Page 40 of Duke of Pride

A muscle feathered in his jaw, the only betrayal of the control he was barely clinging to. His lips—those infuriatingly perfect lips—parted slightly, not in invitation but in a silent warning.

“I have told you before, Victoria.” His voice dropped. “Do not push me.”

To prove his point, he leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, his chin tucked so that his look was that of a wolf, ready to devour its prey.

Is this supposed to be intimidating?

Victoria wondered at that while her brain cataloged that look as the most scorching thing after the sun. Instead of leaning back and away from the very real possibility of getting burned, she too leaned forward,slowly, as if defying him was as natural as breathing.

“And I told you,” she returned, her voice steady, “that I know what you want. Even if you won’t admit it.”

“Do tell me,” he dared. “What is it that I want?”

Every little ounce of common sense evaporated when his molten voice filled the carriage.

Victoria tilted her head and blinked slowly as her eyes flashed. “Me.”

Stephen surged forward, the predator within him finally giving in to instinct. He was on his knees on the carriage floor and tangled in her skirts, his strong shoulders nudging her knees apart so he could nestle between them. And she let him.

No.Shepulledhim in.

His hand wrapped softly around her neck, guiding her mouth to his with such purpose that it stole her breath.

He took her mouth with raw, undeniable hunger. His lips were demanding, his kiss a battle and a surrender all at once. This kiss was all lips and teeth and the faint smell of the wine they had. He bit her lower lip, almost crazed by need.

“Stephen…” His name tumbled from her lips in a reverent whisper.

His response was to deepen the kiss, his tongue sweeping into her mouth, leaving her breathless and clinging to him. His other arm banded around her waist, dragging her across the carriage seat into him, into his length, into his desire.

She surrendered.

Her fingers found the lapels of his coat, and she pulled him impossibly closer, the space between them disappearing with the inevitability of a tide. And she didn’t care if she was going to be swept away or even drowned.

Her hand moved to explore his chest. Under the wrinkled fine linen, she could trace his hard muscles and measure time through the beat of his heart. Her fingers went for that one piece of clothing she loved to hate—his cravat. She undid the knot and threw his cravat away. The moment her fingers touched his collarbone, he snapped.

His fingers tangled in her curls, pulling at her pins like a crazed man, his mouth moving from her lips to her jaw, kissing and nipping.

“You dared to provoke me, Victoria,” he growled into her ear, the words vibrating on her skin. “Now, face the consequences.”

I am so glad I did.

She knew both of them wanted this.

Stephen pulled on her hair so tenderly yet firmly that she let her head fall on the velvet cushions of the seat as she surrendered herself to his mouth. And he chose devastation for dessert.

His tongue darted out just so that it teased her skin, making her aware of every little inch. Those open-mouthed kisses, right where her heart was pounding, would be something to be written on her tombstone.

Something hot coiled in her stomach, molten, undeniable. Her fingers went into his hair, desperate to keep him there, where he wreaked havoc on her skin. But he was not done.

“Look at me!”

Victoria did as he asked. Her eyes flicked to his, and she was floored by what she found in them. Gone was the refined, proper Duke. He was probably consumed by the feral animal looking down at her with those dark eyes. It was not sated, and she was its next meal.

To see the great Duke of Colborne so disheveled, so overcome with passion, did something to her that she didn’t dare to acknowledge. A whimper left her mouth—a deep, breathy sound that she didn’t recognize as the expression of her need.

“Is this what you wanted, Victoria?” he demanded, his mouth on her collarbone. “To see how far I would fall?”

“Yes,” she breathed.

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