Page 72 of The Duke's Unclaimed Bride
“Tilly doesn’t seem to have learned to fear anyone.” He laughed. “And the servants… I believe it to be more of a necessary fear and respect.”
“You would be surprised, Laurence. The servants respect you, yes. And you are well aware that you can be fearsome. But I do not believe they would have done so much to accommodate you if they did not care. I should also say that there appears to be a healthy… distaste for your father.”
“Really?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Indeed, if my tour with the housekeeper was anything to go by. Not all of them went with you to the fires at the village, but they all saw what you have sacrificed. They also see that you are nothing like your father. Honestly, they refuse to speak abouthim around me and Tilly. It would not surprise me if they’d all quietly agreed to let him stay dead.”
Laurence nodded slowly. She could see he was considering what she had said. He took a long breath.
“I… had not considered it that way before. The longest-serving servants who did not come with me that night… I truthfully had assumed they were in support of my father and his actions.”
“I don’t think that’s very fair. There are many reasons why a sane individual may not wish to risk their life and limb in a fire.”
“I suppose you are right. Maybe I haven’t been fair to them.”
“That seems to be a recurring truth for you, husband.” Edith smirked.
“It would seem so,” he sighed. “I don’t think I can be blamed.”
If I had lost my friends and the person I loved due to an injury like that, I would likely think the way he does.
“Still, now you know. So, perhaps you can be a little kinder to them? Or thank them a little more often?” she suggested.
“Maybe.”
Edith kissed his cheek. He smirked and kissed her lips. She moaned into the kiss and wrapped her arms around him.
“For tonight,” he murmured between kisses, “I think I have a much different goal in mind.”
“And what would that be?” she asked breathlessly.
“To have my wife thank me instead,” he teased.
He rolled her so she was underneath him and let his hand caress her skin. She shuddered with anticipation as his hand ran up her thigh. He leaned down and kissed her again, swallowing her moans.
His finger found its target, sliding inside her. She moaned into the kiss, her hips bucking slightly. She felt herself getting wetter as his finger prepared her for the pleasures to come.
“My wife is rather eager,” he purred against her lips.
“Only because my husband is rather good,” she breathed.
He grinned and kissed her harder, his thumb pressing against her bud. She gasped and moaned, still sensitive from her earlier release.
“You’re a fast learner,” he murmured, kissing her neck. “I need more.”
He pulled back and lined himself up with her entrance again. She spread her legs for him and whimpered as he filled her.
He kissed and nipped her neck as his hips rolled against hers. Pleasure surged through her body, bringing heat and need in its wake. She couldn’t help but grab his arms.
“My wife,” he panted.
His pace picked up, making her see stars again. He gripped her hips, and she was sure there would be bruises there later. His mouth moved down her body, licking and kissing her collarbone. He grazed his teeth against her skin, making her gasp.
“Laurence!” She could feel herself coiling like a spring.
“You’re so close already,” he murmured as his tongue explored her breasts.
It was enough to send her over the edge, and she cried out as she reached the pinnacle of her release. He grunted and filled her again.
