Page 57 of The Duke's Unclaimed Bride
After a few moments of contemplation, his eyes met hers again.
“So, have you ever experienced the touch of a man?” he asked, standing up.
She swallowed and bit her bottom lip, shaking her head. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire.
“Not even a lover?” he probed, walking toward her.
“No. I didn’t want to dishonor my vows,” she admitted, looking up at him.
His half-lidded blue eyes seemed to churn with something she couldn’t identify. Then, as if something inside him had snapped, he leaned close, cupping her cheeks in his hands.
“Then let me show you the pleasure you deserve to experience, wife,” he growled.
His lips crashed onto hers, finding a frantic rhythm of adoration and repressed lust. She gasped for breath between kisses, her heart racing. One of his hands slid into her hair, not pulling it, but applying enough pressure to keep control. His free hand went to her waist, pulling her up from her chair, which clattered to the floor.
“Your Grace—” she whimpered, but he silenced her with another kiss.
“Shh,” he murmured. “You have so much to learn.”
She felt heat bloom in her chest, her mouth dry as he kissed her senseless.
Suddenly, the kisses stopped, and Edith gasped as he scooped her up, one strong arm balancing her legs and the other supporting her back as he carried her to the bed.
She landed with a thud, her legs hanging over the edge. Before she could register what was happening, his hands were on her. His fingers ran up her legs, sending shivers through her. His palms pushed up the skirts of her gown. She shuddered as he kissed her thigh and watched his eyes take in every inch of her bared skin.
“You’re so soft,” he murmured as he kissed up her leg. She gasped softly. “And responsive.”
“Is that good?” she asked breathlessly.
“Very,” he replied. “Very, very good.”
He leaned in, his breath warming her core. She felt him press a gentle kiss to her folds. Her whole body shuddered with pleasure.
“Untouched,” he murmured, pressing another delicate kiss to her folds. “What a lucky man I am.”
His tongue licked up and around her folds. She whimpered, her hands curling into the bedsheets. His tongue pressed against her sensitive nub.
Stars exploded behind her eyes. One hand flew to her mouth to muffle the strangled moan that suddenly escaped her. He glanced at her with fierce, determined eyes and reached up to gently grab her wrist.
“Do not silence your pleasure,” he said, his breath warming her skin.
“But I might be heard,” she panted.
“Let them hear,” he murmured, his tongue going back to where it had been.
She whimpered, her thighs tensing. He moved his fingers and gently held her open to receive him.
“Let the maids gossip about how they heard their master pleasuring his wife,” he said. “Let there be no doubt that you’re now mine in every sense of the word.”
His artful tongue pressed firmly against her. Sparks of pleasure shot through her, and she trembled under his ministrations. Each lick, each kiss, sent waves of pleasure through her.
“Your Grace—” she moaned.
“My name,” he groaned. “Say my name.”
She bit her bottom lip. Her mind was fogged with unrivaled pleasure. She’d never felt so intoxicated before, not even on the finest wine.
“Laurence,” she sighed.
