Page 33 of Claimed By the Duke of Ice

“Not at all,” Grace replied quickly. “In fact, it’s quite a lovely face. But it does make it more difficult to shave. I’m afraid I—well…”

“What?” Nathaniel asked. “Are you about to tell me I shall be walking around the rest of the day with an oddly shaved face?”

“I wouldn’t dream of putting you in such dire circumstances,” Grace laughed, “but I need to get much closer so that I don’t nick you.”

“Yes, I certainly don’t want that,” he replied with a smirk.

Grace nodded. “Neither do I. But I believe the only way to ensure I don’t is to sit in your lap.”

She watched as Nathaniel contemplated this, and another delicious shot of happiness went through her as he nodded his head.

“Very well then,” he replied.

Grace’s happiness began to warm and trickle into arousal as she sat gingerly at first in his lap. The warmth of his body called to her as she leaned into his chest, and she fought the sudden urge to curl her entire body up into his torso. Fighting her urges, though, she tilted Nathaniel’s chin up with her free hand as she steadied the razor in its place. For a moment, she watched, transfixed, as Nathaniel’s veins pulsed evenly beneath his taut skin of neck. There was so much trust in this moment.

Evening her breath, Grace brought the razor against the grain, and in one smooth motion, she sheared the hair away without spilling a single drop of blood. Relief flooded through her as she brought the razor away from his neck and wiped it clean with her towel.

“Very well done,” she congratulated herself as she put down the razor and dirty towel and picked up a fresh one. With equal tenderness, she wiped the towel over his freshly shaven face to gather up the remnants of lather and beard hair.

No longer needing to crane his head backward, Nathaniel slowly brought his chin down until he was staring down at her. His eyes, like they had the day he first kissed her, glowed softly beneath his forest-green irises. This was the way Grace liked Nathaniel looking at her. Warm, calm. At peace.

“What did you think?” she asked, her tone soft as she smiled at him.

Nathaniel’s lips twitched almost in a smile, and amusement filled his eyes.

“I must admit, it was quite extraordinary,” he confessed. “Shaving is usually quite a bother for me, but this gave me a new perspective.”

As he said the words, Grace felt something thick and hard stir beneath her seat. Pleasure laced through her as she felt it, and she couldn’t help but squirm a little into Nathaniel’s lap. She was not able to stop the gasp from leaving her lips when her little move caused the stirring once more, and she felt herself blush.

“In fact,” Nathaniel continued, his voice dropping an octave as a different look gathered in his eyes, “I might be inclined to make this a regular process.”

“Well,” Grace rasped, suddenly struggling to find not just her voice but her words, “I would be… happy to, um—assist you in any way possible, dear husband.”

A slow, wolfish smile spread across Nathaniel’s face as he slowly drew a hand toward her face.

Grace felt dizzy with pleasure the moment his gloved fingers caressed her jaw, and she fought the urge to nuzzle into the intimate touch.

“Is that so?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Unable to summon a syllable, Grace nodded as her tongue darted between her lips.

“Say it,” Nathaniel requested, his tone smooth but commanding.

“Yes,” Grace breathed, her body beginning to tremble. “Yes, please.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Yes. Yes, please.”

The words came out so softly, so pleadingly, it instantly added to Nathaniel’s erotic ache. He wasn’t sure if it was Grace’s commitment to try to help him or the thoughtfulness of obtaining her new gloves…or the rising arousal that had skyrocketed once he’d kissed her, but Nathaniel’s fears had slinked away like punished dogs into the night.

They were neither felt nor thought, and in his freedom from them, he began to feel explicitly present and in the moment. Grace’s suggestion to shave him had been odd, to say the least, but now, as he had her on his lap, feeling her and only her, he was so grateful she’d suggested it.

“What can I do for you now, my love?” Grace whispered, her blue eyes pleading as she looked up at him. “Tell me, and it’s yours.”

Nathaniel felt a heady moan leave his throat as his fingers turned the caress against her jaw into a gentle necklace around her throat, and he bent his head to kiss her. As his arm went around her, he felt Grace’s back arch deliciously as he touched the small of her back near her hips, and his cock hardened even more. Wanting to feel her move that way again, he repeated the sultry motion and was deeply satisfied when he procured the sought-after response.

Curious if there was more to her that was so sensitive, his other hand left her throat, and he began to explore Grace’s body with his hands. As he did so, a moan ripped from Grace’s lips as their kiss broke. She began to tremble as she drew in another deep breath as his fingers traced over the front of her corset and looked up at him helplessly.

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