Page 42 of Married to the Forbidden Duke
This concession was the best he was going to get.
“I would very much like to kiss you,” he conceded, looking down at her, his hand on her waist—he couldn’t remember putting it there. “But only if it is because you wish to kiss me too. Not as some twisted act of gratitude.”
He felt certain she would refuse. Turn away. Return her attention to Fortuna and everything she represented.
Instead, with a growl of irritation, Alice reached up for the back of his neck and dragged his face down to meet hers.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Alice almost regretted kissing Frederick the moment his lips pressed against hers. Not because she didn’t want to—on the contrary. The reason she regretted it was because she wanted to far too much, and the press of his mouth felt good.
Toogood.
Good enough that she could forget all the ways he had hurt her and all the ways she had sworn never to forgive him. She’d intended the kiss to be an act of gratitude—even though she knew nothing could make up for what he had done to her, Fortuna had made her feelingbeholdento him—but she had not known what it would do to her in turn.
Desire, red-hot and needy, spilled down her limbs. His hand was on her waist, fingers flexing but not bringing her forward, so she was the one to step into him.
Clumsily, her bad leg not prepared for the step; she crashed into his chest, and he caught her, his mouth not leaving hers for an instant. She kissed him like she was declaring war, rough and angry, and he kissed her back like a victory.
In offering herself to him like this, hadn’t she lain down her weapons? This kiss was a demonstration of all the ways she wanted him—no matter what now, she could not deny it. He would be able to taste it in the flick of her tongue against his, would be able to feel it in the hungry press of her mouth.
Lust sizzled between them, heating the air. Both his hands were on her, drawing her into his body, and she sank her fingers into his hair, clutching at him, ensuring he couldn’t break free. Not even for air. They were greedy in this stolen moment she’d allowed them.
But no matter how much she did her best to convince herself that this was all for him, she could not deny to herself how much she wanted this. More of it. His hands everywhere, his mouth following. The feel of his touch against her bare skin.
She’d never allowed herself to think about what intimacy with Frederick might be like, but now she wondered with heady intensity—and as though he knew the direction of her thoughts, he teased her tongue with his own. Pushing inside, retreating, the rhythm mimicking what he might do with his body. And when he flattened a hand against the small of her back, drawing her against him, she felt a hard ridge against her stomach.
The feel of it shocked her enough to draw back, gasping a little. He steadied her, his eyes dark and hungry, and she recalled where they were. In the courtyard, in full view of the house, though she had to hope no one was watching. And beside her, the new mare he had gifted her.
“I…” She pressed a finger to her lips as though she could keep his kiss there a little longer.
Foolish, but she’d never felt less sensible in her life.
Where was her composure now?
Frederick ran a hand through his hair, looking back at the house as though he, too, was remembering where they were. “Would you like to—”
“I should ride Fortuna,” she said, a little too loudly, in case he was about to suggest they return inside.
His lips twitched, and she felt certain she had been wrong and he wasn’t about to suggest the consummation of their marriage. Abruptly, she felt foolish.
“An excellent idea,” was all he said, and without any more warning, he took hold of her waist and lifted her up.
Alice scrabbled for purchase with her hands, but before she had time to panic, she was in the saddle, secure on Fortuna’s back.Fortuna, evidently accustomed to such things, barely moved underneath her.
“Oh.” Her heart pounded in her chest. “I—thank you, sir.”
“Here.” He took her leg and placed it carefully in the brace that had been built into the saddle for her, wrapping two large, stiff leather wings around her ankle and fastening it with straps and buckles. With her leg in place, carefully supported, and her other foot finding the stirrup, she clutched the reins.
“Thank you,” she murmured again, not looking at him.
He stepped back and gestured for her to trot around the courtyard. Although his every manner was of a gentleman, the bulge in his breeches hadn’t yet assuaged. She wondered if it would before they returned inside.
Surely it would…
Even so, even as she urged Fortuna into a walk, she couldn’t stop herself from stealing glances at him. For all they had kissed so urgently, so passionately, he now looked as though it was a distant memory. But his hair was mussed, and his breeches could not lie.
She reached for her composure, finally able to find it, and squeezed Fortuna’s side with her good leg. The horse launched into a trot, and the support in the brace allowed her to glide with the motion without pain.
