Page 65 of Her Ruse with the Rakish Duke
Daphne thought she’d go over the edge with him with the words and sounds that escaped his lips. She wanted it to last forever.
When he came in her mouth with a hoarse moan, she was giddy with self-satisfaction as she swallowed his seed; she’d been able to bring such a powerful man to such heights of pleasure.
She knew then the feelings inside her were not the shallow sweetness of infatuation but deeper and warmer, realizing these feelings had crept up on her for a while now. She was well and truly trapped.
She crawled up to lie beside him, her body molded against his in a perfect fit. She could hear his heart pounding unsteadily in his chest, she knew hers was pounding a softer note betraying that she had fallen in love with him.
“Is something the matter?” he asked. “You are awfully quiet.”
His tone was light and playful as his hands ran up and down her stomach. She could feel desire swirling inside her again but tamped it down as she answered.
“I am well.” She bit her lip. “I am just sated from… what we did.”
She felt him smile against her hair and knew he was feeling proud of himself.
“Those are the words every man wants to hear when a woman is in his bed.”
She laughed despite the panic brewing inside her and slapped his hand.
“I am glad I could service your ego then,” she teased.
He pulled her closer, his rapidly hardening member nudging her stomach.
“That isn’t what I’d like to have you service right now,” He growled against her ear.
“You are insatiable, Your Grace,” she giggled.
He laughed against her ear, pulling her even closer to him. Her heart grew warmer and for a moment, she allowed herself to settle into him, releasing a sigh.
If only for this moment, she’d enjoy the experience of being in a man’s arms. He had the pleasure of refusing to be trapped in the confines of marriage, while she, being a woman, would never be afforded the same luxury.
She could see her future now, trapped in a loveless and passionless marriage to Percy. At least she’d have her memory to keep her heart warm on days when the burden seemed too heavy to carry.
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn’t dare let them fall.
“Daphne…” she heard Victor call softly.
“Y-yes?” she answered, clearing her throat. “I thought you were asleep.”
“I wasn’t. I was thinking,” he answered.
“Oh?” She wondered out loud. “May I inquire as to what you were thinking about?”
“You. Us. This thing between us,” He answered honestly. His voice betrayed an uncertainty she hadn’t heard in his voice before.
“What about us?” she asked, trying to speak past the lump that had settled in her throat.
“Don’t you feel it too? We’ve crossed so many boundaries. I am confused as to what we are doing now,” he admitted.
She turned in his arms to face him, her eyes reading his face.
“Do you feel like we’ve overstepped our boundaries? We never did establish any clear lines,” she said looking into his eyes.
A little flame of hope lit in her heart that she tried hard to ignore but couldn’t as even though she didn’t want to admit it, she hoped he felt the same way she did about him for her.
“It’s this…This… this ruse of ours. I can’t tell what’s right and what’s wrong anymore. Everything I do feels like a mistake.”
Daphne gasped as his words extinguished the little flame of hope that had been blooming in her heart. Worse still, she felt the snag of her heart snapping in two again. For she was in love with him, utterly and completely, and to hear him speak of their connection as a mistake was a dagger to her soul.
