Page 75 of A Virgin for the Duke of Scars
But they did not stop long enough for him to make sure that she knew. Surely, she could deduce it from whatever the nuns had taught her about the duties of a wife to her husband. She seemed to know that kissing was a part of making babies, as she put it.
Maybe she understood this, too.
He leaned back in and kissed her, expecting her to move her hands away. All he knew was that he could not wait another moment to have her.
He reached down for the hem of her skirt and pulled it up before resting a hand on her bare thigh. “Would you tell me what you want, dear wife?”
She looked him in the eye. Her face was flushed, though he was unsure whether it was from the question or the passion. He caught the ghost of a smile on her lips, and her eyes narrowed on him for a brief moment.
“More, please,” she finally said.
He understood that she was playing within the rules he had set the first time they were together.
He slid his hand up her thigh, all while rubbing small circles on her skin. Slowly, he moved his lips to her cheeks, down to her jaw, and then to her neck. Theresa tipped her head back and let out a moan, followed by his name.
He could not remember a time when she had been this wanton with him. How could she think that he was in love with someone else when their passion for each other was so intense?
When his hands brushed that secret place between her legs, she pulled back.
“Is something wrong?” He asked, confused.
A moment ago, she had been calling out his name and begging him to touch her. She had begged for more, for his hands and his mouth on her sex. She was wet for him, so he knew he was not the only one aroused by their kiss.
“If we are to be together,” Theresa said, rising from the settee. “Then I want you to examine all of me. You may think you know what is beneath my gown, but I would have you look at me in the light.”
Aaron did not move when she spoke. She turned away from him and faced the shelves. He saw her shoulders rise with an inhale and realized that she was nervous.
Of course, she would be nervous the first time she made love.
Had he not already seen her naked that night in front of the mirror, when he had pleasured her until she cried out his name?
Realizing that she was not going to come back to the settee, he let out an exasperated laugh that echoed through the room.
“You have no idea how much I want you. I have been thinking about this moment since I first saw you at the lake.” He stood up to go to her. She made no move to step closer or further away. “A beast like me had no business fantasizing about corrupting a nun.”
“Then you will understand that this is important to me,” she said. “Help me out of this gown.”
“I thought you would never ask.” He stepped up behind her.
He reached for the buttons on the back of her gown, the ones she could not reach and undo herself.
Aaron took his time, kissing her neck as he undid the row of buttons, but she made no sound. She did not moan at his tender touch.
She kept her distance from him, even as he tried to pull her in closer to him. The last thing he wanted was to pressure her into something that made her uncomfortable, so he undid the rest of the buttons and then stepped back.
“I want you to know that you areminenow,” he said, returning to the settee.
Theresa sighed deeply, and a flush crept up her neck. He imagined the lovely color that would rise to her cheeks if he could see her face right now.
She did not say a word. Instead, she slowly pushed the gown down her shoulders. The fabric fell away from her, and Aaron remained perfectly still, waiting until she would tell him that it was all right to touch her.
Everything in him yearned to reach for her, to run his fingers over her smooth skin. He had had so few opportunities to see her in her full naked glory. That first time in his tower, she had kept her dress on. He had seen her naked that night in her chambers, but did not have cause to study her so closely.
Now, she stood before him fully naked and awaiting his judgment.
Still, she did not turn around to face him.
Then, he understood what she wished him to see. The scars that marred her back were raised and angry in the light of the fire in the library. They so closely resembled his own scars that it took his breath away.
