall beneath her head.
Where did they go from here, she wondered? After three weeks of games and mistakes and uncertainty, their marriage had been consummated. Husband and wife in every sense. Were they to finally stop denying the way they made each other feel? Perhaps now they could finally accept their desire for each other, rather than trying to pretend it did not exist.
Frederick pulled himself into sitting. He buttoned his breeches and tucked in his shirt, raking his fingers through his blond hair. He stood and looked down at Veronica. Under his gaze, she sat quickly and pulled her skirts down over her damp skin.
“Are you all right?” he asked, his voice oddly devoid of expression.
Veronica smiled slightly. It seemed an odd question. She was fairly certain her behavior had left no doubt as to how much she had enjoyed what they had just done. “Yes,” she said.
Are you?she wanted to ask. Because she knew how hard it had been for Frederick to open up to her the way he had today. No doubt the emotion of all he had shared was still raw.
But Veronica said nothing. Because there was a look in her husband’s eyes that she was coming to know all too well. A look that told her her questions would not be welcome. A look that said that everything they had just shared was nothing more than a mistake.
ChapterTwenty-Two
Frederick tucked in his shirt and raked a hand through his tousled hair, aware he was being painfully deliberate in not looking Veronica’s way. His heart was still thundering hard from their coupling; every inch of his body pulsing with energy. He was afraid of what he might do, might think, might feel, if he looked at his wife right now.
He closed his eyes for a moment and drew in a breath to steady himself. Then finally, he turned back to face her. “Are you ready to make your way home? The carriage is outside waiting for you.”
Veronica raised her eyebrows. The neat coif on the back of her head had come almost completely undone, and dark coils of hair were spilling over her shoulders. Her cheeks were still flushed in the aftermath of her pleasure, her lips pink and slightly swollen. “What of you?” she asked. “Are you not coming with me?”
Frederick lowered his gaze—both to save himself from the scrutiny he could see in her eyes, and to lessen the urge to pull her back onto the couch and do it all again. “I would like to spend a little more time here at the gallery. Put a little more consideration into how we will display the pieces. Perhaps see them in a different light now it has begun to get dark.”
The excuse sounded like complete rubbish, even to his own ears.
Still, he was a little surprised when Veronica took a step towards him and looked at him squarely. “No,” she said, with a firmness in her voice he had not heard before. “If you are staying, so am I. I will not allow you to just cast me aside, after what we just did.”
Frederick raised his eyebrows. It seemed his wife was developing a little confidence after all.
I suppose if she can manage a room full of excited children, she can handle one grumpy husband…
But he said, “I am not casting you aside, Veronica. I simply wish to stay at the gallery a little longer. The light…” He trailed off.
Veronica’s eyes softened. “Frederick, please… Do not lie to me. I know why you are doing this.” Her voice was gentle. “I know you never intended to take things this far between us. And I suspect you never wished to tell me about your mother, either. But there is no need to close down like this. Believe me, I do not think any less of you after everything you told me. In fact, I am impressed by your courage. I know it cannot have been an easy thing to speak of.”
