Page 92 of Never Doubt a Duke's Desire

Chapter Twenty-Five

Spurring hishorse on, Isaac did not try to stop at the Winston Estate for fear that Louisa was already gone. He rode hard, feeling every thud of the horse’s hooves resonating inside his heart. He had to find her—there was no other way. He had to find her, explain his heart, and take her back home. There was no doubt about that, with herin his house, it was home.

He sped past the Winston Estate and headed to the road ahead, feeling more frantic the further he went without comingacross Louisa. His heart was beating wildly as the horse’shooves ate up the distance between him and the love of his life.

He sped past a thicket of trees, and it was only a flicker at the corner of his eyes that had him reeling the horse in. Under the line of trees, theresat Louisa, and she was staring at him with wide eyes. When the horse stopped, he launched off it and hit the ground hard.

She stood just as Isaac grabbed her and folded her into his arms,andheld her tight. “Don’t go, please.”

“I have to go,” she said. “We are not suitable for each other, Isaac. You do not love me—”

“Yes, I do,” he saidhoarsely. “And I hate how long it took for me to tellyou. I love you with everything within me. I should have never taken so long, and I hate how I allowed you to believe that I felt nothing for you.”

Pulling away, he framed her face with both of his hands. “Believe me when I say it, I love you. Helena is not a part of my life or my heart anymore, and Iexorcised her from my life the moment you came into it.”

Her eyes began to mist over, and Isaac added the last few words. “I want to marry you, Louisa. Will you do me the honor and be my wife? I do not give a fig what the ton would say or anyone else. They can march off the edge of the world for all I care; I want you in my life. I want to wake up withyou every morning; I want to share breakfast with you. I want to have you with me for the rest of my life.”

Louisa was silent for a long while, and just before he was going to press her, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her knees went weak, and he managed to sweep her into his arms.

He murmured, “Thank God,” in her hair. “Thank God you’re coming back with me.”

Then he bent low and brought her high, allowing his long body to press into hers, as he claimed her lips. Louisa fisted her hands in his hair, and a soft moan left her mouth.

At her grip, a blistering fever swept through him, settling in his groin, forcingself-discipline and desire to battle inside him. He wanted heronly God knew how badly he wanted all ofher. Desire, affection, understanding, and loveknitted everything he felt for her into one tight rope of commitment to her. Impatient, he deepened the kiss, handstrembling where he held her securely against his body.

Restraintwon over his lust, and he pulled away. Against her lips, he said, “I am taking you home, and you are not leaving my room until tomorrow morning.”

Her eyes searched his for a moment before she cupped his face and smiled, “I’d love that.”

***

Louisa hid her face in Isaac’s neck as he carried her, bridal style, up the stairs to his room. She feltthe footmen’s, maids’, and Mrs. Wickham’s astonished gazeson her and blushed from her tip of her head to her toes. Oh god, she did not know what was going through their minds now, but she could bet it was not something pleasant.

“Don’t worry about them,” Isaac murmured in her ear. “I’ll deal with them.”

When he deposited her on her feet in his room, he slipped a hand behind her and framed the back of her neck with the other and kissed her deeply.The kiss bled into chaos in molten heat in seconds. Louisa lifted her arms, skimmed her hands up his arms, over his broad shoulders, and into his hair.

Isaac tilted his head and dove deeper, sweeping his tongue through her mouth. Their bodies locked into place until she could not have said where hers left off and his started if her life depended on it.

He pulled away and fingered the ties of her coat, “May I?”

“Yes,” she said.

Grinning, Isaac undid the tie and removed the light coat from her body, revealing a modest blue dress. She was ready for him to remove more, but Isaac stepped away and began to undress.

Cravat, waistcoat, and shirt fluttered to the floor,and her gaze was fixed on his chest.His chest looked like carved granite, withslabs of defined muscle that dipped to his ridged abdomen. Dark hair dusted just under his collarbone, and alonghis forearms.

“Do you like what you see?” he teased.

Swallowing tightly, Louisa said, “I feel overdressed.”

“I want to keep it that way,” Isaac replied, while crouching to undo his boots and then stood to do away with them.

As she stood, Louisa allowed herself to study him, and her right hand twitched to reach out and touch him. Isaac must have seen it as he came closer. “You are free to touch me if you want.”

Nervously, she trailed her fingertips over the ridges and valleys ofhis stomach and drew in a section of her lip into her mouth. Isaac stood still as her fingers slid over the band of his breeches and nearly slipped over the placewhere his erectionpressed against the material.

“Shy sweeting?” he asked, while taking her chin.

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