Page 70 of In Need of a Duke
He was certain he felt like garbage, his head pounding, his mouth dry and sour tasting, but he was also certain it was the best morning of his entire life.
“Hi,” she whispered.
Charlotte was tangled around him, his fingers pressed into her full hips, her breasts grazing his chest, and her legs twined with his.
A low laugh began in his belly and traveled upward, spilling out between them.
Her brow crinkled.
“No, no, don’t move, Honeybee.” He traced circles against her lower back and tilted his head to press a kiss against her forehead. “I’m only surprised.”
“So am I,” she said with a small grin. “I can’t remember the last time I heard you laugh.”
“It doesn’t happen often.” He licked his lips, desperate for a sip of water.
“I like it.”
“I like you.” He shot back.
Her fingers brushed against his chest. Sometime during the night, he had taken off his coat, cravat, waistcoat, and shirt. Her touch... was his new favorite vice.
She ducked her head against his chest and groaned.
“Don’t do that,” he said, half in warning. “Don’t hide away.”
“But last night you caught me...” She paused, then her shoulders slumped.
He pressed his lips against her ear. “And you were magnificent. I have dreamed of that for years.”
She tilted her chin, her eyes full of light and promise. “Have you?”
He nodded, then instantly regretted it. He hadn’t imbibed like that since he was a young buck, and even then, it hadn’t been often.
“You poor thing,” she cooed with a soft giggle. “Too much of a good thing...”
He pressed his thumb against her chin, popping out her lips enough so he could sip on her mouth, slow and calculated. His cock throbbed in his trousers. Damn it, last night was only the beginning.
Charlotte melted beneath his touch, moving her hand back into her hair. The kiss quickly grew from soft to hungry.
He growled, reaching down to grab her bottom, and rolled onto his back, taking her with him.
She peered down at him, her hands fisted on his bare chest, and her long honey hair curtained around them. It felt like a secret, this small sliver of time was only for them.
“What is it that you want, Lottie? I need you to tell me. I need to hear it.”
She glanced at his lips and sat up, clasping a hand over her eyes. In the faint morning light seeping around the drawn velvet drapes, he saw the outline of her body beneath the thin linen of her chemise.
“I still hate you, Ian.” Charlotte laughed before peeking through her fingers. The corners of her smile peeked out from beneath her thumb.
“You don’t need to love me to tup me, Lottie. We are married, but it doesn’t need to mean anything if you don’t wish it to. I permit you to use me for your pleasure.”
“That’s so… thoughtful.” Again, she laughed.
His cock strained against his trousers as she straddled him, pinning him with her stare.
Those gorgeous blue eyes so full of empathy.
“You’re perfection,” he groaned. “You might as well be a firefly, the way you light up. The sun is drawn to you and sparks off your hair.”
