Page 115 of Bound to the Heartless Duke
He gave a short, mirthless laugh. The kind she blinked blankly at.
“Regret? No. But you think I protect you because of duty alone.”
Her lips parted, but no words came out.
“However all of this began,” he continued, stepping closer, “you are my wife now. That comes with responsibilities I cannot ignore.”
“Your duties,” she said bitterly.
“Yes,” he agreed, though his voice was edged with something else. “But you think I perform them begrudgingly.”
“Do you not?”
His eyes searched hers. “You have no idea how difficult it has been—” He broke off, his jaw tightening.
“What has been difficult?” she prompted, her voice dropping to a whisper.
Magnus took another step forward until she felt the heat of his body. “To keep my hands off you. To keep my distance when every part of me wants otherwise.”
She swallowed hard. “And why would you wish to keep your distance?”
“Because if I let myself fall for you, I would lose the one thing I must not—control. And without it, I won’t be able to protect you as I must.”
Her breath caught, the words striking deeper than she cared to admit.
For a long moment, neither spoke.
“Then what about the other night? Was that also a mistake? A mistake you’ve vowed to never let happen again?”
Magnus eyes her carefully, not answering.
Lily opened her mouth to press him, but then she hesitated. Instead, she reached for his face and pressed her lips to his.
It was not a chaste kiss.
He groaned into it, as though his carelly kept restraint had suddenly shattered. His hands moved to her waist without thinking, pulling her flush against him, his mouth claiming hers with an almost wild hunger.
“Lily…” he breathed against her lips, his voice rough, before his mouth trailed to her jaw, her neck, the soft hollow beneath her ear.
She gasped, her fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt.
He made quick work of the ties at the back of her gown, the silk falling to the floor as their breaths mingled. She stood in her chemise, the thin fabric doing little to hide the contours of her body. The look in his eyes made her knees tremble.
“You are exquisite,” he rasped, his tone reverent yet laced with heat.
He pushed her chemise down her shoulders, letting it pool at her feet. His gaze roamed over her, unhurried yet ravenous, before he bent and scooped her up into his arms. Her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist, and she wound her arms around his neck.
She cried out softly when he lowered his head and closed his mouth around her nipple, sucking on it softly. His tongue lapped at her before his teeth grazed her sensitive flesh.
Her hands went to his hair, holding him there as though afraid he might stop, but he only moved to the other breast, giving it the same attention until she begged for more.
He turned, placing her on the nearest table before lowering his hand to her sex and sliding a finger through her wetness, makingher gasp. He kissed her again, swallowing her moans. His touch grew firmer, circling, teasing, then he slid one finger inside her.
“Magnus…” she groaned, her voice breaking.
She could only utter one thing, and that was his name.
“You are already wet for me,” he murmured, his lips brushing her ear. “Do you know what that does to me?”
