Page 47 of Ravished By the Beastly Duke

He stepped closer till there was only a scant distance between them, lifting her chin with a finger.

“You do not have to do anything.” He smiled. “Trust me to give you the pleasure you seek.”

CHAPTER 14

“You do not have to do anything. Trust me to give you the pleasure you seek.”

In as much as William would have refused her request, he had been tempted by the sight of her in the exquisite dress he had commissioned for her. He had known she would look beautiful, but when he saw her standing at the top of the stairs, he had wanted to forgo the ball and take her to bed. It was only the last shred of his self-control that had him escorting her to the carriage.

She had made it even harder for him when she held on to him as tightly as she had because she felt insecure.

When he had asked her to dance, it had been to escape the questioning and teasing looks of his friends, and he had expected only sedate conversations about the ball and the guests—nothing at all like what she had asked.

“I want you to show me pleasure, husband. If I’m ever to get rid of this raging fire inside of me, it can only be by your hand.”

Her request had been enough to shatter the last shred of his self-control, even though she had called them friends—which irked him.

He did not think the word was accurate to describe whatever this thing between them was, but he did not consider himself in love with her, so it fit them well. He was scared of how quickly he had grown to like his wife, especially because he did not think he would ever find someone so young interesting. But she had filled his days with more laughter than he had in years, and the dark clouds that had hovered over his estate had all but dissipated with her arrival.

He could never offer the love she would not doubt desire one day, but he could show her pleasure, satisfying both their needs effectively.

Kissing her was like tasting a sweet dessert after a very bad day, and he did not see himself tiring of it any time soon. She moaned into his mouth when he did so, pushing into him. Her sweet, floral scent assaulted him as well as the taste of the fruit punch on her lips. He wanted so dearly to taste her mouth with his tongue, but he calmed himself, choosing to pace his ministrations rather than rush her.

Tonight was for her and not him, even though he wanted to ravish her. Every part of him felt taut with need and longing, and if he continued down this path, it would soon be impossible tokeep away from her. But he spoke to the simmering lust in his blood, willing it to subside into a small fire.

He lifted her with one easy move and placed her on the table, not breaking their kiss even when she gasped. He was quickly getting addicted to the taste of her lips, but tonight he had plans to taste her everywhere else.

His hands went to the stays of her dress, which laced up at the front and was one of the reasons he had chosen this design. She would be miffed if she knew that he had hoped tonight would go this well.

He did not undo her stays all the way but loosened them, so if she needed to redo them, it would not be difficult. She gasped again, but he swallowed the sound, stepping between her legs and pulling her closer to him. He buried his hand in her hair, groaning as his tongue tasted hers.

God, he wanted this woman with a hunger that he couldn’t explain.

His hands moved lower, remembering there was no time to delay, and hiked up her skirts. He dragged a finger down her thighs, loving how she shivered, and then trailed it up the inside of her thighs.

She moaned into his mouth, burying her hand in his hair, and running her nails along his scalp. He loved how passionate his little wife was and how instinctively she knew the things heliked. Perhaps not instinctively, since she had taken to reading improper things.

He smiled against her mouth, kissing his way down her neck to the junction where he felt her pulse flutter against his tongue. She groaned, fisting his hair. Blood pooled in his member, pulsing so painfully that he ached for release, but he reminded himself that tonight was about her.

He pulled down the front of her dress, eyeing her beautiful, full breasts. He palmed one, savoring the weight of it in his hands. It felt more perfect than anything he had ever held, with a beautiful, dark berry tip that teased his tongue.

He leaned down to taste her, groaning and pulling the pebbled tip into his mouth. Her back arched, her hips bucking wildly.

“Oh God!” she cried out.

“Hush, wife,” he said, smiling against her flesh. “You do not want them to find us before we even begin.”

“We’re just beginning?” she whimpered.

“Indeed.” He nipped her nipple playfully.

She whimpered again, clapping a hand over her mouth.

Her response delighted him even though he had never once feared incompetency in the bedroom.

He liked how unrestricted her sounds and reactions were, and if they were in his bedroom, he would have loved to hear her scream out her pleasure.

He kissed lower, cursing the fabric that prevented him from kissing her abdomen and hips, going down on his knees before her. He ran a hand over one stockinged leg, squeezing her calf delicately.

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