Page 14 of A Duke's Wicked Secret
She tasted so succulent, and he quickly followed that first kiss by many more. Penelope opened her mouth more, giving Theo access to explore further. By this point, his arms were firmly around her small frame, and her hands were woven into his lush wavy brown hair.
When Theo began to move his hands down to the curve of her back, venturing near her bottom, Penelope stepped back and inhaled deeply. Theo followed her lead and let go of his hold on her even though everything in his body burned to continue further. Her checks were so red, and her lips were wet from his passionate kisses.
“God, she looks so ravishing!” thought Theo. No woman had ever aroused him the way this woman did, but it was more than the lust he had known in his youth for other women. His heart longed to be close to her, body and soul. He did not want just to have her body, he wanted to make love to her and be one with her, which was a desire he had never had before.
“I’m sorry I do not know what has got into me. The hour of the morning has grown late, and I really should go. Good day, Theo!” said Penelope in an embarrassed rush as she jumped onto Phoenix and took off before Theo could say anything in response.
Chapter 6
“Penelope, did you hear what Henry asked you just now?” inquired Georgina. Around teatime that afternoon, Henry had come to the house and stayed to visit with them. Penelope had struggled to keep her mind on the conversation at hand because she had constantly found herself thinking about her time with Theo that morning.
Every time she did, her womb would flutter with excitement over the memories of his kisses and touch. In many regards, Penelope was mortified at her improper actions, but secretly she ached and yearned to kiss him again and be able to inhale his masculine scent again. Georgina’s question snapped Penelope back into reality, and she saw Georgina, Ms. Brown, and Henry staring at her.
“Please forgive me. I must have missed what you said, Mr. Carlton. Will you please repeat your question?” said Penelope.
“No need to beg forgiveness. I will always do anything you request! I simply asked if you and Ms Georgina will attend the ball Lord Collins is holding Saturday next,” stated Henry.
Penelope hated the way Henry now treated her with this overly sweet demeanour. He had never acted so obnoxiously when they were playmates in their youth, but now that she was on the marriage market, he was so fake towards her.
“Ah yes, I believe we have received an invitation for that, but I will have to ask Mamma if our schedule has us available that evening, and if so, I am sure we will be attending,” responded Penelope.
“If I may be so bold, may I request having the pleasure of your first dance that night if you can be there, Penelope?”
Before Penelope could think of a polite way to decline his request, she was rescued from having to give an answer by the interruption of the butler’s announcement of the arrival of the Duke of Winchester.
Theo strode into the parlour with confidence, and Penelope instantly felt her chest tighten as her heart pounded wildly. They all stood and greeted the duke formally.
“I apologise for my intrusion on your afternoon. I just wanted to ensure that Ms Ainsworth was alright and recovering quickly from her fall yesterday,” stated Theo.
“That is very thoughtful of you, Your Grace. I am doing much better today and expect my wrist to recover fully in a few days. Will you please sit down and join us for tea?” asked Penelope.
“No, I am afraid I have a prior obligation to attend but thank you for the kind offer. Mr Carlton, ladies, good day.” With that, Theo bowed and exited the room as quickly as he had entered it.
“Well, that was odd. If that does not confirm how insane the duke is, I do not know what will,” snarled Henry as he looked in the direction the duke had gone.
“Mr. Carlton, please stop! I do not feel right gossiping about someone like this. Let us turn to a different topic … for example, was not Georgina amazing yesterday at the musicale. In fact, would you please grace the three of us with one more piece Georgina?” begged Penelope.
Georgina looked as though she had wanted to refuse but saw the anguished look on her best friend’s face and said, “Of course, I would love to play something! Mr. Carlton, will you be so kind as to turn my pages?”
“It would be my pleasure, Ms. Georgina, as it is the wish of my lady Ms. Ainsworth to hear you play. I could never think to decline your request,” obliged Henry, eyeing Penelope hungrily.
As Georgina played and Penelope was finally given time to think without interruption, her mind returned to the duke again. Henry’s words about Theo had angered her greatly, and hiding this from her face was challenging. As the melody from the piano continued, Penelope realised that in her heart, she felt the pangs of missing Theo and ached to be alone with him again.
***
Once Theo had mounted General, he found himself lost in thought on his short visit to Ms Penelope’s home. Theo had not expected to see Henry there as well.
“Of course, that weasel would be there creeping into places he is not needed or wanted.”
When Theo had seen Henry sitting next to Penelope on the lounging sofa, his jealousy had risen within him, and he had direly wanted to pull him away from Penelope’s side. At the same time, he admonished himself for thinking that he would have been fortunate enough to have a moment alone with Penelope this afternoon.
He had intended to apologise to her for his actions this morning, but as this was impossible, Theo had needed to scramble for an alternate reason for his unexpected visit. All this left Theo entirely frustrated, and he decided to go for a long walk once he returned home before going in to finish the ledgers for the day.
That evening, Rupert once again came to Theo’s estate, and this time the duke was at home, so he, of course, received Mr. Lancaster.
“Well, finally you are “home,” and we can take care of this matter that is long overdue!” snapped Rupert without even taking a moment to greet Theo properly.
“If you are implying that I have been avoiding you with that remark Mr. Lancaster, then I will just once tell you this and not discuss it further that I most certainly have not been doing this. You could have done the proper thing and waited for me to invite you here to discuss this matter, but you chose not to, and as such, have missed me,” replied Theo with calm authority.
