Page 57 of The Duke of Distraction
His hand stopped moving along her back, instead flattening against the middle of her spine.The movement kept her on her toes, and he returned her gesture, pressing a soft, fleeting kiss on her face.
It felt so nice, so…right.She moved her hand up to his collarbone, steadying herself to brush her mouth against his.She shouldn’t, but he was right there.And he was…kissing her back.
He brought his other hand up and cupped her cheek, holding her tenderly as their mouths moved together.It was gentle and careful and not at all like their kiss at Darent Hall.
Until it was.
She was suddenly aware of the hardness of his body and his crisp, masculine scent.She remembered it from that dark closet, and the memory sparked a need she’d tried to forget.
His thumb traced from the corner of her mouth along her jaw to the sensitive spot just in front of her ear.His touch took the kiss from comfort to something far more dangerous.She should step away, but she couldn’t.Nor did she want to.
She wanted more, not less.She wantedhim.
Curling one arm around his back, she pushed the other up along his collar until she found his nape.She flattened her palm against the warmth of his flesh.She parted her lips as he did the same.Their tongues met, coming together with heat and passion.She gripped him tightly, never wanting to let go.
His hands moved over her, stroking her back, her neck, her cheek, awakening her senses.She mirrored his eagerness, touching him everywhere she could but never feeling a moment’s satisfaction.She’d never experienced such a need, such ahunger.
Because she wore only her night rail and a dressing gown, she felt him more than she had in the closet.But it wasn’t enough.She brought her hands down between them and pushed at the front of his coat.
He helped her cause, shrugging his shoulders from the garment as she shoved it down his arms.He tossed it away behind him and put his hands on her the moment he was free, caressing her shoulders, her side, her hip.It seemed he meant to explore every part of her.Good, she wanted to do the same.
She grasped his cravat, searching for the ends.But then she recalled its rumpled state, and finally had a moment’s lucidity.She pulled back and looked up into his familiar face that suddenly appeared very different than she’d ever seen it.His eyes were impossibly dark, the lids drooping low with seductive promise.His lips were red, his cheeks flushed.
“Was there really no other woman tonight?”she asked softly, her voice a bare whisper between them.
“There hasn’t been another woman since Darent Hall.”
Her knees wobbled, and her insides melted.He held her fast as she found his cravat and plucked the knot apart.
She gripped the ends of the silk and pulled his head down to her.“Good.”She closed her eyes and kissed him again, using every bit of skill he’d unwittingly taught her.
He groaned into her mouth and swept her against him, practically lifting her from the floor.Her pelvis pressed into his, and she could feel his erection.The hard length pushed into her sex, and pleasure radiated from where they touched.She rotated her hips, wanting more.She felt helpless and desperate.
He unsealed his mouth from hers and kissed along her throat, forcing her to cast her head back and open herself to his attention.It was glorious.His tongue and lips tantalizing her flesh as his hand came up and cupped her breast.He’d briefly done that in the closet, and the sensation of it crashed into her again.That was when they’d had to stop, when reality had rudely interrupted.
She wasn’t going to let that happen again.Not tonight.
Opening her eyes, she tore the cravat from his neck and dropped it to the floor.Then she tucked her hands inside the collar of his shirt, allowing her palms to caress his warm flesh.The muscles of his neck and shoulders corded beneath her touch as he stroked his thumb over her breast.
She gasped, closing her eyes once more as she gave herself completely into his care.He untied the sash at her waist and opened her dressing gown, leaving just the thin cotton of her night rail between them.
When his hand touched her breast again, she felt him so much more keenly.She had to grip his shoulders and hold tightly lest she collapse into a heap.His mouth moved lower, kissing the flesh above the top of her night rail.He tugged at the fabric, making the garment rise up in the back and press against her neck.
But it was enough to expose her breast.He pushed her flesh up, and cool air bathed her nipple just before his fingers closed around it.
She thrust her hand into the hair at his nape, tangling her fingers in the soft strands and tugging with need.He pinched her gently, drawing a low moan from her throat.Then his mouth replaced his fingers, his lips and tongue suckling her flesh as a wave of desire pulsed to her core.
He wasn’t against her down there anymore, and she missed the pressure of him.She needed to feel him, to savor the promise of whatever he would do to deliver her from this sweet torment.
“Felix, please.”
He lifted his head, his eyes dark with passion, his features taut with need.“Please what?”
“I need… I don’t know what I need.”
“This is not a good idea.”And yet he didn’t move.
“No, but it’s the only thing I’ve wanted in weeks.”Was she asking him to fulfill her desires?That was what he did, wasn’t it?
