Page 34 of Lusting for the Duke's Kiss
And then, he was trailing kisses down her neck, finding her breasts. She moaned, deep in her throat, as his mouth descended on a nipple, sucking and nipping. Instinctively, she arched her back, filled with a fire that she was scared would consume her entirely.
His mouth travelled lower, and suddenly – shockingly – he buried his head beneath her gown, pulling at her undergarments. She gasped as she felt his mouth touch her in her most intimate place. There was the hot wetness of his tongue against her flesh. He was licking her, lapping at her. She turned her head, putting her fist into her mouth as the most incredible sensations started to rise within her, growing stronger with every moment.
She heard a moan, realising with shock that it had come from herown mouth. He licked her harder, almost in a frenzy. She felt a hot burst of wetness seep out of her. She had never dreamt that such a thing was possible. How had she never heard of it?
She twisted on the bed almost in agony, clutching the bed covering, her hands balled into fists. He reached up, putting his hands over hers, forcing them down as he continued his bewildering attentions.
She felt like she was climbing, soaring, towards something that she did not know nor understand. An incredible sweetness. It was growing ever stronger, more intense, so fierce, that she cried out.
Abruptly, suddenly, the feelings peaked, a potent rush of sweetness that she could barely endure. She cried out again, twisting on the bed, as she felt a hot sweat break out all over her. For one dizzying moment, she hovered in the halls of ecstasy before she felt the sensations slowly subsiding.
It was over. She slowly opened her eyes, confused. It was as if she had lost all sense of time and place. Outside the window, it was dark now. An indigo sky, almost like a bruise. She knew that she would never forget it.
He held her in his arms, gazing down at her tenderly, reaching out to pull a stray hair off her face, tucking it behind her ear.
“Happy?” he whispered, his eyes trailing over her face.
“Very happy,” she whispered back, blushing. “I simply had no idea that such pleasure was possible. That you could make me feel such things …”
He laughed softly. “I am glad that you experienced it for the first time with me, Hetty,” he whispered, tenderly kissing her on the cheek. “It is the love between a man and a woman. Part of the many things that can happen when we lie together. There is so much more to explore, so much more to discover.” He hesitated. “But now is not the time. It is almost the hour for dinner, and I do not want your mother knocking on the door, demanding to know what is going on.”
Hetty gazed at him, in wonder. How was it possible that he could do that to her? And suddenly, she knew, without a shred of doubt, that she would never have experienced anything like this if she was still with Frank. That it would have been the chore that her mother spoke about the night before her wedding.
Because it was his love that had unleashed it. It was his hands, alone. It was the way that he held her, so tenderly, and every look that he gave her. It was a million things that added to the total. Hedidtruly love her. It was there, in every touch.
And it was her love for him, as well. Her love for this honourable man, who had worked patiently to win her trust and her heart.
“You have made me the happiest man in the world,” he said, his voice shaking slightly. “It has been worth everything to see you here like this, shaking with pleasure.Everything, Hetty.”
She reached up, kissing him ardently. Lost in him, once again.
She knew that the chances were slim that she would ever get her divorce. She knew that she might never end up as this man’s wife.
But suddenly, she was willing to risk it all, for that slim chance. For the possibility of lying in this man’s arms like this, every single night of her life.
Chapter 15
Hetty walked down the path, with Della nipping at her heels. She barely noticed. Her legs felt like they had suddenly turned to jelly. Quickly, she found a chair, sinking into it gratefully.
They had just been informed that the court was granting her petition for a divorce. The hearing was scheduled to happen in three weeks’ time.
She took a deep breath, trying to process how she felt. The truth was since she had returned to Hillsworth House, she had barely thought about it. She had been too preoccupied with her newfound love for Louis. It had consumed her thoughts, every waking hour of the day, deepening by the moment. She had managed to push the possibility of the hearing far away in her mind, as she lived in the moment, revelling in their love.
Of course, it had always been there, like a nagging toothache, at the back of her mind. The fear that it might never happen. That she would never have the chance to marry Louis. That it had taken so long for her to admit her love for him, and that it would wither on the vine, never have the chance to blossom, the way that it should.
And now, it was here. It was coming. Her chance to move on, once and for all.
She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
She stared out over the landscape, lost in contemplation. It was probably a good thing that Louis wasn’t here at this moment. Ben had a small cold, and he was worried about the boy and wanted to be with him, which she understood completely. She needed time to be alone, and reflect on what was about to happen, anyway. To prepare herself for the emotional onslaught of it.
Her father was in his study, at this very moment, penning a letter to Frank Blackmore, in France, informing him of the date of the hearing. Frank would have a chance to be there, and to respond, as was his right. They were doing everything scrupulously by the book. They did not want the petition thrown out, or dismissed, on any slight technicality.
She trembled at the thought of facing Frank in court for the first time since he had deserted her.
Would she not be able to speak, with his presence? Would she become tongue-tied, and lose her courage? Would her emotions overwhelm her again, the fierce anger, and hurt, when she needed to be focused and calm? It was so difficult to know. But one thing was certain: she had to face it, whatever it might be.
Her father had warned her that they would ask difficult questions. Perhaps they would ask intimate questions. It was all part of their process to establish what had happened and what had gone wrong in the short marriage. She must brace herself for it. She must stay calmand answer truthfully and to the best of her ability.
