Page 31 of My Demanding Duke

His fingers traced delicate patterns along her inner thighs, gradually moving higher with each caress. Once she was suitably relaxed, he placed himself between her legs, and trailed hot kisses along the soft skin of her upper thigh. Anna's breath quickened as he continued his journey, his destination becoming clear.

"Wait", she called, a note of uncertainty in her voice.

“Trust me,” he assured her again.

Her eyes widened slightly, but she nodded, her curiosity evident in the flush spreading across her skin.

With that, Hugh continued with his mission. He pressed more reverent kisses to the soft skin of her inner thigh, moving ever closer to her centre. Anna tensed momentarily when his mouth finally touched her slick crease.

“Relax," he murmured against her skin. "Just feel.”

With exquisite gentleness, Hugh's tongue traced the wet seam of her womanhood, tasting her arousal for the first time. Anna gave a startled gasp as his lips touched her sex, her fingers clutching at the bedsheets. Encouraged by her response, Hugh continued his gentle exploration, moving upward to the pearl of her pleasure and circling it with his tongue.

Anna's shock quickly gave way to pleasure as Hugh worshipped her clit with his mouth, alternating between gentle friction and delicate flicks of his tongue. Her hips began to move of their own accord, seeking more—and threatening to send Hugh’s resolve completely over the edge.

To distract himself, Hugh slid his hands beneath her, cupping her bottom and lifting her slightly to grant him better access. His tongue delved deeper, tasting her essence as her passion mounted. The sounds of her pleasure—soft whimpers and breathless moans—were more intoxicating than the finest wine.

When he could stand the torture no more, Hugh returned to her clitoris, where his tongue found the perfect rhythm to drive her to the brink. Carefully, he brought his hand to her wet lips and slid two fingers inside, as deep as he dared. Her muscles gripped around his fingers and Hugh continued his sensual assault of her clit, until she was slick with sweat and writhing with pleasure.

“Please,” she gasped, her hands tugging at his hair, as though she wished to him to stop.

But Hugh persisted and a moment later, Anna gave one final gasp before she found her release. He grinned with self-satisfaction as he felt her muscles lap against his fingers, while her body writhed in ecstasy—he always delivered on his promises.

Hugh waited for her pleasure to abate, for her breath to return to an even keel, before bringing himself up the bed to lie beside her. He pulled her into his arms, surprised by his sudden need for a different kind of intimacy—tenderness.

“You’re sleepy,” he commented, for her eyes were heavy, her breathing slow.

“I’m not,” she protested, defiant to the last.

He smiled as he placed a kiss on the top of her head. Within moments, she was dozing softly, her naked body pressed against his.

I’ll just wait a few moments then return to my own bed, Hugh thought, as he felt her breathing turn slow and rhythmic. He had never spent a full night with a woman, for he had never felt the need. But, as the minutes stretched on he grew more and more reluctant to leave the warmth of her body cradled in his arms. It felt so right to be holding her; it felt like home.

Just a few more minutes, he promised himself again, before he too drifted into a peaceful slumber.

CHAPTER TEN

THE MORNING LIGHTfiltering through the gauzy curtains awakened Anna slowly, the unfamiliar warmth beside her drawing her from her dreams.

She turned her head cautiously upon the pillow. Her husband lay beside her, his breathing deep and even. His dark hair fell across his forehead, softening the aristocratic angles of his face. In sleep, he looked almost boyish, without the sardonic smile that so often curved his lips.

She squirmed as the events of the previous night rushed back to her in a flood of sensation. Her lips felt bruised, her nipples sensitive, and her most intimate area ached once again with longing. What had this man done to her? His touch, his mouth, the unexpected pleasure that had coursed through her body like lightning—he had cast a spell upon her.

Anna drew the bed sheet higher beneath her chin, feeling a flush spread across her cheeks. A lady did not indulge so eagerly in such wanton behavior, as she had last night. And she had not merely indulged but reveled in it, her body betraying her with its primal response to his attentions.

The memory of her straddling Falconbridge in the carriage, her breasts bare against the cool air, brought a rush of shame—and worse, arousal. If the carriage ride had been any longer, Anna was certain that her maidenhead would not still be intact.

And yet it was.

Anna scrutinised her sleeping husband, wondering why—for a second night—he had not claimed his marital rights. He’d had every opportunity, given that she had offered her naked body to him on a proverbial plate. Yet he had not taken her; instead, he had lavished attention onto her body, onto her desire—with startling results.

She flushed as she recalled the pleasurable torture his tongue had created, building until she had lost complete control of herself. She hadn’t known that her body was capable of such sensations and, to her distress, she wanted more.

He has cast a spell on me, she thought wildly, wriggling from beneath the sheets to escape him.

Completely naked, she hopped from the bed, her eyes scanning the room for something to cover herself with.

“That’s a view a man could become accustomed to waking up to.”

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